Matthew 27:54

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!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)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!"
• 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!”

Context of Matthew 27:54

52The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. 53They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people. An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!” 55Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. 56Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Matthew 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 there and kept watch over him.
• Matthew 8:5When Jesus went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help.
• Acts 10:1A man named Cornelius lived in the city of Caesarea. He was a Roman army officer in the Italian Regiment.
• Acts 21:32Immediately, he took some soldiers and officers and charged the crowd. When the crowd saw the officer and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
• Acts 23:17Then Paul called one of the sergeants and told him, “Take this young man to the officer. He has something to tell him.”
• Acts 27:1When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, Paul and some other prisoners were turned over to an army officer. His name was Julius, and he belonged to the emperor’s division.
• Mark 15:39When the officer who stood facing Jesus saw how he gave up his spirit, he said, “Certainly, this man was the Son of God!”
• Luke 23:47When an army officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly, this man was innocent!”
• 2 Kings 1:13The king sent a third officer with 50 men. The officer of the third group went up the hill and knelt in front of Elijah. The officer begged him, “Man of God, please treat my life and the lives of these 50 servants of yours as something precious.
• Acts 2:37When the people heard this, they were deeply upset. They asked Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what should we do?”
• Acts 16:29The jailer asked for torches and rushed into the jail. He was trembling as he knelt in front of Paul and Silas.
• Revelation 11:13At that moment a powerful earthquake struck. One-tenth of the city collapsed, 7,000 people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.
• Matthew 27:40and said, “You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
• Matthew 26:63But Jesus was silent. Then the chief priest said to him, “Swear an oath in front of the living God and tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”
• Luke 22:70Then all of them said, “So you’re the Son of God?” Jesus answered them, “You’re right to say that I am.”
• John 19:7The Jews answered Pilate, “We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be 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

• Armies
• Centurion
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• God
• Jesus
• Son of God
• Accusation
• Centurion
• Crucifixion
• Earthquake
• Notable
• Plat
• Seal

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