Matthew 16:18
New International Version
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

New Living Translation
Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

English Standard Version
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Berean Standard Bible
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Berean Literal Bible
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades not will prevail against it.

King James Bible
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

New King James Version
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

New American Standard Bible
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

NASB 1995
“I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

NASB 1977
“And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades shall not overpower it.

Legacy Standard Bible
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Amplified Bible
And I say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades (death) will not overpower it [by preventing the resurrection of the Christ].

Christian Standard Bible
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the forces of Hades will not overpower it.

American Standard Version
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“Also I say to you, that you are Kaypha, and upon this stone I shall build my church, and the gates of Sheol will not withstand it.”

Contemporary English Version
So I will call you Peter, which means "a rock." On this rock I will build my church, and death itself will not have any power over it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And I say to thee: That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

English Revised Version
And I also say unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You are Peter, and I can guarantee that on this rock I will build my church. And the gates of hell will not overpower it.

Good News Translation
And so I tell you, Peter: you are a rock, and on this rock foundation I will build my church, and not even death will ever be able to overcome it.

International Standard Version
I tell you that you are Peter, and it is on this rock that I will build my congregation, and the powers of hell will not conquer it.

Literal Standard Version
And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Assembly, and [the] gates of Hades will not prevail against it;

Majority Standard Bible
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

New American Bible
And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.

NET Bible
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

New Revised Standard Version
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

New Heart English Bible
I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this Rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

Webster's Bible Translation
And I say also to thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church: and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Weymouth New Testament
And I declare to you that you are Peter, and that upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the might of Hades shall not triumph over it.

World English Bible
I also tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my assembly, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Young's Literal Translation
'And I also say to thee, that thou art a rock, and upon this rock I will build my assembly, and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Peter's Confession of Christ
17Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah! For this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by My Father in heaven. 18And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it. 19I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”…

Cross References
Psalm 129:2
many a time they have persecuted me from my youth, but they have not prevailed against me.

Jonah 2:6
To the roots of the mountains I descended; the earth beneath me barred me in forever! But You raised my life from the pit, O LORD my God!

Matthew 4:18
As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.

Matthew 7:24
Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

Matthew 11:23
And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Hades! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day.

John 1:42
Andrew brought him to Jesus, who looked at him and said, "You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas" (which is translated as Peter).

Acts 20:28
Keep watch over yourselves and the entire flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which He purchased with His own blood.


Treasury of Scripture

And I say also to you, That you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

thou.

Matthew 10:2
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;

John 1:42
And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.

Galatians 2:9
And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

upon.

Isaiah 28:16
Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.

1 Corinthians 3:10,11
According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon…

Ephesians 2:19-22
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God; …

I will.

Zechariah 6:12,13
And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: …

1 Corinthians 3:9
For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

Hebrews 3:3,4
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house…

my.

Matthew 18:17
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Acts 2:47
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Acts 8:1
And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.

and the.

Genesis 22:17
That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

2 Samuel 18:4
And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best I will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hundreds and by thousands.

Job 38:17
Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

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Matthew 16
1. The Pharisees require a sign.
5. Jesus warns his disciples of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13. The people's opinion of Jesus,
16. and Peter's confession of him.
21. Jesus foretells his death;
23. reproves Peter for dissuading him from it;
24. and admonishes those who will follow him, to bear the cross.














(18) Thou art Peter, and upon this rock . . .--It is not easy, in dealing with a text which for many centuries has been the subject-matter of endless controversies, to clear our minds of those "afterthoughts of theology" which have gathered round it, and, in part at least, overlaid its meaning. It is clear, however, that we can only reach the true meaning by putting those controversies aside, at all events till we have endeavoured to realise what thoughts the words at the time actually conveyed to those who heard them, and that when we have grasped that meaning it will be our best preparation for determining what bearing they have upon the later controversies of ancient or modern times. And (1) it would seem clear that the connection between Peter and the rock (the words in the Greek differ in gender, ?????? and ?????, but were identical in the Aramaic, which our Lord probably used) was meant to be brought into special prominence. Now, at last, by this confession of his faith, Peter had risen to the height of his new calling, and was worthy of his new name. (2) Whether he is to be identified with the rock of the next clause is, however, a question on which men may legitimately differ. On the one side there is the probability that in the Aramaic, in which our Lord spoke, there would be no difference between the words in the two clauses; on the other, the possibility that He may have used the Greek words, or that the Evangelist may have intended to mark the distinction which he felt by the use of the two words, which undoubtedly differ in their meaning, ?????? being a "stone" or fragment of rock, while ????? is the rock itself. The Aramaic Cepha, it may be noted, has the former rather than the latter meaning. (3) On the assumption of a distinction there follows the question, What is the rock? Peter's faith (subjective)? or the truth (objective) which he confessed? or Christ Himself? Taking all the facts of the case, the balance seems to incline in favour of the last view. (1.) Christ and not Peter is the Rock in 1Corinthians 10:4, the Foundation in 1Corinthians 3:11. (2.) The poetry of the Old Testament associated the idea of the Rock with the greatness and steadfastness of God, not with that of a man [Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 32:18; 2Samuel 22:3; 2Samuel 23:3; Psalm 18:2; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 18:46; Isaiah 17:10; Habakkuk 1:12 (Hebrew)]. (3.) As with the words, which in their form present a parallel to these, "Destroy this temple" (John 2:19), so here, we may believe the meaning to have been indicated by significant look or gesture. The Rock on which the Church was to be built was Himself, in the mystery of that union of the Divine and the Human which had been the subject of St. Peter's confession. Had Peter himself been meant, we may. add, the simpler form, "Thou art Peter, and on thee will I build My Church," would have been clearer and more natural. As it is, the collocation suggests an implied contrast: "Thou art the Rock-Apostle; and yet not the Rock on which the Church is to be built. It is enough for thee to have found the Rock, and to have built on the one Foundation." (Comp. Matthew 7:24.) . . . Verse 18. - And I say also (I also say) unto thee. As thou hast said unto me, "Thou art the Christ," so I say unto thee, etc. Thou art Peter (Πέτρος, Petrus), and upon this rock (πέτρα, petra) I will build my Church. In classical Greek, the distinction between πέτρα and πέτρος is well known - the former meaning "a rock," the latter "a piece of rock," or "a stone." But probably no such distinction is intended here, as there would be none in Aramaic. There is plainly a paronomasia here in the Greek; and, if our Lord spoke in Aramaic, the same play of words was exhibited in Kephas or kepha. When Jesus first called Peter to be a disciple, he imposed upon him the name Cephas, which the evangelist explains to be Peter (John 1:42). The name was bestowed in anticipation of Peter's great confession: "Thou shalt be called." This preannouncement was here fulfilled and confirmed. Upon this passage chiefly the claims of the Roman Church, which for fifteen centuries have been the subject of acrimonious controversy, are founded. It is hence assumed that the Christian Church is founded upon Peter and his successors, and that these successors are the Bishops of Rome. The latter assertion may be left to the decision of history, which fails to prove that Peter was ever at Rome, or that he transmitted his supposed supremacy to the episcopate of that city. We have in this place to deal with the former assertion. Who or what is the rock on which Christ says that he will hereafter build his Church? French Romanists consider it a providential coincidence that they can translate the passage, "Je te disque, Tu es Pierre; et sur cette pierre je batirai," etc.; but persons outside the papal communion are not satisfied to hang their faith on a play of words. The early Fathers are by no means at one in their explanations of the paragraph. Living before Rome had laid claim to the tremendous privileges which it afterwards affected, they did not regard the statement in the light of later controversies; and even those who held Peter to be the rock would have indignantly repelled the assumptions which have been built on that interpretation. The apostolic Fathers seem to have mentioned the passage in none of their writings; and they could scarcely have failed to refer to it had they been aware of the tremendous issues dependent thereon. It was embodied in no Catholic Creed, and never made an article of the Christian faith. We may remark also that of the evangelists St. Matthew alone records the promise to Peter; Mark and Luke give his confession, which was the one point which Christ desired to elicit, and omit that which is considered to concern his privileges. This looks as though, in their view, the chief aim of the passage was not Peter, but Christ; not Peter's pre-eminence, but Christ's nature and office. At the same time, to deny all allusion to Peter in the "rock" is quite contrary to the genius of the language and to New Testament usage, and would not have been so pressed in modern times except for polemical purposes. Three views have been held on the interpretation of this passage.

(1) That Christ himself is the Rock on which the Church should be built.

(2) That Peter's confession of Jesus Christ as Son of God, or God incarnate, is the Rock.

(3) That St. Peter is the rock. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
And
δέ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

I
κἀγὼ (kagō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2504: To also, I too, but I. From kai and ego; so also the dative case kamoi, and accusative case kame and I, me.

tell
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

you
σοι (soi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

that
ὅτι (hoti)
Conjunction
Strong's 3754: Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.

you
σὺ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

are
εἶ (ei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

Peter,
Πέτρος (Petros)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4074: Peter, a Greek name meaning rock. Apparently a primary word; a rock; as a name, Petrus, an apostle.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

this
ταύτῃ (tautē)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

rock
πέτρᾳ (petra)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4073: A rock, ledge, cliff, cave, stony ground. Feminine of the same as Petros; a rock.

I will build
οἰκοδομήσω (oikodomēsō)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3618: From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.

My
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

church,
ἐκκλησίαν (ekklēsian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1577: From a compound of ek and a derivative of kaleo; a calling out, i.e. a popular meeting, especially a religious congregation.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[the] gates
πύλαι (pylai)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 4439: A gate. Apparently a primary word; a gate, i.e. The leaf or wing of a folding entrance.

of Hades
ᾅδου (hadou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 86: Hades, the unseen world. Properly, unseen, i.e. 'Hades' or the place of departed souls.

will not prevail against
κατισχύσουσιν (katischysousin)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2729: To prevail against, overpower, get the upper hand. From kata and ischuo; to overpower.

it.
αὐτῆς (autēs)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 16:18 I also tell you that you (Matt. Mat Mt)
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