This verse resumes the scene described in verse 18 after the interruption of verses 19-24. According to verse 18, Peter was standing by the fire warming himself, and so Good News Translation and other translations (for example, Goodspeed, Phillips, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) include the adverb still to maintain the continuity between the two accounts. Since John is apparently narrating what happened while Jesus was being interrogated, some translations render the Greek particle de (literally “but”) rather freely: “all through this” (New American Bible); “in the meantime” (Anchor); “Meanwhile” (New English Bible); “As Simon Peter stood there warming himself” (Jerusalem Bible).

The Greek text has “Peter” in verse 18 and “Simon Peter” in verse 25, but no theological importance attaches to the use of the full name. Therefore Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Barclay have Peter in both verses.

So the others said to him is literally “so (Greek oun) they said to him.” The plural verb (“they said”) contrasts with the singular noun (the girl) in verse 17, which explains Good News Translation‘s rendering (compare New English Bible “The others asked”). Jerusalem Bible‘s use of a singular (“someone said to him”) has no basis in the text. So the others said to him may be expanded in translation, for example, “So some of the others who were standing there said to him.”

Both the question and Peter’s answer are almost identically the same as the question and answer in verse 17. In verse 25 the Greek has “his disciples,” but Good News Translation renders the same way as in verse 17 (the disciples of that man). Peter’s second denial is emphasized by the introductory words But Peter denied it (Greek “that man denied”), whereas the first denial had simply answered Peter (Greek “that man says”). Denied can be rendered “said it was not so” or “said, ‘No.’ ”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .