What does Matthew 27:10 mean?

This concludes the prophecy Matthew references beginning in the previous verse (Matthew 27:9). The words come close to Zechariah 11:11–13. However, Matthew formally credits the prophetic prediction to the prophet Jeremiah. Bible scholars note direct parallels to the story of Judas and the content of Jeremiah 19:1–13. It's likely that Matthew referenced both prophets, seeing divine foresight in both, and mentioned only the more prominent of the two. This seems to have been a normal practice of the time, as Mark 1:2–3 makes a similar choice when citing Isaiah and Malachi.

Matthew's larger point is about the content of prophecy. Those statements closely connect to the story of Judas' death and the purchase of the potter's field (Matthew 27:3–8). This is yet more evidence that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew, especially, has taken great care to connect prophecies from the Old Testament to many aspects of Jesus' life and ministry as a way of establishing for Jewish readers the validity of Jesus' claims to be the Christ.