Matthew 8 · Verse 26

Matthew 8:26

And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Matthew 8:26, King James Version

Matthew 8:26 in other translations

BSB	“You of little faith,” Jesus replied, “why are you so afraid?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it was perfectly calm.
WEB	He said to them, “Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?” Then he got up, rebuked the wind and the sea, and there was a great calm.
ASV	And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
YLT	And he saith to them, ‘Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm;
DARBY	And he says to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then, having arisen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm.
BBE	And he said to them, Why are you full of fear, O you of little faith? Then he got up and gave orders to the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Webster	And he saith to them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

What does Matthew 8:26 mean?

Barnes' Notes

Verse 26. Why are ye fearful. You should have remembered that the Son of God, the Messiah, was on board. You should not have forgotten that he had power to save, and that with him you are safe. So Christians should never fear danger, disease, or death. With Jesus they are safe. No enemy can reach him; and as he is safe, so they shall be also, Jn 14:19.

Rebuked the winds. Reproved them; or commanded them to be still. What a power was this! What irresistible proof that he was Divine! His word awed the tempest, and allayed the storm! There is not, anywhere, a sublimer description of a display of power. Nor could there be sublimer proof that he was truly the Son of God.

Great calm. The winds were still; and the sea ceased to dash against the vessel, and to endanger their lives.

(i) "rebuked" Job 38:11, Ps 89:9, 107:29

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 26 Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? - Faith is ever bold - incredulity always timid. When faith fails in temptation, there is the utmost danger of shipwreck. Lord, increase our faith! is a necessary prayer for all who desire to be saved. Then he arose and rebuked the winds, etc. - As the agitation of the sea was only the effect of the wind, it was necessary to remove the cause of the disturbance, that the effect might cease. Joshua did not say to the earth, Earth, stand thou still, because the earth is not the cause of its own motion: but, Sun, stand thou still, שמש דום shemesh dom, Sun, be silent, or restrain thy influence, which is a proper cause of the revolutions of all the planets. When the solar influence was by the miraculous power of God suspended, the standing still of the earth was a necessary consequence. Both Christ and Joshua spoke with the strictest philosophical precision. See the notes on Jos 10:12-14 (note). There was a great calm - One word of Christ can change the face of nature; one word of his can restore calm and peace to the most troubled and disconsolate soul. Prayer and faith, if sincere, shall be heard, though they may be weak. 1. That our imperfections may not hinder us from praying to God. 2. That we may be persuaded it is not our merits which make our prayers effectual. 3. That we may offer them up with great humility: and, 4. That we may be fully united to Christ, without which union there is no salvation. There was at first a great agitation; then a great calm. Thus God ever proportions the comfort to the affliction.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 8:23-27

It is a comfort to those who go down to the sea in ships, and are often in perils there, to reflect that they have a Saviour to trust in and pray to, who knows what it is to be on the water, and to be in storms there. Those who are passing with Christ over the ocean of this world, must expect storms. His human nature, like to ours in every thing but sin, was wearied, and he slept at this time to try the faith of his…

Read the full comment on Matthew 8:23-27 →

Matthew 8:26 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532

λέγειlegeiHe saysG3004

αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;G846

τίtiWhyG5101

δειλοίdeiloifearfulG1169

ἐστε,esteare you,G1510

ὀλιγόπιστοι;oligopistoiO [you] of little faith?G3640

τότεtoteThenG5119

ἐγερθεὶςegertheishaving arisenG1453

ἐπετίμησενepetimēsenHe rebukedG2008

τοῖςtoistheG3588

ἀνέμοιςanemoiswindsG417

καὶkaiandG2532

τῇtēatheG3588

θαλάσσῃ,thalassēsea,G2281

καὶkaiandG2532

ἐγένετοegenetothere wasG1096

γαλήνηgalēnēa calmG1055

μεγάλη.¶megalēgreat.G3173

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 8:26

Isaiah 41:10-14
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. Thou shalt seek them, and shalt not find them, even them that contended with thee: they that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of nought. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. …
Psalms 65:7
Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
Psalms 107:28-30
Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.
Psalms 89:9
Thou rulest the raging of the sea: when the waves thereof arise, thou stillest them.
Luke 8:24-25
And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm. And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.
Matthew 6:30
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
Mark 4:39-41
And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm. And he said unto them, Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? And they feared exceedingly, and said one to another, What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?
Romans 4:20
He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
Matthew 8:27
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!
Matthew 16:8
Which when Jesus perceived, he said unto them, O ye of little faith, why reason ye among yourselves, because ye have brought no bread?
Isaiah 50:2-4
Wherefore, when I came, was there no man? when I called, was there none to answer? Is my hand shortened at all, that it cannot redeem? or have I no power to deliver? behold, at my rebuke I dry up the sea, I make the rivers a wilderness: their fish stinketh, because there is no water, and dieth for thirst. I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering. The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
Mark 6:48-51
And he saw them toiling in rowing; for the wind was contrary unto them: and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them, walking upon the sea, and would have passed by them. But when they saw him walking upon the sea, they supposed it had been a spirit, and cried out: For they all saw him, and were troubled. And immediately he talked with them, and saith unto them, Be of good cheer: it is I; be not afraid. And he went up unto them into the ship; and the wind ceased: and they were sore amazed in themselves beyond measure, and wondered.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Why.
6:30; 14:30,31; 16:8; Isa 41:10-14; Mr 4:40; Lu 8:25; Ro 4:20
and rebuked.
27; Job 38:8-11; Ps 65:7; 89:9; 93:3,4; 104:6-9; 107:28-30; 114:3-7
Pr 8:28,29; Isa 50:2-4; 63:12; Na 1:4; Hab 3:8; Mr 4:39,41; 6:48-51
Lu 8:24,25; Re 10:2

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 8:25
And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.
Matthew 8:26
And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Matthew 8:27
But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him!

Read all of Matthew 8

Matthew 8:26 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Y él les dice: ¿Por qué teméis, hombres de poca fe? Entonces, levantándose, reprendió á los vientos y á la mar; y fué grande bonanza.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et il leur dit: Pourquoi êtes-vous craintifs, gens de petite foi? Alors, s’étant levé, il reprit les vents et la mer, et il se fit un grand calme.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und er spricht zu ihnen: Was seid ihr furchtsam, Kleingläubige? Dann stand er auf und bedrohte die Winde und den See; und es ward eine große Stille.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Et dicit eis Jesus: Quid timidi estis, modicæ fidei? Tunc surgens imperavit ventis, et mari, et facta est tranquillitas magna.