Discovery BoxJohn 18:10-11 
Context18:10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the high priest’s slave, 1 cutting off his right ear. 2 (Now the slave’s name was Malchus.) 3 18:11 But Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath! Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” 4
John 18:25-27
Context18:25 Meanwhile Simon Peter was standing in the courtyard 5 warming himself. They said to him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?” 6 Peter 7 denied it: “I am not!” 18:26 One of the high priest’s slaves, 8 a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, 9 said, “Did I not see you in the orchard 10 with him?” 11 18:27 Then Peter denied it again, and immediately a rooster crowed. 12
1 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
2 sn The account of the attack on the high priest’s slave contains details which suggest eyewitness testimony. It is also mentioned in all three synoptic gospels, but only John records that the disciple involved was Peter, whose impulsive behavior has already been alluded to (John 13:37). Likewise only John gives the name of the victim, Malchus, who is described as the high priest’s slave. John and Mark (14:47) both use the word ὠτάριον (wtarion, a double diminutive) to describe what was cut off, and this may indicate only part of the right ear (for example, the earlobe).
3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
4 tn Grk “The cup that the Father has given me to drink, shall I not drink it?” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to reflect contemporary English style.
sn Jesus continues with what most would take to be a rhetorical question expecting a positive reply: “Shall I not drink the cup that the Father has given me?” The cup is also mentioned in Gethsemane in the synoptics (Matt 26:39, Mark 14:36, and Luke 22:42). In connection with the synoptic accounts it is mentioned in Jesus’ prayer; this occurrence certainly complements the synoptic accounts if Jesus had only shortly before finished praying about this. Only here in the Fourth Gospel is it specifically said that the cup is given to Jesus to drink by the Father, but again this is consistent with the synoptic mention of the cup in Jesus’ prayer: It is the cup of suffering which Jesus is about to undergo.
5 tn The words “in the courtyard” are not in the Greek text. They are supplied for the benefit of the modern reader, to link this scene to the preceding one in John 18:15-18.
6 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “are you?”).
7 tn Grk “That one denied it and said”; the referent of the pronoun (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn See the note on the word “slaves” in 4:51.
9 sn This incident is recounted in v. 10.
10 tn Or “garden.”
11 tn This question, prefaced with οὐκ (ouk) in Greek, anticipates a positive answer.
12 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
sn No indication is given of Peter’s emotional state at this third denial (as in Matt 26:74 and Mark 14:71) or that he remembered that Jesus had foretold the denials (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72 and Luke 22:61), or the bitter remorse Peter felt afterward (Matt 26:75, Mark 14:72, and Luke 22:62).
