Then the maid who kept the door said to Peter, “Are you also one of this man’s disciples?” He said, “I am not.”
Parallel translations
- 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.
- BSB 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.
- 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 26:69–70Now Peter was sitting outside in the court, and a maid came to him, saying, “You were also with Jesus, the Galilean!”
- John 18:25Now Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. They said therefore to him, “You aren’t also one of his disciples, are you?” He denied it, and said, “I am not.”
- Luke 22:56–57A certain servant girl saw him as he sat in the light, and looking intently at him, said, “This man also was with him.”
- John 18:16but Peter was standing at the door outside. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out and spoke to her who kept the door, and brought in Peter.
- Mark 14:66–68As Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the maids of the high priest came,
- Matt 26:33But Peter answered him, “Even if all will be made to stumble because of you, I will never be made to stumble.”
- Luke 22:54They seized him, and led him away, and brought him into the high priest’s house. But Peter followed from a distance.
- John 21:15So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
- Acts 12:13When Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a maid named Rhoda came to answer.
- John 18:8Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If therefore you seek me, let these go their way,”
- John 18:5They answered him, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus said to them, “I am he.” Judas also, who betrayed him, was standing with them.
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Christ at the center
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.