Matthew 26:72
ESV
And again he denied it with an oath: "I do not know the man."
NIV
He denied it again, with an oath: "I don’t know the man!"
NASB
And again he denied it, with an oath: 'I do not know the man.'
CSB
And again he denied it with an oath: "I don’t know the man!"
NLT
Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath. 'I don’t even know the man,' he said.
KJV
And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
NKJV
But again he denied with an oath, “I do not know the Man!”
What does Matthew 26:72 mean?
Peter has been accused, for the second time, of being associated with the now-condemned Jesus (Matthew 26:69–71). Since Peter is in the courtyard of the high priest's house, he recognizes that he is in real danger (Matthew 26:64–66).For the second time, Peter denies any association with Jesus. He swears by an oath not merely that he is not a follower, but that He does not even know Jesus, at all. The use of an oath means Peter swears by something sacred that he is telling the truth. Peter likely remembered well that Jesus had condemned exactly this kind of oath-swearing, saying instead, "Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil" (Matthew 5:37).
Peter's oath and denial shows how desperate he is to get away and save himself from possible arrest and execution. This is the second of three predicted failures (Matthew 26:30–35). Unfortunately for Peter, the more he speaks, the more his Galilean accent reminds people of those who are closest to Jesus (Matthew 26:73).
Matthew 26:69–75 finds Peter sitting outside in the courtyard of the high priest's home. Inside, Jesus is being unfairly convicted and condemned to die. Three times, Peter is accused of being a Jesus-follower. Three times, he denies even knowing Jesus, swearing oaths and cursing himself if he is lying. Hearing a rooster, Peter remembers Jesus had said he would deny Him in exactly this way. The man who bragged he would die before turning from Jesus now flees in tears of shame. Parallel accounts are found in Mark 14:66–72, Luke 22:54–62, John 18:15–18, and John 18:25–27.
The Jewish religious leaders further their plots to arrest and kill Jesus, finding a willing traitor in Judas Iscariot. A woman anoints Christ with oil during a dinner at Bethany. Next, Jesus and the disciples hold the Passover meal in an upper room where Jesus predicts His arrests and introduces the sacrament of communion. Then Jesus prays in unimaginable agony in the garden of Gethsemane before being betrayed by Judas and captured. The disciples scatter. Before the high priest, Jesus explicitly claims to be divine. They convict Him of blasphemy and sentence Him to death. As this happens, Peter denies knowing Jesus and runs away in shame.
