Thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. petros vs petra could this change the meaning?

Question

Matt. 16:18

I should have said....could this change the common interpretation of this text?

Answer 1

Taken in context and in meaning, Peter is not the Rock, Christ is the Rock.

Dueteronomy 32:3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. (Also see verses 16,18,30 & 31) The God of the "Old Testament was Christ: 1 Corinthians 10:4. Also see Psalm 18: 2, 31, 46. If you have a searchable Bible on your computer then seach the word "rock".

Since scripture identifies Christ as the rock, just what does it say in Matthew?

Mt 16:13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?

(This is the question Christ is addressing)

14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.

(The disciples gave Him any answer but the one He asked for so He repeats the question)

15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?

(NOW the disciples are put on the spot, they are beginning to understand and have to answer the question)

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

(Simon Peter was the first with the correct answer)

17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.

(Peter was inspired by God to give his answer)

(Now the tricky part)

18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter (Cepahs, Strongs #4074 meaning a stone as in a small stone

http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=4073

) , and upon this rock (Petra, Strongs #4073 meaning a large or massive rock

http://www.studylight.org/lex/grk/view.cgi?number=4073

) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
20 Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.

Answer 2

"There had been a distinction between the meanings of these terms in some early Greek poetry, but that distinction was gone by the time of Jesus. In the first century, when Matthew’s Gospel was composed, the two terms were synonyms (cf. D. A. Carson’s treatment of the passage in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, published by Zondervan)."

"Jesus and Peter did not speak Greek in everyday language, but Aramaic. (Greek was the language of commerce in first century Palestine; Aramaic was the language of everyday life.) Behind the Greek text of Matthew 16:17–19 there was an Aramaic conversation, and in the conversation there would have been no distinction between the terms representing petros and petra. In both cases, the same word—kepha (from which we get "Cephas")—would have been used. Hermeneutically, one should read a translation text in harmony with the language that underlies it since the translation is simply a means to understanding what originally was said. Consequently, Jesus’ statement in Aramaic—"You are kepha and on this kepha I will build my Church"—should be decisive for the interpretation."

Answer 3

Petros is simply the masculine form of the word petra. They both still mean rock. Seeing how Peter was a man, it was proper for the author to change the gender of the word to suit the situation that was being addressed.

Same meaning, different gender.


ADDITION:

kait,

The Greek word for "small stones" is "lithos" not "petros"

So the reference is indeed to Peter (petros) the masculine form of petra (BIG rock)

Answer 4

My Greek Bible has it as Petros, for Peter, and perta as rock. Strong's says that perta is derived from petros, a mass of rock, but bigger than lithos, which is a stone. I see Peter as being the major rock. For Peter, I believe pertos would have changed it a little as it shows petra in the feminine. But I don't know enough about the Greek language to know for certain.

Answer 5

The two means words I do not believe would really make a difference. However, what would make a difference is this;
People take a rather short view of this verse and its meaning and they tend not to read before, during and after the said verse to keep it in context.
The verse in question is found in Matthew 16:18.
Lets look at the prior verses and find the answer as to who or what the rock is and what the church is to be built upon.
Verse 13, “When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?”
Christ asked His followers His close companions who the world” called Him, the world here being referred to as those who where not His followers.
And they answered thus, verse 14, “Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.”

The world knew Him not.

Then Christ asked His followers who they though that He was.

Verse 15, “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”
This is interesting Christ now asked His followers if they knew who he was. Why would he do that?

Verse 16, “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Notice that Peter answered and said that Christ was “THE Christ” “THE” Son of “THE Living God.

Verse 17. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”

Christ reveals that it was God that taught Peter this fact that Christ is THE SON of God.

Verse 18. “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.”

Here is the verse that most people are confused upon.

Christ renames Simon to “Peter” and yes in Greek and Aramaic (Aramaic is a mix of Hebrew and Caldean, misspelled I think) this name means, “rock”, however is this that “rock” which that church was built upon? If it is then some years later this same “Peter” was teaching “apostasy” read the book of Galatians to find it.
So I doubt that Peter was or is the “rock” that Christ referred to!

Please note that the true identity of what the rock is lies in the prior verse, it is something that the Father taught Peter. What was taught by the father to Peter? It is the fact that Christ is THE SON OF GOD and not God the son! This is what the true church of Christ is built upon and it is also what the true followers of Christ know to be true.

Peace and Grace
David

Answer 6

The confession of Peter in contact the finished deity of Jesus, "Christ, the Son of the residing God." This revelation to Peter, or all people else, isn't by human know-how or means yet by using God the father. in addition to, this fact of the deity of Christ ("the Son of the residing God," no longer "the son of David") substitute into to be the beginning up of the Church and not Peter himself. "Thou paintings Peter [petros, a stone] and upon ths rock [petra, large ledge of rock] i visit construct my church." (cf. I Peter 2:4-6, the place the apostle made it sparkling he substitute into in no thank you to be called "the rock"). Peter used the keys (Matthew sixteen:19) in beginning the gospel opportnity to Israel at Pentecost (Acts 2:38-40 two), to the racially mongrel Samaritans (Acts 8:14-17), and to the Gentiles at Caesarea (Acts 10:34-40 4). This substitute into the decrease of their use by Peter.

Answer 7

The Lord would build His church upon the Revelation of what Peter received from the Father. Not on Brother Peter himself. Not further in this passage the Lord firmly rebuked Peter and said " Get thee behind me satan' ... was peter satan? NO.. but what he spoke had its source in the enemy.
Peter's name being changed to Petra says something very significant to us. In His epistles brother Peter speaks of us as being living stones. Further along in the epistles of Paul we see the Living stones that peter spoke of becoming Precious stones.. as seen in the walls of Jasper in the New Jerusalem. We are all in the process of transformation. Peter underwent his transformation and I believe that the Lord singled out peter because Peter, in all his failures and shortcomings.. his naturalness remind us of ourselves a lot. Peter took the lead to backslide and " go back to fishing" after the Lord resurrected. The other brothers followed him in doing so. Like Peter we need to be restored back to the Lord, the Lord needs to ask each of us. " Do you love ME?"

Peter is just one of the many precious living stones that make up this dwelling place of God.
You are one. I am one.. We are each crucial to God's building. This wondeful habitation for God and man to mutually dwell.

great post sis
ur sister
sandy

Answer 8

It doesn't change the meaning. I am Protestant and acknowledge that Peter was the rock on which Jesus built his church ... revealed at Pentecost. It was not his "confession" but the person. Still there is no reason to believe a papacy of any sort is being established. That is not in the text.

Answer 9

Yes, the different words indicate a different meaning.

The Apostles and prophets are depicted as foundational stones in the Temple of God, but Jesus Christ is depicted as the "Chief corner stone" (Ephesians 2:19-22). All the building is set according to the chief corner stone; it is the rock upon which the whole building is set.

Peter, though foundational (A rock), is not THE Rock upon which the Church of God is built; Jesus Christ is.

Answer 10

Don't you think we've heard this one before? That would only work if Jesus spoke Greek, which he did not. Also, petros and petra mean the same thing in first century Koine Greek.