Matthew 26:56
26:56 But this has happened so that 1 the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Matthew 26:72
26:72 He denied it again with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
Matthew 26:74
26:74 At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment a rooster crowed. 2
1 tn Grk “But so that”; the verb “has happened” is implied.
2 tn It seems most likely that this refers to a real rooster crowing, although a number of scholars have suggested that “cockcrow” is a technical term referring to the trumpet call which ended the third watch of the night (from midnight to 3 a.m.). This would then be a reference to the Roman gallicinium (ἀλεκτοροφωνία, alektorofwnia; the term is used in Mark 13:35 and is found in some mss [Ì37vid,45 Ë1] in Matt 26:34) which would have been sounded at 3 a.m.; in this case Jesus would have prophesied a precise time by which the denials would have taken place. For more details see J. H. Bernard, St. John (ICC), 2:604. However, in light of the fact that Mark mentions the rooster crowing twice (Mark 14:72) and in Luke 22:60 the words are reversed (ἐφώνησεν ἀλέκτωρ, efwnhsen alektwr), it is more probable that a real rooster is in view. In any event natural cockcrow would have occurred at approximately 3 a.m. in Palestine at this time of year (March-April) anyway.