John 18:27

18:27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. ¹ 

John 11:28

11:28 And when she had said this, Martha ²  went and called her sister Mary, saying privately, ³  “The Teacher is here and is asking for you.” ⁴ 

¹ tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorofwnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some mss [Ì^37vid,45 ˹] in Matt 26:34) which would have been sounded at 3 a.m.; in this case Jesus would have prophesied a precise time by which the denials would have taken place. For more details see J. H. Bernard, St. John (ICC), 2:604. However, in light of the fact that Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72) and in Luke 22:60 the words are reversed (ἐφώνησεν ἀλέκτωρ, efwnhsen alektwr), it is more probable that a real rooster is in view. In any event natural cockcrow would have occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in Palestine at this time of year (March-April) anyway.

² tn Grk “she”; the referent (Martha) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Or “in secret” (as opposed to publicly, so that the other mourners did not hear).

⁴ tn Grk “is calling you.”