high priest

The Greek and Hebrew that is translated as “high priest” in English is translated in the following ways:

  • Yatzachi Zapotec: “the ruler of the priests of our nation”
  • Chol: “very great priest” (source for this and above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125.)
  • Ayutla Mixtec: “first over the priests”
  • Desano: “chief of the priests” (source for this and one above: Viola Waterhouse in Notes on Translation August 1966, p. 86ff.).
  • Uma: “Big Priest” (source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “high sacrificer” (source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa as “Most-important Priest of God” (source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Big leader of offerings” (source: Bariai Back Translation)

In Khoekhoe the translation for “high priest” is only capitalized when it refers to Jesus (as is Hebrews 2:17 et al.). (Source: project-specific notes in Paratext)

See also priest and chief priest.

Peter

Following is a Armenian Orthodox icon of Peter (found in the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shusha, Azerbaijan).

Orthodox Icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )

Following is a hand colored stencil print on momigami of Peter by Sadao Watanabe (1970):

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

In Finnish Sign Language it is translated with the sign signifying “key” (referring to Matthew 16:19). (Source: Tarja Sandholm)


“Peter” or “Cephas” in Finnish Sign Language (source )

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “rock,” referring to the meaning of the Greek word for “Peter.”


“Peter” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

See also Peter – rock.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Peter .

Peter Denies Jesus

Following is a 1973 painting of the JESUS MAFA project, a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

complete verse (Luke 22:54)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:54:

  • Noongar: “They arrested Jesus and took him away to the house of the High Priest, and Peter followed them.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “From there, they really did arrest him, and they took him to the house of the High Priest. Petrus followed at a distance.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then they seized Isa and took him away to the house of the leading priest. Petros followed Isa but from a distance.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Then they arrested Jesus and they took him to the house of the high priest. And Peter, he followed — however, not very closely.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then they arrested Jesus and took him to the house of the highest priest. As for Pedro, he followed at a measurable distance (lit. space-between).” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Without anything further, Jesus was taken by those who arrested him to the house of the Most-important Priest. As for Pedro, he followed-along-at-a-distance(usually implies to check on safety of one being followed).” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 22:54-65)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 22:54-65:

Peter kept his distance after Jesus was arrested
       and led away to the house of the high priest.
Some people were sitting around a fire
in the courtyard of the house, and Peter joined them.
       “This man was with Jesus!” blurted out a servant girl.

“I don’t even know the guy!” insisted Peter.

“You’re one of them!” someone said with a smirk.

“Not me!” denied Peter.

An hour or so later, another man swore,
       “This man was with Jesus—they’re both from Galilee.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
       came Peter’s denial.
At that very moment, while Peter was still speaking,
       he heard the sound of a rooster crowing.

The Lord looked in Peter’s direction,
and Peter remembered those solemn words,
       “Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning,
       you’ll say three times you don’t even know me.”

Peter left and wept bitterly.

Meanwhile, the guards insulted and struck Jesus.
They put a blindfold on him and sneered as they said,
       “Tell us who hit you?”
And this was not the worst they did to him.

Translation commentary on Luke 22:54

Exegesis:

sullabontes de auton ēgagon ‘after arresting him they led (him) away.’ Subject is probably the persons mentioned in v. 52. agō is used here in the meaning ‘to lead away,’ ‘to take into custody.’

eisēgagon eis tēn oikian tou archiereōs ‘they brought him to the house of the high priest.’ eisagō is a general term without specific judicial connotation. oikia refers to the official residence of the high priest. For archiereus cf. on 3.2.

ho de Petros ēkolouthei makrothen ‘and Peter followed at a distance,’ descriptive imperfect, denoting an act which accompanied the events related in the preceding clause. The range of makrothen ‘at a distance’ is determined by the fact that he had to keep far enough away to remain unnoticed, i.e. outside the light of the torches.

Translation:

They seized him and led him away. Since the persons mentioned in v. 52 are initiators rather than direct agents the clause may have to be rendered, ‘had him seized and led away,’ ‘ordered their men to take hold of him and lead him away.’

Bringing him to often better as a main clause, e.g. “They brought him to” (New English Bible), or, ‘they had him brought to.’

Followed, i.e. went along after the crowd cf. a rendering such as, ‘walked far behind in coming’ (Sranan Tongo, similarly Zarma). If an object is obligatory, one can best add ‘them’ or another reference to those who led Jesus away.

At a distance, cf. on 15.20.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.