And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
Parallel translations
- WEB They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
- BSB They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
- NKJV So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
- NASB And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah, or one of the other prophets.”
- NLT “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.”
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 disciples report that people think Jesus is John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or a prophet. It matters because even high views of Jesus fall short of the truth.
Overview
Popular opinion ranks Jesus among the great prophets—John, Elijah, Jeremiah, or another. These are honorable estimates, yet all fall short of his true identity. They reveal that admiration of Jesus is not the same as confessing him as Messiah. The inadequacy of these answers sets up Peter's confession to come.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Mark 6:15Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets.
- Matt 14:2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
- Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
- Luke 9:18–19And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?
- John 9:17They say unto the blind man again, What sayest thou of him, that he hath opened thine eyes? He said, He is a prophet.
- John 7:12And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him: for some said, He is a good man: others said, Nay; but he deceiveth the people.
- John 7:40–41Many of the people therefore, when they heard this saying, said, Of a truth this is the Prophet.
- Mark 8:28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
- Matt 17:10And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come?
- Luke 9:8And of some, that Elias had appeared; and of others, that one of the old prophets was risen again.
- John 1:21And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 16:14 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.