At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s disciples?” “I am not,” he answered.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then the maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.”
- KJV Then saith the damsel that kept the door unto Peter, Art not thou also one of this man’s disciples? He saith, I am not.
- NKJV Then the servant girl who kept the door said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.”
- NASB Then the slave woman who was the doorkeeper *said to Peter, “You are not also one of this Man’s disciples, are you?” He *said, “I am not.”
- NLT The woman asked Peter, “You’re not one of that man’s disciples, are you?” “No,” he said, “I am not.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The servant girl at the door asks Peter if he is one of Jesus' disciples, and he denies it. This is Peter's first denial.
Overview
Confronted by a lowly servant rather than a powerful official, Peter fails, fulfilling Jesus' prediction (13:38). His flat 'I am not' stands in stark contrast to Jesus' bold 'I am' before the soldiers. The scene exposes human frailty even in a devoted disciple, and sets up the grace of Peter's later restoration (21:15-19).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 26:69–70Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
- John 18:25Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
- Luke 22:56–57A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.
- John 18:16But Peter stood outside at the door. Then the disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the doorkeeper, and brought Peter in.
- Mark 14:66–68While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
- Matt 26:33Peter said to Him, “Even if all fall away on account of You, I never will.”
- Luke 22:54Then they seized Jesus, led Him away, and took Him into the house of the high priest. And Peter followed at a distance.
- John 21:15When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
- Acts 12:13He knocked at the outer gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to answer it.
- John 18:8“I told you that I am He,” Jesus replied. “So if you are looking for Me, let these men go.”
- John 18:5“Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. Jesus said, “I am He.” And Judas His betrayer was standing there with them.
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John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 18:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.