Matthew 14:25
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| Matthew 14:25 | |
|---|---|
← 14:24 14:26 → | |
 "Christ Walks on the Water". Jan Luyken (1660-1712). | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 14:25 is a verse in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament which refers to Jesus walking on water.
In the original Greek according to Westcott-Hort, this verse reads:
- Τετάρτῃ δὲ φυλακῇ τῆς νυκτὸς ἀπῆλθε πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, περιπατῶν ἐπὶ τῆς θαλάσσης.
In the King James Version of the Bible, the text reads:
- And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
The New International Version translates the passage as:
- During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
Analysis
The fourth watch (Greek: Φυλακῇ) or guard is a word which points to the Romans changing guard every three hours of the night. These were their watches kept in cities and in armies. They changed frequently, for fear a longer watch would give an occasion to sleep. If the night was short, they divided it into three watches. Longer nights were split into four. The fourth watch, then, went from about the tenth hour of the night, until the end of the twelfth. It is said that Christ allowed this long period of tossing by a tempest so that the disciples might be 1. accustomed to endure hardness. 2. might more ardently pray for God's help. 3. more relieved by the calming which Christ was about to do.[1]
