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When those present had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat down among them.
Luke 22:55 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB When they had kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and had sat down together, Peter sat among them.
  • KJV And when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the hall, and were set down together, Peter sat down among them.
  • NKJV Now when they had kindled a fire in the midst of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter sat among them.
  • NASB After they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat down together, Peter was sitting among them.
  • NLT The guards lit a fire in the middle of the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.

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

A fire is kindled in the courtyard, and Peter sits among those gathered. He places himself among the wrong company.

Overview

Peter mingles with the high priest's household around the fire, hoping to remain unnoticed. His position among Jesus' opponents exposes him to pressure and temptation. The setting prepares for the questioning that will lead to his denials.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Ps 26:4–5I do not sit with deceitful men, nor keep company with hypocrites.
  • Luke 22:44And in His anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.
  • Ps 28:3Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.
  • Prov 9:6Leave your folly behind, and you will live; walk in the way of understanding.”
  • 2 Cor 6:15–17What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?
  • Mark 14:66–72While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down
  • Matt 26:69–75Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
  • Ps 1:1Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or set foot on the path of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers.
  • John 18:16–18But 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.
  • Prov 13:20He who walks with the wise will become wise, but the companion of fools will be destroyed.
  • 1 Cor 15:33Do not be deceived: “Bad company corrupts good character.”
  • John 18:25–27Simon 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.”
  • Matt 26:3At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 22:55YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 22:55 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.