Bible Strands
Matthew 16:17
Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks directly to Simon Peter in immediate response to Peter's confession that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God (16:16).
The words — μακάριος (makarios, "blessed") is the evaluative term Jesus applies to Peter, marking the confession as something received rather than earned.
The thread — The same principle of divine revelation as the source of true knowledge appears in John 6:45 (all taught by God), Ephesians 1:17 (spirit of wisdom and revelation), and Matthew 11:25 (hidden from the wise, revealed to the little ones).
Why it lands — The verse removes the ground for self-congratulation: Peter's correct identification of Jesus was not his own intellectual achievement but a gift from the Father. It asks the reader to examine whether their own faith rests on their own reasoning or on something received.
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 Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar–jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
Cross-references
- John 6:45 It is written in the Prophets: ‘And they will all be taught by God.’ Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me—
- Ephesians 1:17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in your knowledge of Him.
- Matthew 11:25 At that time Jesus declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.
- Galatians 1:16 to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not rush to consult with flesh and blood,
- 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- 1 Corinthians 15:50 Now I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
- Matthew 13:16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear.
- Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and declared, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because You have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was well-pleasing in Your sight.
- Galatians 1:11 For I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached was not devised by man.
- 1 Corinthians 2:9 Rather, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has imagined, what God has prepared for those who love Him.”