Bible Commentaries

Fair weather ( εὐδία )

Colloquial. Looking at the evening sky, a man says to his neighbor, “Fine weather:” and in the morning (Matthew 16:3), “Storm to-day” ( σήμερον χειμών )i1.

Lowering ( στυγνάζων )

The verb means to have a gloomy look. Dr. Morison compares the Scotch gloaming or glooming. Cranmer, the sky is glooming red. The word is used only here and at Mark 10:22, of the young ruler, turning from Christ with his face overshadowed with gloom. A.V., he was sad. Rev., his countenance fell.

Note the accurate employment of the two words for basket. See on Matthew 14:20.

Thou art the Christ

Compare on Matthew 1:1. Note the emphatic and definite force of the article in Peter's confession, and also the emphatic position of the pronoun ( οὺ , thou ): “Thou art the anointed, the Son of the God, the living.”

Blessed ( μακάριος )

See on Matthew 5:3.

Thou art Peter ( οὺ εἶ Πέτρος )

Christ responds to Peter's emphatic thou with another, equally emphatic. Peter says, “Thou art the Christ.” Christ replies, “Thou art Peter.” Πέτρος (Peter ) is used as a proper name, but without losing its meaning as a common noun. The name was bestowed on Simon at his first interview with Jesus (John 1:42) under the form of its Aramaic equivalent, CephasIn this passage attention is called, not to the giving of the name, but to its meaning. In classical Greek the word means a piece of rock, as in Homer, of Ajax throwing a stone at Hector (“Iliadvii., 270), or of Patroclus grasping and hiding in his hand a jagged stone (“Iliadxvi., 784).

On this rock ( ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέρᾳ )

The word is feminine, and means a rock, as distinguished from a stone or a fragment of rock ( πέτρος , above). Used of a ledge of rocks or a rocky peak. In Homer (“Odyssey,” ix., 243), the rock ( πέτρην ) which Polyphemus places at the door of his cavern, is a mass which two-and-twenty wagons could not remove; and the rock which he hurled at the retreating ships of Ulysses, created by its fall a wave in the sea which drove the ships back toward the land (“Odyssey,” ix., 484). The word refers neither to Christ as a rock, distinguished from Simon, a stone, nor to Peter's confession, but to Peter himself, in a sense defined by his previous confession, and as enlightened by the “Father in Heaven.”

Shall not be ( οὐ μὴ ἔσται )

The double negative is very forcible: “Shall in no case be.” Rev. renders it by never.

Turned ( στραφεὶς )

Not toward Peter, but away from him.

Get thee behind me

See Matthew 4:10.

Offence ( σκάνδαλον )

Rev., better, stumbling-block. See on Matthew 5:29. Not, thou art offensive, but thou art in my way. Dr. Morison, “Thou art not, as before, a noble block, lying in its right position as a massive foundation-stone. On the contrary, thou art like a stone quite out of its proper place, and lying right across the road in which I must go - lying as a stone of stumbling.”

Savourest not ( οὐ φρονεῖς )

Rev., better, mindest not. Thy thoughts and intents are not of God, but of men. Savourest follows the Vulgate sapis, from sapere, which means 1st, to have a taste or flavor of: 2d, to have sense or discernment. Hence used here as the rendering of φρονεῖν , to be minded. Thus Wyc., 1 Corinthians 13:11, “When I was a child I savoured ( ἐφρόνουν ) as a child.” The idea is, strictly, to partake of the quality or nature of.

Gain - lose ( κερδήσῃ - ζημιωθῇ )

Note that both words are in the past (aorist) tense: “if he may have gained or lost. The Lord looks back to the details of each life as the factors of the final sum of gain or loss. For lose, Rev. givesforfeit. The verb in the active voice means to cause loss or damage. Often in the classics, of fining or mulcting in a sum of money. Compare 2 Corinthians 7:9.

Soul ( ψυχὴν )

Rev., life, with soul in margin. This will be specially considered in the discussion of the psychological terms in the Epistles.

In exchange ( ἀντάλλαγμα )

Lit., as an exchange.