Matthew 26:69-75
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
Peter’s Denial of Jesus
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A female servant came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before all of them, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he went out to the porch, another female servant saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”[a] 72 Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74 Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.(A)
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- 26.71 Gk Nazorean
Matthew 26:69-75
New English Translation
Peter’s Denials
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A[a] slave girl[b] came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it in front of them all:[c] “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” 71 When[d] he went out to the gateway, another slave girl[e] saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.” 72 He denied it again with an oath, “I do not know the man!” 73 After[f] a little while, those standing there came up to Peter and said, “You really are one of them too—even your accent[g] gives you away!” 74 At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment a rooster crowed.[h] 75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.[i]
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- Matthew 26:69 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
- Matthew 26:69 tn The Greek term here is παιδίσκη (paidiskē), referring to a slave girl or slave woman.
- Matthew 26:70 tn Grk “he denied it…saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
- Matthew 26:71 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 26:71 tn The words “slave girl” are not in the Greek text, but are implied by the feminine singular form ἄλλη (allē).
- Matthew 26:73 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 26:73 tn Grk “your speech.”
- Matthew 26:74 tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorophōnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some mss [P37vid,45 ƒ1] in Matt 26:34) which would have been sounded at 3 a.m.; in this case Jesus would have prophesied a precise time by which the denials would have taken place. For more details see J. H. Bernard, St. John (ICC), 2:604. However, in light of the fact that Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72) and in Luke 22:60 the words are reversed (ἐφώνησεν ἀλέκτωρ, ephōnēsen alektōr), it is more probable that a real rooster is in view. In any event natural cockcrow would have occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in Palestine at this time of year (March-April) anyway.
- Matthew 26:75 sn When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.
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