English Standard Version
Matthew 27:54
54When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
Matthew 27:54 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
- New International Version (NIV)When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
- New King James Version (NKJV)So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
- New Living Translation (NLT)The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
Context of Matthew 27:54
52The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" 55There were also many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him, 56among whom were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Read all of Matthew 27Matthew 27:54 word by word
Ὁ δὲ ἑκατόνταρχος καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ τηροῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδόντες τὸν σεισμὸν καὶ τὰ γενόμενα ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα λέγοντες· ἀληθῶς θεοῦ υἱὸς ἦν οὗτος.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Now whenδέde · thenG1161
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the centurionἑκατόνταρχοςhekatontarchēs hekatontarchos · centurionG1543
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- withμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- watchingτηρέωtēreō · to keep: guardG5083
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- sawὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- the earthquakeσεισμόςseismos · earthquakeG4578
- those things that were doneγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- they fearedφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
- greatlyσφόδραsphodra · veryG4970
- sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Trulyἀληθῶςalēthōs · trulyG230
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the Sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
Cross-references for Matthew 27:54
- Matthew 27:36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
- Matthew 8:5When he had entered Capernaum, a centurion came forward to him, appealing to him,
- Acts 10:1At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort,
- Acts 21:32He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
- Acts 23:17Paul called one of the centurions and said, "Take this young man to the tribune, for he has something to tell him."
- Acts 27:1And when it was decided that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion of the Augustan Cohort named Julius.
- Mark 15:39And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, "Truly this man was the Son of God!"
- Luke 23:47Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!"
- 2 Kings 1:13Again the king sent the captain of a third fifty with his fifty. And the third captain of fifty went up and came and fell on his knees before Elijah and entreated him, "O man of God, please let my life, and the life of these fifty servants of yours, be precious in your sight.
- Acts 2:37Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
- Acts 16:29And the jailer called for lights and rushed in, and trembling with fear he fell down before Paul and Silas.
- Revelation 11:13And at that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven.
- Matthew 27:40and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross."
- Matthew 26:63But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, "I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
- Luke 22:70So they all said, "Are you the Son of God, then?" And he said to them, "You say that I am."
- John 19:7The Jews answered him, "We have a law, and according to that law he ought to die because he has made himself the Son of God."
Commentaries on Matthew 27:54
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 54The centurion - The Roman officer who superintended the execution, called centurio, from centum, a hundred, because he had the command of one hundred men. Truly this was the Son of God - An innocent, holy, and Divine person; and God thus shows his disapprobation of this bloody tragedy. It is not likely that this centurion had any knowledge of the expectation of the Jews relative to the Messiah, and did not use the words in this sense. A son of God, as the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 54Now when the centurion - Centurion, a captain of a hundred soldiers. He was here placed over the band that attended the crucifixion. They feared greatly - They regarded these things as proof that God was angry, and they were terrified at the prospect that vengeance was coming on them. Truly this was the Son of God - They had heard, probably, that Jesus professed to be the Son of God. Seeing these wonders, they believed that God was now attesting the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 51-56Verses 51-56 The rending of the veil signified that Christ, by his death, opened a way to God. We have an open way through Christ to the throne of grace, or mercy-seat now, and to the throne of glory hereafter. When we duly consider Christ's death, our hard and rocky hearts should be rent; the heart, and not the garments. That heart is harder than a rock that will not yield, that will not melt, where Jesus Christ is plainly set forth crucified. The graves…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 54The Roman officer and the other soldiers were not Jewish. the Son of God: This could be a clear statement that Jesus is the unique Son of God (see Matthew 14:33; 16:16) or perhaps a general statement about the innocence of Jesus (see Luke 23:47). They reacted to the earthquake and everything that happened as signs of divine involvement in this event.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5454. Now when the centurion--the military superintendent of the execution. and they that were with him watching Jesus, saw the earthquake--or felt it and witnessed its effects. and those things that were done--reflecting upon the entire transaction. they feared greatly--convinced of the presence of a Divine Hand. saying, Truly this was the Son of God--There cannot be a reasonable doubt that this expression was used in the Jewish sense, and that it points…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 27:54
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 27
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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