After a little while those who stood by came and said to Peter, “Surely you are also one of them, for your speech makes you known.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech bewrayeth thee.
- BSB After a little while, those standing nearby came up to Peter. “Surely you are one of them,” they said, “for your accent gives you away.”
- NKJV And a little later those who stood by came up and said to Peter, “Surely you also are one of them, for your speech betrays you.”
- NASB A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “You really are one of them as well, since even the way you talk gives you away.”
- NLT A little later some of the other bystanders came over to Peter and said, “You must be one of them; we can tell by your Galilean accent.”
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
Bystanders press Peter, saying his Galilean accent gives him away as a follower of Jesus. The net of suspicion tightens around him.
Overview
Peter's regional speech betrays his association with Jesus and His Galilean disciples, exposing him to renewed accusation. The detail is realistic and historically grounded, marking the third and most public challenge. The mounting pressure sets the stage for his final, most emphatic denial and the conviction that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Judg 12:6then they said to him, “Now say ‘Shibboleth;’” and he said “Sibboleth”; for he couldn’t manage to pronounce it right: then they seized him, and killed him at the fords of the Jordan. At that time, forty-two thousand of Ephraim fell.
- John 18:26–27One of the servants of the high priest, being a relative of him whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
- Neh 13:24and their children spoke half in the speech of Ashdod, and could not speak in the Jews’ language, but according to the language of each people.
- Luke 22:59–60After about one hour passed, another confidently affirmed, saying, “Truly this man also was with him, for he is a Galilean!”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 26:73 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.