Mark 3:16

16 And he appointed the twelve. And to Simon he gave the name Peter,

Mark 3:16 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 3:16

And Simon he surnamed Peter.
] Or Cephas, which signifies a rock, or stone, because of his courage and constancy, his strength and fortitude, steadiness and firmness of mind: this name was imposed upon him, not at the time of his mission as an apostle; nor when he made that noble confession of his faith in Christ, as the Son of the living God, at which time this name was taken notice of; but when Christ first called him to be his disciple and apostle; see ( John 1:42 ) .

Mark 3:16 In-Context

14 And he appointed twelve, so that they would be with him and so that he could send them out to preach

15 and to have authority to expel demons.

16 And he appointed the twelve. And to Simon he gave the name Peter,

17 and James the [son] of Zebedee and John the brother of James (and he gave to them the name Boanerges, that is, "Sons of Thunder"),

18 and Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the [son] of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Zealot,

Footnotes

• [a]. Most Greek manuscripts omit the phrase "and he appointed the twelve"