The Meaning of Matthew 8:26 Explained

Matthew 8:26

KJV: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

YLT: And he saith to them, 'Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm;

Darby: And he says to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then, having arisen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.

ASV: And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he saith  unto them,  Why  are ye  fearful,  O ye of little faith?  Then  he arose,  and rebuked  the winds  and  the sea;  and  there was  a great  calm. 

What does Matthew 8:26 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 8:18-27 - Leader Of Men And Ruler Of Nature
Christ winnows men. Before any enter upon His service, He places before them the inevitable trials which they must meet, among which loneliness and homelessness bulk large. See that in your heart Christ has a home. Where, however, there is lethargy, the Savior stirs the soul to follow Him. Do not mourn about the grave of the past; leave it and enter the life of resurrection and ascension.
Storms must sweep over all our lives. The Master's sleep indicates the peace and security of His nature. What a contrast between our impatience and His infinite serenity! Our Lord was sure that the Father was with Him, John 8:29. Near though the enemy may be, the Father is nearer. The everlasting arms are beneath you. You are beset behind and before, but no boat can sink when Christ is on board. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 8

1  Jesus cleanses the leper;
5  heals the centurion's servant,
14  Peter's mother in law,
16  and many others;
18  shows the cost of following him;
23  stills the storm on the sea;
28  drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31  and tells them to go into the pigs

What do the individual words in Matthew 8:26 mean?

And He says to them Why fearful are you O [you] of little faith Then having arisen He rebuked the winds the sea there was a calm great
Καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς Τί δειλοί ἐστε ὀλιγόπιστοι τότε ἐγερθεὶς ἐπετίμησεν τοῖς ἀνέμοις τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη

λέγει  He  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Τί  Why 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τίς  
Sense: who, which, what.
δειλοί  fearful 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: δειλός  
Sense: timid, fearful.
ἐστε  are  you 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
ὀλιγόπιστοι  O  [you]  of  little  faith 
Parse: Adjective, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ὀλιγόπιστος  
Sense: of little faith, trusting too little.
ἐγερθεὶς  having  arisen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἐγείρω  
Sense: to arouse, cause to rise.
ἐπετίμησεν  He  rebuked 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐπιτιμάω  
Sense: to show honour to, to honour.
ἀνέμοις  winds 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄνεμος  
Sense: wind, a violent agitation and stream of air.
θαλάσσῃ  sea 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: θάλασσα  
Sense: the sea.
ἐγένετο  there  was 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
γαλήνη  a  calm 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: γαλήνη  
Sense: calmness, stillness of the sea, a calm.
μεγάλη  great 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: μέγας  
Sense: great.