He *said to them, “But who do you yourselves say that I am?”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
- KJV He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
- BSB “But what about you?” Jesus asked. “Who do you say I am?”
- NKJV He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
- NLT Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?”
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 presses the disciples: 'But who do you say that I am?' It matters because each person must answer this question personally.
Overview
Jesus turns from public opinion to direct confrontation: who do you say I am? The emphatic 'you' makes the question deeply personal and unavoidable. It is the question on which everything turns for every hearer. Eternal life hangs on rightly confessing who Jesus is.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Luke 9:20He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “The Christ of God.”
- Matt 13:11He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.
- Mark 8:29He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 16:15 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.