Bible Strands
John 18:26
One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, “Didn’t I see you with Him in the garden?”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A servant of the high priest, identified as a relative of the man whose ear Peter cut off, confronts Peter while he stands warming himself after his first denial. The question is directed at Peter regarding his recent presence with Jesus in the garden.
The words — συγγενὴς (sungenēs) literally means kinsman or relative, establishing the speaker’s familial bond to the wounded servant. ἀρχιερέως (archiereōs) translates as high priest, locating the confrontation within the official religious authority overseeing the arrest.
The thread — This encounter directly follows the strike in John 18:10 and parallels the escalating accusations in Matthew 26:73. The garden referenced in John 18:1 serves as the geographic anchor for the accusations in both passages.
Why it lands — The text records a direct verbal challenge that ties Peter’s physical actions to his claimed disassociation from Jesus. It requires the reader to observe how proximity to Jesus inevitably produces scrutiny, regardless of Peter’s subsequent denials.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
One of the servants of the high priest, being his kinsman whose ear Peter cut off, saith, Did not I see thee in the garden with him?
Cross-references
- John 18:1 After Jesus had spoken these words, He went out with His disciples across the Kidron Valley, where they entered a garden.
- John 18:10 Then Simon Peter drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus.
- Matthew 26:73 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.”
- Mark 14:70 But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.”
- Luke 22:59 About an hour later, another man insisted, “Certainly this man was with Him, for he too is a Galilean.”
- Proverbs 12:19 Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.