Bible Strands
Matthew 8:27
The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the sea obey Him!”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The disciples in the boat pose this question to one another immediately after Jesus rebukes the storm and produces perfect calm. They address the inquiry regarding Jesus following His demonstration of authority over nature.
The words — The Greek ἐθαύμασαν (ethaumasan) translates literally to "were amazed," recording the men's reaction to the sudden stillness. The phrase ποταπός ἐστιν (potapos estin) means "what kind is," prompting a classification of Jesus based on His command over creation.
The thread — The text records this amazement before the disciples later confess Jesus as the Son of God in Matthew 14:33. It parallels the astonishment in Mark 1:27 over His authoritative teaching and commands, and anticipates the wonder in Mark 7:37 regarding His power to restore order.
Why it lands — The verse states that the men recognized Jesus' unique authority over winds and sea before asking what kind of man He is. It requires a reader to determine whether to classify Jesus as a mere teacher or as the one who commands creation.
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 the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Cross-references
- Mark 7:37 The people were utterly astonished and said, “He has done all things well! He makes even the deaf hear and the mute speak!”
- Matthew 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
- Mark 1:27 All the people were amazed and began to ask one another, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him!”
- Mark 6:51 Then He climbed into the boat with them, and the wind died down. And the disciples were utterly astounded,
- Matthew 15:31 The crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Israel.