14:30a
But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between Peter walking on top of the water (in 14:29b) and Peter sinking into the water (in 14:30b). The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction But.
when he saw the strength of the wind: There is a textual issue here:
(1) Some Greek manuscripts have the adjective “strong” here. For example:
when he saw the strong wind (NET Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, NET Bible, King James Version, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(2) Some Greek manuscripts do not have an adjective here. For example:
when he saw the wind (Revised Standard Version)
(New International Version, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow option (1). It has the most version support.
he saw the strength of the wind: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as he saw the strength of the wind indicates that Peter noticed the effects of a strong wind. He saw the waves and felt the strong wind blowing.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
he felt the strength of the wind
-or-
he noticed the strong wind (Good News Translation)
-or-
because of the strong wind
-or-
he saw the waves/water that the big wind was blowing
14:30b
beginning to sink: The verb sink refers to going down into the water. Peter walked on top of the water for a while, but his fear interfered with his faith and he began to sink into the water.
It is not known how far he sunk before calling out. But at least his head was still above the water. Perhaps part of his upper body was also above water.
cried out: This phrase refers to yelling or shouting. The phrase cried out does not refer to weeping.
Here is another way to translate this verb:
shouted (New Living Translation (2004))
save me: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as save in this context means “rescue (from danger)” or “save (from death).” It is the same word used for eternal salvation, but you may need to use a different term to make the meaning of “rescue” clear.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
rescue me
-or-
save me ⌊from death⌋
-or-
help me
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