Bible Strands
Luke 22:57
But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not know Him,” he said.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Peter speaks to a servant girl in the courtyard, directly responding to her accusation that he was among Jesus' followers. The moment occurs during the night of Jesus' arrest, as Peter stands in the firelight immediately after his initial identification.
The words — The verb ἠρνήσατο (ērnēsato) literally means "he denied," and the phrase οὐκ οἶδα (ouk oida) translates to "I do not know." These terms record Peter's explicit verbal rejection of association with Jesus.
The thread — This denial motif appears in Matthew 10:33, where Jesus warns that denying Him before men will result in divine denial. The failure to confess stands in direct contrast to the promise in 1 John 1:9 that confession brings cleansing.
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to confront how fear can override prior commitment under direct questioning. It demands honest acknowledgment of human frailty and the necessity of steadfast confession when pressured.
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
And he denied him, saying, Woman, I know him not.
Cross-references
- 2 Timothy 2:10 For this reason I endure all things for the sake of the elect, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.
- 1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
- Matthew 10:33 But whoever denies Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father in heaven.
- Matthew 26:70 But he denied it before them all: “I do not know what you are talking about.”
- Luke 12:9 But whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
- Luke 22:33 “Lord,” said Peter, “I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death.”
- John 18:25 Simon Peter was still standing and warming himself. So they asked him, “Aren’t you also one of His disciples?” He denied it and said, “I am not.”
- John 18:27 Peter denied it once more, and immediately a rooster crowed.
- Acts 3:13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him.
- Acts 3:19 Repent, then, and turn back, so that your sins may be wiped away,