The Meaning of Matthew 14:26 Explained

Matthew 14:26

KJV: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

YLT: and the disciples having seen him walking upon the sea, were troubled saying -- 'It is an apparition,' and from the fear they cried out;

Darby: And the disciples, seeing him walking on the sea, were troubled, saying, It is an apparition. And they cried out through fear.

ASV: And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a ghost; and they cried out for fear.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when the disciples  saw  him  walking  on  the sea,  they were troubled,  saying,  It is  a spirit;  and  they cried out  for  fear. 

What does Matthew 14:26 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 14:26

They were troubled [εταραχτησαν]
Much stronger than that. They were literally “terrified” as they saw Jesus walking on the sea. [source]
An apparition [παντασμα]
(παντασμα — phantasma), or “ghost,” or “spectre” from πανταζω — phantazō and that from παινω — phainō They cried out “from fear” (απο του ποβου — apo tou phobou) as any one would have done. “A little touch of sailor superstition” (Bruce). [source]
A spirit [φάντασμα]
Of which our word phantasm is a transcription. Rev., rather stiffly, apparition. Wyc., phantom. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 14:26

Matthew 14:25 Walking upon the sea [περιπατων επι την ταλασσαν]
Another nature miracle. Some scholars actually explain it all away by urging that Jesus was only walking along the beach and not on the water, an impossible theory unless Matthew‘s account is legendary. Matthew uses the accusative (extension) with επι — epi in Matthew 14:25 and the genitive (specifying case) in Matthew 14:26. [source]
John 6:20 Be not afraid [μη ποβειστε]
Prohibition with μη — mē and present middle imperative of ποβεομαι — phobeomai So in Mark 6:50 (Matthew 14:27). John does not tell that the disciples thought Jesus was an apparition (Mark 6:49; Matthew 14:26), nor does he give the account of Peter walking on the water (Matthew 14:28-31). [source]
Acts 25:23 With great pomp [μετα πολλης παντασιας]
Παντασια — Phantasia is a Koiné{[28928]}š word (Polybius, Diodorus, etc.) from the old verb πανταζω — phantazō (Hebrews 12:21) and it from παινω — phainō common verb to show, to make an appearance. This is the only N.T. example of παντασια — phantasia though the kindred common word παντασμα — phantasma (appearance) occurs twice in the sense of apparition or spectre (Matthew 14:26; Mark 6:49). Herodotus (VII. 10) used the verb πανταζω — phantazō for a showy parade. Festus decided to gratify the wish of Agrippa by making the “hearing” of Paul the prisoner (Acts 25:22) an occasion for paying a compliment to Agrippa (Rackham) by a public gathering of the notables in Caesarea. Festus just assumed that Paul would fall in with this plan for a grand entertainment though he did not have to do it. Into the place of hearing (εις το ακροατηριον — eis to akroatērion). From ακροαομαι — akroaomai (to be a hearer) and, like the Latin auditorium, in Roman law means the place set aside for hearing, and deciding cases. Here only in the N.T. Late word, several times in Plutarch and other Koiné{[28928]}š writers. The hearing was “semi-official” (Page) as is seen in Acts 25:26. With the chief captains Χιλιαρχς — Chiliarchs each a leader of a thousand. There were five cohorts of soldiers stationed in Caesarea. And the principal men of the city (και ανδρασιν τοις κατ εχοχην — kai andrasin tois kat' exochēn). The use of κατ εχοχην — kat' exochēn like our French phrase par excellence, occurs here only in the N.T., and not in the ancient Greek, but it is found in inscriptions of the first century a.d. (Moulton and Milligan‘s Vocabulary). Εχοχη — Exochē in medical writers is any protuberance or swelling. Cf. our phrase “outstanding men.” At the command of Festus Genitive absolute again, “Festus having commanded.” [source]
Galatians 4:6 Crying [κρᾶζον]
A strong word, expressing deep emotion. The verb originally represents the sound of a croak or harsh scream; thence, generally, an inarticulate cry; an exclamation of fear or pain. The cry of an animal. So Aristoph. Knights, 1017, of the barking of a dog: 285,287, of two men in a quarrel, trying to bawl each other down: Frogs, 258, of the croaking of frogs. This original sense appears in N.T. usage, as Matthew 14:26; Matthew 15:23; Matthew 27:50; Mark 5:5, etc., and is recognized even where the word is used in connection with articulate speech, by adding to it the participles λέγων, λέγοντες sayingor διδάσκων teachingSee Matthew 8:29; Matthew 15:22; Mark 3:11; John 7:28, etc. In Mark 10:47the inarticulate cry and the articulate utterance are distinguished. At the same time, the word is often used of articulate speech without such additions, as Mark 10:48; Mark 11:9; Mark 15:13, Mark 15:14; Luke 18:39; Acts 7:60; Acts 19:34; Romans 8:15. It falls into more dignified association in lxx, where it is often used of prayer or appeal to God, as 4:3; 6:7; Psalm 21:2,5; 27:1,54:16; and in N.T., where it is applied to solemn, prophetic utterance, as Romans href="/desk/?q=ro+9:27&sr=1">Romans 9:27; John 1:15, and is used of Jesus himself, as John 7:28, John 7:37; John 12:44, and of the Holy Spirit, as here. The Spirit gives the inspiration of which the believer is the organ. In Romans 8:15the statement is inverted. The believer cries under the power of the Spirit. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 14:26 mean?

- And the disciples having seen Him on the sea walking were troubled saying - A ghost it is And in - fear they cried out
οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης περιπατοῦντα ἐταράχθησαν λέγοντες ὅτι Φάντασμά ἐστιν καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου ἔκραξαν

οἱ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
μαθηταὶ  the  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
ἰδόντες  having  seen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
θαλάσσης  sea 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: θάλασσα  
Sense: the sea.
περιπατοῦντα  walking 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: περιπατέω  
Sense: to walk.
ἐταράχθησαν  were  troubled 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ταράσσω  
Sense: to agitate, trouble (a thing, by the movement of its parts to and fro).
λέγοντες  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὅτι  - 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
Φάντασμά  A  ghost 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: φάντασμα  
Sense: an appearance.
ἐστιν  it  is 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
τοῦ  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
φόβου  fear 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: φόβος  
Sense: fear, dread, terror.
ἔκραξαν  they  cried  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: κράζω  
Sense: to croak.