Matthew 16
The full text of Matthew 16 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.
2 He replied, "When evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,'
3 and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.
4 A wicked and adulterous generation looks for a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah." Then he left them and went away.
5 When they went across the lake, the disciples forgot to take bread.
6 "Be careful," Jesus said to them. "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
7 They discussed this among themselves and said, "It is because we didn't bring any bread."
8 Aware of their discussion, Jesus asked, "You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread?
9 Do you still not understand? Don't you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
11 How is it you don't understand that I was not talking to you about bread? But be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."
12 Then they understood that he was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
13 When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
14 They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
15 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
16 Simon Peter answered, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus 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.
18 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.
19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven."
20 Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns."
24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
25 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.
26 What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?
27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
28 Truly I tell you, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom."
Translation notes (10)
- Matthew 16:2a The weather saying in Matthew 16:2b-3 ('When evening comes...the signs of the times') is not found in several early manuscripts, including Sinaiticus and Vaticanus, and is marked with brackets in the critical Greek text. However, it is present in many other ancient copies and is kept in this translation with this note.
- Matthew 16:4a The term 'adulterous' is a prophetic image used to describe unfaithfulness to God's covenant (see the note at Matthew 12:39).
- Matthew 16:16a The Greek phrase ho christos, meaning 'the Christ / the Anointed One,' is rendered 'the Messiah' here to emphasize its use as a title (consistent with Matthew 11:2).
- Matthew 16:17a The Greek word Bariona means 'son of Jonah / Jonas.' The phrase 'flesh and blood' is an expression from Semitic languages that refers to a human being or human abilities.
- Matthew 16:18a There is a deliberate wordplay in the Greek text: 'Peter' is Petros, a masculine name meaning 'stone,' while 'this rock' is petra, a feminine word for bedrock or a large rock. What 'this rock' refers to—whether Peter himself, Peter's confession, Christ, or the apostolic faith—has been understood differently across Christian traditions for centuries and is not settled by this translation. The original Aramaic word kepha would not have had the masculine/feminine difference found in the Greek.
- Matthew 16:18b The Greek phrase pylai hadou means 'the gates of Hades / the realm of the dead,' which is an image for the powers of death. The phrase 'will not overcome it' (ou katischysousin) can also be translated as 'will not prevail against it.'
- Matthew 16:19a The Greek grammatical construction here, a future-perfect periphrasis, describes an action completed in the future ('will have been bound/loosed in heaven'). This can be understood either as heaven confirming what is decided on earth, or as earth carrying out what heaven has already decided. The meaning of this 'binding and loosing' imagery and its extent are understood differently across various Christian traditions and are left open in this translation.
- Matthew 16:24a The phrase 'take up their cross' (see the note at Matthew 10:38) brings to mind a condemned person carrying the crossbeam to their execution, symbolizing complete self-surrender.
- Matthew 16:25a The Greek word psyche means both 'life' and 'soul.' The paradox in this verse relies on this double meaning, which is intended (see also Matthew 10:39).
- Matthew 16:28a The meaning of the phrase 'will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom' is much debated, with interpretations including the Transfiguration that immediately follows, the resurrection, Pentecost, the destruction of Jerusalem, or the final coming of Christ. The Greek text is left open here and not resolved by this translation.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own modern English translation, worked directly from the original Greek and honest to the earliest manuscripts. It was completed in 2026 — the most modern English Bible translation — and is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Every chapter, including all of Matthew, is free to read here on the web.
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