Matthew 26:34

26:34 Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, ¹  on this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

Matthew 26:74-75

26:74 At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment a rooster crowed. ²  26:75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly. ³ 

[26:34]  ¹ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[26:74]  ² 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.

[26:75]  ³ sn When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.