KJV: Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
YLT: Then began he to anathematise, and to swear -- 'I have not known the man;' and immediately did a cock crow,
Darby: Then he began to curse and to swear, I know not the man. And immediately the cock crew.
ASV: Then began he to curse and to swear, I know not the man. And straightway the cock crew.
ἤρξατο | he began |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἄρχω Sense: to be the first to do (anything), to begin. |
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καταθεματίζειν | to curse |
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active Root: καταθεματίζω Sense: to curse. |
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ὀμνύειν | to swear |
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active Root: ὄμνυμι Sense: to swear. |
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ὅτι | - |
Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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οἶδα | I know |
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular Root: οἶδα Sense: to see. |
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ἄνθρωπον | man |
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ἄνθρωπος Sense: a human being, whether male or female. |
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εὐθέως | immediately |
Parse: Adverb Root: εὐθέως Sense: straightway, immediately, forthwith. |
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ἀλέκτωρ | a rooster |
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ἀλέκτωρ Sense: a cock, or male of any bird, a rooster. |
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ἐφώνησεν | crowed |
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: φωνέω Sense: to sound, emit a sound, to speak. |
Greek Commentary for Matthew 26:74
He repeated his denial with the addition of profanity to prove that he was telling the truth instead of the lie that they all knew. His repeated denials gave him away still more, for he could not pronounce the Judean gutterals. He called down on himself (κατατεματιζειν katathematizein) imprecations in his desperate irritation and loss of self-control at his exposure. [source]
No article in the Greek, just “a cock crew” at that juncture, “straightway” But it startled Peter. [source]
A new development of profanity. Hitherto he had merely sworn. Now he adds imprecation; invoking curses on himself if the case be not as he says. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 26:74
Compare on Matthew 26:74; where the word is καταθεματίζειν , to call down ( κατὰ ) curses on himself if he were not telling the truth. The words are synonymous. [source]
Our word anathema Finally the two meanings were distinguished by ανατεμα anathēma for offering and ανατεμα anathema for curse. Deissmann has found examples at Megara of κατατεματιζειν anathema in the sense of curse. Hence the distinction observed in the N.T. was already in the Koiné. Matthew 26:74 has απαχ λεγομενον katathematizein which is a hapax legomenon in the N.T., though common in the lxx. This word has the notion of calling down curses on one‘s self if the thing is not true. [source]
This staggering and sudden thrust expects an affirmative answer by the use of ουκ ouk not μη mē as in John 18:17, John 18:25, but Peter‘s previous denials with the knowledge that he was observed by a kinsman of Malchus whom he had tried to kill (John 18:10) drove him to the third flat denial that he knew Jesus, this time with cursing and swearing (Mark 14:71; Matthew 26:73). Peter was in dire peril now of arrest himself for attempt to kill. Straightway As in Matthew 26:74 while Luke has παραχρημα parachrēma (Luke 22:60). Mark (Mark 14:68, Mark 14:72) speaks of two crowings as often happens when one cock crows. See Matthew 26:34 for αλεκτωρ alektōr (cock). That was usually the close of the third watch of the night (Mark 13:35), about 3 a.m. Luke 22:61 notes that Jesus turned and looked on Peter probably as he passed from the rooms of Annas to the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin (the ecclesiastical court). See Mrs. Browning‘s beautiful sonnets on “The Look”. [source]
No other example of κατατεμα katathema has been found outside of the Didache XVI. 5, though the verb κατατεματιζω katathematizō occurs in Matthew 26:74, meaning to curse, while we have ανατεματιζω anathematizō in Mark 14:71 in the same sense. It may be a syncopated form of κατανατεμα katanathema The usual ανατεμα anathema (curse) occurs in 1 Corinthians 16:22; Galatians 1:8; Romans 9:3. For παν pan with ουκουδεν ouk =λατρευσουσιν αυτωι ouden see Revelation 21:27. [source]