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Then he began to curse and swear, saying, “I do not know the Man!” Immediately a rooster crowed.
Matthew 26:74 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then he began to curse and to swear, “I don’t know the man!” Immediately the rooster crowed.
  • KJV Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
  • BSB At that he began to curse and swear to them, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
  • NASB Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
  • NLT Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed.

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 denies Jesus a third time with curses and oaths, and immediately the rooster crows. His failure is now complete, just as Jesus foretold.

Overview

Peter calls down curses on himself to convince his accusers he never knew Jesus, sinking to his lowest point. The crowing rooster instantly fulfills Jesus' prophecy from earlier that night, exposing both Peter's weakness and the Lord's perfect foreknowledge. This moment of total failure makes Peter's later restoration by the risen Christ all the more a display of grace.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 16

  • Rev 3:19As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent.
  • John 18:27Peter therefore denied it again, and immediately the rooster crowed.
  • Matt 10:28Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.
  • Mark 14:71–72But he began to curse, and to swear, “I don’t know this man of whom you speak!”
  • 1 Cor 16:22If any man doesn’t love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. Come, Lord!
  • Acts 23:12–14When it was day, some of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
  • Rom 9:3For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh,
  • 1 Sam 14:24–28The men of Israel were distressed that day; for Saul had adjured the people, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food until it is evening, and I am avenged of my enemies.” So none of the people tasted food.
  • Mark 14:30Jesus said to him, “Most certainly I tell you, that you today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.”
  • Judg 21:18However we may not give them wives of our daughters, for the children of Israel had sworn, saying, ‘Cursed is he who gives a wife to Benjamin.’”
  • Mark 14:68But he denied it, saying, “I neither know, nor understand what you are saying.” He went out on the porch, and the rooster crowed.
  • Luke 22:60But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what you are talking about!” Immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed.
  • John 21:15–17So when they had eaten their breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of Jonah, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I have affection for you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”
  • Matt 10:32–33Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven.
  • Matt 27:25All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”
  • Judg 17:2He said to his mother, “The eleven hundred pieces of silver that were taken from you, about which you uttered a curse, and also spoke it in my ears, behold, the silver is with me. I took it.” His mother said, “May Yahweh bless my son!”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (10)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 26:74YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 26:74 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.