Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
Parallel translations
- WEB But he began to curse, and to swear, “I don’t know this man of whom you speak!”
- KJV But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
- BSB But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!”
- NKJV Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!”
- NASB But he began to curse himself and to swear, “I do not know this Man of whom you speak!”
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
Peter curses and swears that he does not know Jesus. His denial reaches its lowest point.
Overview
Invoking curses and oaths, Peter emphatically disowns the Lord he had vowed to die for. His collapse is complete, fulfilling Jesus' prediction in full. Yet this very failure, foreseen by Jesus, will become the occasion of deep repentance and restoration.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Jer 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and it is exceedingly corrupt. Who can know it?
- 2 Kgs 10:32In those days Yahweh began to cut away parts of Israel; and Hazael struck them in all the borders of Israel;
- 2 Kgs 8:12–15Hazael said, “Why do you weep, my lord?” He answered, “Because I know the evil that you will do to the children of Israel. You will set their strongholds on fire, and you will kill their young men with the sword, and will dash their little ones in pieces, and rip up their pregnant women.”
- 1 Cor 10:12Therefore let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 14:71 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.