And Simon he surnamed Peter;
Parallel translations
- WEB Simon, to whom he gave the name Peter;
- BSB These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter),
- NKJV Simon, to whom He gave the name Peter;
- NASB And He appointed the twelve: Simon (to whom He gave the name Peter),
- NLT These are the twelve he chose: Simon (whom he named Peter),
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
Jesus names Simon 'Peter,' the first of the twelve listed. It matters because the new name marks his calling and role among the apostles.
Overview
By renaming Simon as Peter ('rock'), Jesus signals a transformed identity and future role. Peter heads every list of the apostles, reflecting his prominence among them. The act of naming shows Jesus' authority to shape and commission his people for service in his kingdom.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- John 1:42And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
- Acts 1:13And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James.
- 1 Cor 9:5Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles, and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
- 1 Cor 3:22Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
- 1 Cor 1:12Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
- Matt 16:16–18And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
- Gal 2:7–9But contrariwise, when they saw that the gospel of the uncircumcision was committed unto me, as the gospel of the circumcision was unto Peter;
- Mark 1:16Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
- Matt 10:2–4Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
- 2 Pet 1:1Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
- Luke 6:14–16Simon, (whom he also named Peter,) and Andrew his brother, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew,
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 3:16 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.