What is the play on words in Matthew 16:18?

Question

Mt 16:18: "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."

Are there two words in this verse that sound alike in the original Greek? If so, what is Jesus saying to Peter?

Answer 1

rock - church

The building of the church

In which building Peter should be, next to Christ himself, the chief foundation stone, in quality of chief pastor, ruler, and governor; and should have accordingly all fulness of ecclesiastical power, signified by the keys of the kingdom of heaven.

Answer 2

Building on the first answer, Peter was the first Pope.

Answer 3

Rock = Church

Jesus is telling Peter to lead his flock.

Answer 4

"what is Jesus saying to Peter?"

That He Is Putting Peter in charge of the Church, after His(Christ's)Ascension into Heaven.

Answer 5

Peter's name means brick or stone. Jesus is making a pun about Peter being a devout worshiper and a prime candidate for his teachings.

Unfortunately, the followers do not have a sense of humor. Peter literally built the church of Jesus, and the church literally was built upon Peter's grave.

Answer 6

Peter<>Rock.

Answer 7

The two words are cognates of the word for a stone or a rock.  What Jesus is saying, according to the majority of the Church fathers is that Jesus will build His church upon the Rock of 'the smaller rock's" confession of faith.  The smaller rock's confession to and of Jesus was,"You are the Christ, the Son of God."  

Answer 8

Peter is not the rock.  Jesus is the rock.  Hades is the grave.  So the church (or worship of Jehovah) will not die.  

Answer 9

petros = rock in Greek.

Answer 10

peter means rock and Jesus was setting up the church where even h**l could not destrioy

Answer 11

Or conversely, He was "the" Rock, and Peter can mean "stone". Always fond of word puzzles, Jesus could have been showing contrast between the two. " You are Peter (the stone) yes, But on this Rock (Jesus Himself, the bigger stone) I will build my church..."  I guess we'll never know for sure till we get to ask Him!. Thanks for asking.

Answer 12

Well Peter means "rock;" that is why Jesus changed his name from Simeon to Peter. In Greek, the word for rock is the same as the name Peter.

Jesus is instituting the papacy. Peter was the first pope, and the Church was built upon him and his faith; it was up to him and the apostles and other disciples to spread the faith.

That is what Jesus meant by that.  

Answer 13

This translates the Greek word pe′tra (feminine gender), which designates a mass of rock (Mt 7:24, 25; 27:51, 60; Lu 6:48; 8:6, 13; Re 6:15, 16) and therefore differs from pe′tros (masculine gender and employed as a proper name, Peter), meaning “piece of rock.” This distinction makes it clear that, when saying to Peter, “You are Peter, and on this rock-mass I will build my congregation,” Jesus was not using synonymous terms. (Mt 16:18) Even in the Aramaic (Syriac) version the distinction is apparent from a difference in the gender of the particle preceding the word ki’pha’, used for both “Peter” and “rock.” The masculine verbal pronoun (hu) precedes “Peter,” but “rock” is preceded by the feminine demonstrative adjective (hade’).

That the apostles did not understand Jesus’ statement to signify that Peter was the rock-mass is evident from the fact that they later disputed about who seemed to be the greatest among them. (Mr 9:33-35; Lu 22:24-26) There would have been no basis for such disputing had Peter been given the primacy as the rock-mass on which the congregation was to be built. The Scriptures clearly show that as foundation stones, all the apostles are equal. All of them, including Peter, rest upon Christ Jesus as the foundation cornerstone. (Eph 2:19-22; Re 21:2, 9-14) Peter himself identified the rock-mass (pe′tra) on which the congregation is built as being Christ Jesus. (1Pe 2:4-8) Similarly, the apostle Paul wrote: “For they [the Israelites] used to drink from the spiritual rock-mass that followed them, and that rock-mass meant the Christ.” (1Co 10:4) On at least two occasions and in two different locations the Israelites received a miraculous provision of water from a rock-mass. (Ex 17:5-7; Nu 20:1-11) Therefore, the rock-mass as a source of water, in effect, followed them. The rock-mass itself was evidently a pictorial, or symbolic, type of Christ Jesus, who said to the Jews: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.”—Joh 7:37.

It is also of interest that Augustine (354-430 C.E.), usually referred to as “Saint Augustine,” at one time believed that Peter was the rock-mass but later changed his view. Lange’s Commentary on the Holy Scriptures (Mt 16:18, ftn, p. 296) quotes Augustine as saying: “The rock is not so named from Peter, but Peter from the rock (non enim a Petro petra, sed Petrus a petra), even as Christ is not so called after the Christian, but the Christian after Christ. For the reason why the Lord says, ‘On this rock I will build my church,’ is that Peter had said: ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ On this rock, which thou hast confessed, says he, I will build my church. For Christ was the rock (petra enim erat Christus), upon which also Peter himself was built; for other foundation can no man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.”—Translated and edited by P. Schaff, 1976.

Answer 14

Peter and rock come from the same word. What or who is the rock? The rock is Peter's confession, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

Answer 15

UPON THIS ROCK I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH

    Have you ever wrote a book ? I'm thinking that if I write a book , what I'm seeing in my mind is what I'm trying to put on paper. When the book has been finished I can read it and "see" what I was seeing during the writing.

    When someone else reads my book they envision as they read, and probably come close to some of the things I was seeing as I wrote, but unless they can get into MY mind they can never experience ALL of what I envisioned as I wrote.

    So, to understand the Bible we must be in the mind of God. This is called revelations...

    Deuteronomy 29:29 The secret things belong unto the Lord our God; but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

    MATTHEW 16:13-19 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? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say YE that I am ? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 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. And I say ALSO unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock ( REVELATION) I will build My church; and the gates of h**l shall not prevail against it ( the church built on revelation knowledge ). AND I will give unto thee the KEY of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou ( the church built on revelation knowledge ) shalt bind on earth SHALL be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt LOOSE on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

    Isaiah 28:9 Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine? Them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the b*****s.

    1st. Corinthians 2; 14-16 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them because THEY ARE SPIRITUALLY DISCERNED.

    1st. Corinthians 2;16 For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that He may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

    1st. Corinthians 2;10 But God hath revealed them unto us BY HIS SPIRIT; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

    This is also " The Water of the Word ". 1st John 5:7,8 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water ( revelation knowledge ), and the blood : and these three agree in one.

    Ephesians 5:25,26 Husbands, love your wives even as

    Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it; that He might sanctify and cleans it with the washing of water by the Word ( with the revelations brought forth by the Word ).

    Revelations 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say,Come. And let him that heareth say,Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life ( revelation knowledge ) freely.

    John 3:5,6 Jesus answered, Verily,verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water ( revelation knowledge ) and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit .

    When I was getting into the Lord he gave me a hunger for His Word. I was obsessed.

    If there was something in the Word that I didn't understand, I would immediately go into fasting and prayer for the understanding. As I was learning more and more, I came up on scripture that seemed to contradict itself. Immediately I went into fasting and prayer. It was only a few moments and the Lord spoke to me and said: " Forget EVERYTHING you have heard from preachers and teachers, and HEAR what the SPIRIT is saying to the church ". Well, it took awhile to get into the habit of hearing God instead of men, but HALLELUIAH it was worth it !!!

    I encourage each of you to diligently seek the revelations of the Word !!! KNOW the mind of God.

Answer 16

Petros is little pebble.  

Petra is big rock.  

Peter is petros.  

Christ is petra.  

And Petra is a place in the Jordan desert where many plan to stay during the tribulation.  

The King James drops the ball badly in this passage, causing people to believe the church is built on Peter.  

Peter wasn't even converted at the time.  

The church is built on Christ, not Peter, not any sinful human.