Bible Strands
Luke 22:56
A servant girl saw him seated in the firelight and looked intently at him. “This man also was with Him,” she said.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — A servant girl notices Peter sitting in the courtyard firelight and announces to the surrounding group that he was with Jesus. This identification occurs immediately after Peter takes his place among those gathered around the kindled fire in the high priest's courtyard.
The words — ἰδοῦσα (idousa) means "having seen" and conveys her deliberate visual scrutiny, while καθήμενον (kathēmenon) literally translates to "sitting," highlighting Peter's stationary and exposed posture.
The thread — This same servant's identification appears in Matthew 26:69 and John 18:17, where a woman at the door or gate similarly points out Peter to those present.
Why it lands — The text records a direct verbal accusation that precedes Peter's denial, requiring the reader to confront the immediate gap between professed loyalty and fearful self-preservation.
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
But a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire, and earnestly looked upon him, and said, This man was also with him.
Cross-references
- John 18:17 At this, the servant girl watching the door said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of this man’s disciples?” “I am not,” he answered.
- Matthew 26:69 Meanwhile, Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him. “You also were with Jesus the Galilean,” she said.
- Mark 14:6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me.
- Mark 14:17 When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve.
- Mark 14:66 While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down