Matthew 16
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Matthew chapter 16 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
28 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 4 Fathers — Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Origen.
Matthew 16
1Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came, and testing Him, they asked Him to show them a sign out of heaven.Καὶ προσελθόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι καὶ Σαδδουκαῖοι πειράζοντες ἐπηρώτησαν αὐτὸν σημεῖον ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπιδεῖξαι αὐτοῖς.
2He answered and said to them, “When evening comes you say, ‘Fine weather, for the sky is red’.ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὀψίας γενομένης λέγετε, Εὐδία· πυρράζει γὰρ ὁ οὐρανός.
3And in the morning, ‘Today will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.’ Hypocrites! Indeed you know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times.καὶ πρωΐ, Σήμερον χειμών· πυρράζει γὰρ στυγνάζων ὁ οὐρανός. ὑποκριταί, τὸ μὲν πρόσωπον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ γινώσκετε διακρίνειν, τὰ δὲ σημεῖα τῶν καιρῶν οὐ δύνασθε;
4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.” And leaving them behind He went away.γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλὶς σημεῖον ἐπιζητεῖ· καὶ σημεῖον οὐ δοθήσεται αὐτῇ, εἰ μὴ τὸ σημεῖον Ἰωνᾶ τοῦ προφήτου. καὶ καταλιπὼν αὐτούς, ἀπῆλθε.
5Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they forgot to take bread.Καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ πέραν ἐπελάθοντο ἄρτους λαβεῖν.
6Then Jesus said to them, “Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Ὁρᾶτε καὶ προσέχετε ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων.
7But they were reasoning among themselves, saying, “We did not take bread.”οἱ δὲ διελογίζοντο ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, λέγοντες ὅτι Ἄρτους οὐκ ἐλάβομεν.
8But Jesus, knowing about it, said to them, “O you of little faith, why are you reasoning among yourselves, because you did not take bread?γνοὺς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Τί διαλογίζεσθε ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ὀλιγόπιστοι, ὅτι ἄρτους οὐκ ἐλάβετε;
9Do you not yet perceive, or remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you took up?οὔπω νοεῖτε, οὐδὲ μνημονεύετε τοὺς πέντε ἄρτους τῶν πεντακισχιλίων, καὶ πόσους κοφίνους ἐλάβετε;
10Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many hampers you took up?οὐδὲ τοὺς ἑπτὰ ἄρτους τῶν τετρακισχιλίων, καὶ πόσας σπυρίδας ἐλάβετε;
11How is it you do not perceive that I did not speak to you about bread, but to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?”πῶς οὐ νοεῖτε, ὅτι οὐ περὶ ἄρτου εἶπον ὑμῖν προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων;
12Then they understood that He did not say to beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees.τότε συνῆκαν ὅτι οὐκ εἶπε προσέχειν ἀπὸ τῆς ζύμης τοῦ ἄρτου, ἀλλὰ ἀπὸ τῆς διδαχῆς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων.
13When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He was questioning His disciples, saying, “Who do men pronounce Me, the Son of Man, to be?”Ἐλθὼν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰς τὰ μέρη Καισαρείας τῆς Φιλίππου ἠρώτα τοὺς μαθητὰς αὐτοῦ, λέγων, Τίνα με λέγουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἶναι, τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου;
14So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, but others say Elijah, and yet others say Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”οἱ δὲ εἶπον, Οἱ μὲν Ἰωάννην τὸν βαπτιστήν· ἄλλοι δὲ Ἠλίαν· ἕτεροι δὲ Ἱερεμίαν, ἢ ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν.
15He said to them, “But who do you pronounce Me to be?”λέγει αὐτοῖς, Ὑμεῖς δὲ τίνα με λέγετε εἶναι;
16And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος εἶπε, Σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστὸς ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος.
17Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν αὐτῷ, Μακάριος εἶ, Σίμων Βαριωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέ σοι, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
18And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build My church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω, ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πύλαι ᾍδου οὐ κατισχύσουσιν αὐτῆς.
19And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on the earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on the earth will have been loosed in heaven.”καὶ δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν· καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
20Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.τότε διεστείλατο τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ἵνα μηδενὶ εἴπωσιν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός.
21From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go off to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and to be killed, and to be raised the third day.Ἀπὸ τότε ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς δεικνύειν τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ ὅτι δεῖ αὐτὸν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, καὶ πολλὰ παθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων καὶ ἀρχιερέων καὶ γραμματέων, καὶ ἀποκτανθῆναι, καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγερθῆναι.
22And taking Him aside, Peter began to rebuke Him, saying, “God be gracious to You, Lord! This shall by no means happen to You!”καὶ προσλαβόμενος αὐτὸν ὁ Πέτρος ἤρξατο ἐπιτιμᾶν αὐτῷ λέγων, Ἵλεώς σοι, Κύριε· οὐ μὴ ἔσται σοι τοῦτο.
23But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me, because you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”ὁ δὲ στραφεὶς εἶπε τῷ Πέτρῳ, Ὕπαγε ὀπίσω μου, Σατανᾶ, σκάνδαλόν μου εἶ· ὅτι οὐ φρονεῖς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.
24Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.Τότε ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπε τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ, Εἴ τις θέλει ὀπίσω μου ἐλθεῖν, ἀπαρνησάσθω ἑαυτόν, καὶ ἀράτω τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀκολουθείτω μοι.
25For whoever desires to save his life shall lose it, but whoever loses his life on account of Me shall find it.ὃς γὰρ ἂν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι, ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃς δ᾽ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν·
26For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?τί γὰρ ὠφελεῖται ἄνθρωπος ἐὰν τὸν κόσμον ὅλον κερδήσῃ, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ζημιωθῇ; ἢ τί δώσει ἄνθρωπος ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ;
27For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will render to each according to his works.μέλλει γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ μετὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, καὶ τότε ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτοῦ.
28Assuredly I say to you, there are some standing here who will by no means taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.”ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, εἰσί τινες ὧδε ἑστῶτες, οἵτινες οὐ μὴ γεύσωνται θανάτου, ἕως ἂν ἴδωσι τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ.
The Fathers on Matthew 16
Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Augustine, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Origen comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Matthew 16:24Saint John ChrysostomThen; when? When Peter said, “Be it far from Thee, this shall not be unto Thee;” and was told, “Get thee behind me, Satan.”2132 For He was by no means satisfied with the mere rebuke, but, willing also more abundantly to show both the extrav
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On Matthew 16:24Saint AugustineMatthew continues thus: “Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me;” and so on, down to the words, “And then He shall reward every man...
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 16:24Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid24. Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man desireth to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me. "Then" — when? When He had rebuked Peter. Wishing to show that Peter erred in hindering Him from suffering, He said, "You are hindering Me,...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:28Saint John ChrysostomThus, inasmuch as He had discoursed much of dangers and death, and of His own passion, and of the slaughter of the disciples, and had laid on them those severe injunctions; and these were in the present life and at hand, but the good things
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On Matthew 16:28Saint AugustineMatthew proceeds thus: “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of man coming in His kingdom.
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 16:28Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid28. Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. He had said that the Son of Man would come in His glory. So that they would not disbelieve Him, He says "there be some here" who would...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:5, 12Saint AugustineMatthew proceeds: “And He left them, and departed. And when His disciples were come to the other side, they forgot to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the...
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 16:5–6Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid5-6. And when His disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread. Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Just as leaven is both sour and old, so too the sour teaching of the Pharisees and...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:7–12Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid7-12. And they reasoned among themselves, saying, It is because we have taken no bread. But Jesus, aware of this, said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread? Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:18Saint AugustineMatthew continues thus: “And Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi; and He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I, the Son of man, am?
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 16:18Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church; and the gates of hades shall not prevail against it. The Lord gives Peter a great reward, that the Church will be built on him. Since Peter confessed Him as Son of God, the Lord...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:21Saint AugustineMatthew proceeds in the following strain: “Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ.
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 16:21Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid21. From that time forth began Jesus to show unto His disciples how that He must go unto Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. To them He foretells the Passion, lest it come upon them...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:1Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid1. The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting Him, asked that He show them a sign from heaven. Although the Pharisees and Sadducees were at odds over their teachings, they conspired together against Christ. They ask for a sign from heaven, such as making the sun...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 16:1Origen“And the Sadducees and Pharisees came, and tempting Him kept asking Him to shew them a sign from heaven.” The Sadducees and Pharisees who disagreed with each other in regard to the most essential truths,—for the Pharisees champion the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, hoping that there will be a world to come,...
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On Matthew 16:1OrigenNow, to this point we have come in our discourse, because of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming together unto Jesus, who disagreed in matters relating to the resurrection, but came, as it were, to an agreement for the sake of tempting our Saviour, and asking Him to show them a sign from heaven. For, not satisfied with...
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On Matthew 16:2–4Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid2-4. He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red. And in the morning, It will be foul weather today: for the sky is red and threatening. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the...
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On Matthew 16:2–4OrigenNext let us remark in what way, when asked in regard to one sign, that He might show it from heaven, to the Pharisees and Sadducees who put the question, He answers and says, “An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign, and there shall be no sign given to it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet, ” when also,...
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On Matthew 16:13Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid13. When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am? The evangelist mentions the founder of the city, Philip, because there is another Caesarea, of Strato, and it was not in the latter, but in the...
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On Matthew 16:14Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid14. And they said, Some say that Thou art John the Baptist: some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets. Among those who called Him John was Herod, who thought that John after rising from the dead had also received the gift of working miracles. Those who...
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On Matthew 16:15–16Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid15-16. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. Once again Peter leaps forward with fervor and confesses that He is truly the Son of God. He did not say, "Thou art the anointed one, a son...
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On Matthew 16:17Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar Jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but My Father Who is in heaven. He calls Peter blessed for having received knowledge by divine grace. And by commending Peter, He thereby shows the...
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On Matthew 16:19Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid19. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of the heavens: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens. He spoke as God, with authority, "I will give unto thee." For...
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On Matthew 16:20Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid20. Then charged He His disciples that they should tell no man that He was the Christ. Before the Cross, Christ wanted to obscure His own glory. For if, before the Passion, men heard that He was God and then saw Him suffering, how could they not be scandalized? This is why He...
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On Matthew 16:22Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid22. Then Peter took Him and began to rebuke Him, saying, Be it far from Thee, Lord, this shall not be unto Thee. Peter rightly confessed what had been revealed; in what had not been revealed, he erred: that we may learn that Peter did not utter that great truth without God’s...
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On Matthew 16:23Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid23. But He turned and said unto Peter, Get thee behind Me, Satan: thou art an offense unto Me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of man. When Peter spoke rightly, Christ called him blessed, but when he was irrationally dismayed, and did not...
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On Matthew 16:25Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid25. For whosoever would save his life shall lose it, and whosoever would lose his life for My sake shall find it. He exhorts us to confess Christ even at the cost of a martyr’s death. For he who denies Christ, finds his life in the present, that is, he saves his own life, but...
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On Matthew 16:26–27Open Matthew 16 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid26-27. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to His works....
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →