Matthew 16:15-26
Amplified Bible, Classic Edition
15 He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?
16 Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and [a]to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.
18 And I tell you, you are [b]Peter [Greek, Petros—a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra—a [c]huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the [d]infernal region) shall [e]not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth [f]must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth [g]must be what is already loosed in heaven.(A)
20 Then He sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.
21 From that time forth Jesus began [clearly] to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised [h]from death.
22 Then Peter took Him aside [i]to speak to Him privately and began to reprove and [j]charge Him sharply, saying, God forbid, Lord! This must never happen to You!
23 But Jesus turned [k]away from Peter and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! You are in My way [an offense and a hindrance and a snare to Me]; for you are [l]minding what partakes not of the nature and quality of God, but of men.
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, If anyone desires to be My disciple, let him deny himself [disregard, lose sight of, and forget himself and his own interests] and take up his cross and follow Me [[m]cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying, also].
25 For whoever is bent on saving his [temporal] life [his comfort and security here] shall lose it [eternal life]; and whoever loses his life [his comfort and security here] for My sake shall find it [life everlasting].
26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life [his blessed [n]life in the kingdom of God]? Or what would a man give as an exchange for his [blessed] [o]life [in the kingdom of God]?
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 16:17 Alexander Souter, Pocket Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:18 The rock on which the church is built is traditionally interpreted as either Peter’s inspired confession of faith in Jesus as the Messiah, or it may be Peter himself (see Eph. 2:20).
- Matthew 16:18 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
- Matthew 16:18 Kenneth Wuest, Word Studies.
- Matthew 16:18 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:19 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation: “The perfect passive participle, here referring to a state of having been already forbidden [or permitted].”
- Matthew 16:19 Charles B. Williams, The New Testament: A Translation: “The perfect passive participle, here referring to a state of having been already forbidden [or permitted].”
- Matthew 16:21 Hermann Cremer, Biblico-Theological Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:22 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 16:22 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:23 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 16:23 Marvin Vincent, Word Studies.
- Matthew 16:24 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:26 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
- Matthew 16:26 Joseph Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon.
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