John 13:26

βάψω for βάψας, and καὶ δώσω αὐτῷ for ἐπιδώσω (correction to avoid awkwardness). The readings vary much. Βάψας οὖν for καὶ ἐμβάψας, and Ἰσκαριώτου for Ἰσκαριώτῃ (comp. John 6:71).

26. ᾧ ἐγὼ βάψω τὸ ψ. κ. δώσω αὐτῷ. For whom I shall dip the morsel and give it to him. The text is much confused, perhaps owing to copyists having tried to correct the awkwardness of ᾧ and αὐτῷ (comp. John 6:51; John 14:4). ψώμιον (ψώειν, collat. form of ψάειν, ‘to rub’) is ‘a little piece broken off;’ it is still the common word in Greece for bread. To give such a morsel at a meal was an ordinary mark of goodwill, somewhat analagous to taking wine with a person in modern times. Christ, therefore, as a forlorn hope, gives the traitor one more mark of affection before dismissing him. It is the last such mark: ‘Friend, wherefore art thou come?’ (Matthew 26:50) should be ‘Comrade, (do that) for which thou art come,’ and is a sorrowful rebuke rather than an affectionate greeting. Whether the morsel was a piece of the unleavened bread dipped in the broth of bitter herbs depends upon whether this supper is regarded as the Paschal meal or not. The name of the traitor is once more given with solemn fulness as in John 13:2 and John 6:71, Judas the son of Simon Iscariot.