14:66 Now 3 while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s slave girls 4 came by. 14:67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she looked directly at him and said, “You also were with that Nazarene, Jesus.” 14:68 But he denied it: 5 “I don’t even understand what you’re talking about!” 6 Then 7 he went out to the gateway, and a rooster crowed. 8 14:69 When the slave girl saw him, she began again to say to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.” 14:70 But he denied it again. A short time later the bystanders again said to Peter, “You must be 9 one of them, because you are also a Galilean.” 14:71 Then he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about!” 14:72 Immediately a rooster 10 crowed a second time. Then 11 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept. 12
4:13 When they saw the boldness 26 of Peter and John, and discovered 27 that they were uneducated 28 and ordinary 29 men, they were amazed and recognized these men had been with Jesus.
1 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
2 sn The guards would have been the guards of the chief priests who had accompanied Judas to arrest Jesus.
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
4 tn The Greek term here is παιδίσκη (paidiskh), referring to a slave girl or slave woman.
5 tn Grk “he denied it, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
6 tn Grk “I do not know or understand what you are saying.” In the translation this is taken as a hendiadys (a figure of speech where two terms express a single meaning, usually for emphatic reasons).
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 tc Several important witnesses (א B L W Ψ* 579 892 2427 pc) lack the words “and a rooster crowed.” The fact that such good and early Alexandrian witnesses lack these words makes this textual problem difficult to decide, especially because the words receive support from other witnesses, some of which are fairly decent (A C D Θ Ψc 067 Ë1,13 33 [1424] Ï lat). The omission could have been intentional on the part of some Alexandrian scribes who wished to bring this text in line with the other Gospel accounts that only mention a rooster crowing once (Matt 26:74; Luke 22:60; John 18:27). The insertion could be an attempt to make the fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in 14:30 more explicit. Internally, the words “and a rooster crowed” fit Mark’s Gospel here, not only in view of 14:30, “before a rooster crows twice,” but also in view of the mention of “a second time” in 14:71 (a reading which is much more textually secure). Nevertheless, a decision is difficult.
9 tn Grk “Truly you are.”
10 tn This occurrence of the word ἀλέκτωρ (alektwr, “rooster”) is anarthrous and consequently may not point back explicitly to the rooster which had crowed previously in v. 68. The reason for the anarthrous construction is most likely to indicate generically that some rooster crowed. Further, the translation of ἀλέκτωρ as an indefinite noun retains the subtlety of the Greek in only hinting at the Lord’s prediction v. 30. See also NAB, TEV, NASB.
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
12 tn Grk “he wept deeply.”
13 sn Filled with the Holy Spirit. The narrator’s remark about the Holy Spirit indicates that Peter speaks as directed by God and for God. This fulfills Luke 12:11-12 (1 Pet 3:15).
14 tn Grk “Spirit, said to them.”
15 tc The Western and Byzantine texts, as well as one or two Alexandrian witnesses, read τοῦ ᾿Ισραήλ (tou Israhl, “of Israel”) after πρεσβύτεροι (presbuteroi, “elders”; so D E Ψ 33 1739 Ï it), while most of the better witnesses, chiefly Alexandrian (Ì74 א A B 0165 1175 vg sa bo), lack this modifier. The longer reading was most likely added by scribes to give literary balance to the addressees in that “Rulers” already had an adjunct while “elders” was left absolute.
16 tn This clause is a first class condition. It assumes for the sake of argument that this is what they were being questioned about.
17 tn Or “questioned.” The Greek term ἀνακρίνω (anakrinw) points to an examination similar to a legal one.
18 tn Or “for an act of kindness.”
19 tn Or “delivered” (σέσωται [seswtai], from σώζω [swzw]). See 4:12.
20 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
21 tn Grk “This one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn The word “you” is inserted into the quotation because Peter is making a direct application of Ps 118:22 to his hearers. Because it is not in the OT, it has been left as normal type (rather than bold italic). The remarks are like Acts 2:22-24 and 3:12-15.
23 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22 which combines the theme of rejection with the theme of God’s vindication/exaltation.
24 tn Here ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated as a generic noun (“people”).
25 sn Must be saved. The term used here (δεῖ, dei, “it is necessary”) reflects the necessity set up by God’s directive plan.
26 tn Or “courage.”
27 tn Or “and found out.”
28 sn Uneducated does not mean “illiterate,” that is, unable to read or write. Among Jews in NT times there was almost universal literacy, especially as the result of widespread synagogue schools. The term refers to the fact that Peter and John had no formal rabbinic training and thus, in the view of their accusers, were not qualified to expound the law or teach publicly. The objection is like Acts 2:7.
29 tn For the translation of ἰδιῶται (idiwtai) as “ordinary men” see L&N 27.26.
30 tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.
31 tn Or “most of the brothers and sisters in the Lord, having confidence.”
32 tn Grk “even more so.”
33 tc A number of significant