What Does Matthew 14:27 Mean?
Straightway Jesus spoke to them, saying, Be bold; I AM; do not be afraid.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.THE KEY
The first change in this storm is not the water but the disciples’ recognition of who is with them.
THE MEANING
Fear can fill the whole field of vision, yet a voice meets it with an identity: “It is I.” The call to take courage rests on recognizing who is present, even before the danger visibly passes. The verse holds fear as a real response while making presence the answer that meets it.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie that danger is the only presence in the scene.
THE ROOT
θαρσεῖτε
tharseite
GROWS FROM
θαρσ-
thars-
Courage, confidence, boldness.
“Be bold” in this verse is tharseite. “Good cheer” carries the sense of taking courage or confidence, not simply feeling cheerful. The command is answered by “it is I”: courage arises through recognizing the speaker’s presence while the scene is still frightening.
ALSO GROWS
tharseō: Take courage; be confident.
θαρσέω
This verb is the form behind Jesus’ command to the disciples.
tharsos: Courage; confidence.
θάρσος
The related noun names the quality the command calls forth.
φοβεῖσθε
phobeisthe
GROWS FROM
φοβ-
phob-
Fear, dread; to be frightened.
“afraid” in this verse is phobeisthe. The verb names the experience of fear without claiming the danger is unreal. Set beside the call to take courage, it frames the verse around two responses to the same scene, with “it is I” between them.
ALSO GROWS
phobos: Fear; dread.
φόβος
This noun names the fear addressed by Jesus’ command.
phoberos: Fearsome; terrifying.
φοβερός
This related adjective describes what provokes fear, keeping the danger itself in view.
THE PATTERN
A voice of presence meets fear while the threat remains visible.
The LORD is at my side; I do not fear. What can humankind do to me?Do not fear, for I am with you. Do not look about in dismay, for I am your God. I will grip you, and I will help you, and I will hold you up with the right hand of my alignment.But he said to them, I AM. Do not be afraid.THE THREAD
And look, they brought to him a man loosened in his limbs, lying on a bed. And Jesus, perceiving their trust, said to the loosened man, Son, take heart, your shortcomings are released.Matthew 9:2 uses the same Greek verb θαρσέω (tharseō, take courage) in Jesus’ words to the paralyzed man. Here the call meets disciples at sea; there it meets a man on a bed, bringing courage into danger and immobility alike.
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