The Meaning of Matthew 14:33 Explained

Matthew 14:33

KJV: Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

YLT: and those in the boat having come, did bow to him, saying, 'Truly -- God's Son art thou.'

Darby: But those in the ship came and did homage to him, saying, Truly thou art God's Son.

ASV: And they that were in the boat worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Then  they that were in  the ship  came  and worshipped  him,  saying,  Of a truth  thou art  the Son  of God. 

What does Matthew 14:33 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 14:22-36 - Help In The Hour Of Need
Jesus always comes in the storm. It had been a great relief to escape from the pressure of the crowd to His place of prayer, on heights swept by the evening breeze and lighted by the holy stars. But He tore Himself away because His friends needed Him. He is watching you also in the storm and will certainly come to your help.
He uses the element we dread as the path for His approach. The waves were endangering the boat, but Jesus walked on them. In our lives are people and circumstances we dread, but it is through these that the greatest blessing of our lives will come, if we look through them to Christ.
His coming is sometimes delayed. The gray dawn was already beginning to spread over the scene. The disciples' strength was spent. He was not too late to be of service, but just in time to save them from despair. Be of good cheer, and if Jesus bids you come to Him on the water, always believe that His commands are enabling. Keep looking to Him, not at the storm. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 14

1  Herod's opinion of Jesus
3  Wherefore John Baptist was beheaded
13  Jesus departs into a solitary place,
15  where he feeds five thousand men with five loves and two fishes
22  He walks on the sea to his disciples;
34  and landing at Gennesaret,
35  heals the sick who touch of the hem of his garment

Greek Commentary for Matthew 14:33

Worshipped him [προσεκυνησαν αυτωι]
And Jesus accepted it. They were growing in appreciation of the person and power of Christ from the attitude in Matthew 8:27. They will soon be ready for the confession of Matthew 16:16. Already they can say: “Truly God‘s Son thou art.” The absence of the article here allows it to mean a Son of God as in Matthew 27:54 (the centurion). But they probably mean “the Son of God” as Jesus was claiming to them to be. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 14:33

Mark 8:29 Thou art the Christ [Συ ει ο Χριστος]
Mark does not give “the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16) or “of God” (Luke 9:20). The full confession is the form in Matthew. Luke‘s language means practically the same, while Mark‘s is the briefest. But the form in Mark really means the full idea. Mark omits all praise of Peter, probably because Peter had done so in his story of the incident. For criticism of the view that Matthew‘s narrative is due to ecclesiastical development and effort to justify ecclesiastical prerogatives, see discussion on Matthew 16:16, Matthew 16:18. The disciples had confessed him as Messiah before. Thus John 1:41; John 4:29; John 6:69; Matthew 14:33. But Jesus had ceased to use the word Messiah to avoid political complications and a revolutionary movement (John 6:14.). But did the disciples still believe in Jesus as Messiah after all the defections and oppositions seen by them? It was a serious test to which Jesus now put them. [source]
John 1:34 I have seen [εωρακα]
Present perfect active of οραω — horaō John repeats the statement of John 1:32 Have borne witness Perfect active indicative of μαρτυρεω — martureō for which verb see John 1:32. This is the Son of God The Baptist saw the Spirit come on Jesus at his baptism and undoubtedly heard the Father‘s voice hail him as “My Beloved Son” (Mark 1:11; Matthew 3:17; Luke 3:22). Nathanael uses it as a Messianic title (John 1:49) as does Martha (John 11:27). The Synoptics use it also of Christ (Mark 3:11; Matthew 14:33; Luke 22:70). Caiaphas employs it to Christ as a Messianic title (Matthew 26:63) and Jesus confessed under oath that he was (verse Matthew 26:64), thus applying the term to himself as he does in John‘s Gospel (John 5:25; John 10:36; John 11:4) and by implication (the Father, the Son) in Matthew 11:27 (Luke 10:22). Hence in the Synoptics also Jesus calls himself the Son of God. The phrase means more than just Messiah and expresses the peculiar relation of the Son to the Father (John 3:18; John 5:25; John 17:5; John 19:7; John 20:31) like that of the Logos with God in John 1:1. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 14:33 mean?

Those then in the boat worshiped Him saying Truly of God Son You are
οἱ δὲ ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες Ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς εἶ

οἱ  Those 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
πλοίῳ  boat 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular
Root: πλοῖον  
Sense: a ship.
προσεκύνησαν  worshiped 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: προσκυνέω  
Sense: to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence.
λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Ἀληθῶς  Truly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἀληθῶς  
Sense: truly, of a truth, in reality, most certainly.
Θεοῦ  of  God 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: θεός  
Sense: a god or goddess, a general name of deities or divinities.
Υἱὸς  Son 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
εἶ  You  are 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.