14:30a

In this verse Jesus responded to what Peter said in 14:29. Connect these verses in a natural way in your language.

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. (The clause Truly I tell you in also occurs in Mark 3:28, 8:12, 9:1, 9:41, 10:15, 11:23, 12:43, 13:30, 14:9, 14:18, 14:25, and 14:30.) It indicates that the statement was important and totally reliable, and that people should listen carefully to it.

See how you translated this phrase in 14:25a. In some languages you may need to translate the phrase differently in different contexts. In this context it introduces what Jesus said to Peter in 14:30b. He said that Peter would deny him three times.

you: Here the word you is singular in Greek. It refers to Peter.

Jesus replied: The Berean Standard Bible places the words Jesus replied after “I tell you the truth.” In Greek, these words occur at the beginning of 14:30a. Place the words Jesus replied where it is natural in your language.

14:30b

this very night, before the rooster crows twice: It was early evening when Jesus said this. This was the beginning of a new Jewish day. The words this very night define even more precisely when Peter would deny him. He would deny him before sunrise. Peter would deny Jesus three times before a rooster crowed twice.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

today—yes, tonight (New International Version)
-or-
tonight (Good News Bible)
-or-
during exactly this night

the rooster crows: The phrase the rooster crows indicates that a male chicken was going to make the noise that it normally makes sometime before dawn. Use the natural way in your language to describe this noise. For example:

a rooster calls/cries

the rooster: The phrase the rooster does not indicate that Jesus was thinking of a particular rooster. Some ways to translate this are:

a rooster will crow two times
-or-
some rooster will crow twice

twice: The word twice means two times. The crowing of a rooster would be heard two times.

14:30c

you will deny Me three times: Peter would say three times that he did not know Jesus.

you: In the Greek text the pronoun you refers to Peter and emphasizes him. If your language has a natural way to emphasize Peter, it may be helpful to use it here. For example:

As for you, Peter…

deny: In this context the word deny indicates that Peter would refuse to admit that he was one of Jesus’ followers. He would deny that he knew Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate deny:

say three times that you do not know/follow me
-or-
disown me three times (New International Version)

Some languages will need to translate deny as a direct quote. For example:

As for you, Peter, you will say, ‘I do not know Jesus.’

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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