Matthew 14:32

Mat 14:32-33. When they were come into the ship, the wind ceased — And that so suddenly that all in the ship were sensible it was the effect of Christ’s presence and power. He seems, also, according to Joh 6:21, to have wrought another miracle at the same instant, for immediately on his entering the ship, it was at the land! These many wonderful miracles, succeeding each other so rapidly, greatly affected the minds of the disciples. They were sore amazed, says Mark, in themselves, beyond measure, and wondered, namely, at the astonishing power of their Master. For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, though so lately performed, and so wonderful, and though they had the sensible proof of it before their eyes in the baskets of fragments which they had taken with them into the ship; and perhaps had been talking of it before the storm came on; for their heart was hardened, and they were so stupified with their fear, that they did not reflect on that miracle. We need not, therefore, be surprised that they did not call to mind a similar exertion of his power, which they had beheld while they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes. Then they that were in the ship — Not only the disciples, but all others that were therein, came and worshipped him — Fell down at his feet in a rapture of wonder, devotion, and reverence, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God — That is, the Messiah, and a divine person, possessed of an unlimited power over the whole creation. Though on many occasions formerly, Jesus had given equal, if not greater evidences of his power, the disciples did not, till now, make open confession of his dignity. It seems, when his miracles came to be thus multiplied, out especially when they followed upon one another so closely, the apostles were more deeply affected with them than by seeing him perform any single miracle.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mat 14:32 . ἀναβάντων αὐτῶν : Jesus and Peter. ἐκόπασεν : used in narrative of first sea-anecdote by Mar 4:39 = exhausted itself (from κόπος ).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when they had come into the boat, the wind ceased--(Also see on Mar 6:50.)

Next: Matthew Chapter 15

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 32. The wind ceased.] Jesus is the Prince of peace, and all is peace and calm where he condescends to enter and abide.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(32) The wind ceased.—St. Mark adds that “they were above measure astonished” at the sudden lull. For the most part these mountain squalls died away gradually, and left the waves rough. Here the wind ceased in a moment, and ceased as their Lord entered the boat. And he gives a significant reason for their astonishment, “For they reflected not on the loaves, for their heart was hardened.” This was the later analysis which the disciples made of their feelings on that night. Had they understood all the divine creative energy which the miracle of the loaves involved, nothing afterwards, not even the walking on the waves, or the lulling of the storm, would have seemed startling to them.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then they that were in the ship,.... Not only the rest of the disciples, who remained in it, whilst Peter came forth out of it, to walk upon the sea, to go to Christ: but the mariners also, the owners of the vessel, and their servants that managed it,

came and worshipped him: not merely in a civil, but in a religious way; being convinced, by what they saw, that he must be truly and properly God, and worthy of adoration;

saying, of a truth, thou art the Son of God: not by creation, as angels and men, nor by office, as magistrates, but by nature; being of the same essence, perfections, and power, with God, his Father: and which these actions of his now done, as well as many others, are full attestations of; as his walking upon the sea, causing Peter to do so too, saving him when sinking, and stilling the wind and waves upon his entrance into the vessel; all which being observed by the disciples and mariners, drew out this confession upon full conviction from them, that he was a divine person, and the proper object of worship.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Ver. 32. The wind ceased] As if it had been weary of blowing so big, and now desired rest after hard labour; as the word here used importeth. Herodotus useth the same word in the same sense, where he speaks of a tempest layed by the magicians. {a} Rupertus calleth the winds the world’s besoms, which are used by God to sweep his great house and purge the air. {b} If the prince of the air make use of them to sweep God’s children, as he did Job’s children, out of the world, it cannot be said, as 1Ki 19:11, that God is not in that wind; for he numbereth their hairs, and counts their flittings; and being the great Aeolus, lays laws upon the winds and waves, which instantly obey him. No sooner was Christ in the ship but they were all at land.

{a} εκοπασεν. Pacatus fuit, quasi vir stando delassatus. Herod. in Polymnia.

{b} Scopus mundi. Rupert. Virgil, Aeneid, i. 65.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when they were come into the ship the wind ceased - Here was a new proof of the power of Jesus. He that has power over winds and waves has all power. John adds Joh 6:21 that the ship was immediately at the land whither they went; another proof, amid this collection of wonders, that the Son of God was with them. They came, therefore, and worshipped him, acknowledging him to be the Son of God. That is, they gave him homage, or honored him as the Son of God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

And when they were come up into the boat. St. Mark (vi. 51.) tells us, Christ went up with St. Peter into the boat. Nor is this denied by St. John (vi. 21.) when he says, They were willing therefore to take him into the boat: and presently the boat was at the land. They not only would, but did also take him into the boat, which was presently at the shore. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

They, that is, Christ and Peter, whom we must suppose to have walked some way with Christ upon the sea. Christ by his company making his mighty power more conspicuous; so as the Manichees had no reason to conclude, from Christ’s walking on the sea, that he had no true human body, for sure Peter had; and they must ascribe little to our Saviour’s Divine nature, that will not allow him to have had a power to suspend the natural motion downward, which we see in all gravity, which is an affection of all human bodies. No sooner was Christ come into the ship, but the wind ceased, in testimony of its homage to him, who bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.

They that were in the ship came and worshipped him, paying a religious homage unto him, as he who had preserved their lives from so great a danger; and they further owned him to be

the Son of God. This was that great point which God was bringing the world to the acknowledgment of, and we see it was done by degrees. His miracles at first only procured a veneration of him, and a faith that he had his power from God. Then he comes to be acknowledged the Son of David by the blind man. The miracle of the five loaves brought many to acknowledge him that Prophet that should come into the world. This is the first time we meet with so plain and open an acknowledgment of his being the Son of God: this was done not only by his disciples, but by the mariners, and the passengers in the ship, but it was far from a steady faith as to that point, which the disciples yet wanted.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

32. Were come into the ship — John says they willingly received him into the ship; for previously, supposing him to be a spirit, they dreaded his approach. But lo! it was their Lord, and gladly did they welcome him. The wind ceased — The storm then was permitted — that is, it was not prevented — by Jesus. The elements were left by him to blow with all their natural power until he entered the boat. Such is an image of the trials which nature in this scene of probation forces upon us, and which God does not prevent until their work in our trial is done. The instant cessation of the wind was an additional miracle, and probably impressed the disciples scarce less than the walking upon the sea.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when they were comegone up (Revised Version)into the ship, the wind ceased. Apparently not before, so that Peter may still have walked a little further on the water in the midst of the storm, but upheld by the Lord"s hand.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The effect of the miracle:

v. 32. And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

v. 33. Then they that were in the ship came and worshiped Him, saying, Of a truth Thou art the Son of God.

Christ is the supreme, the absolute Lord of the elements. In this case the wind ceased as soon as they had stepped into the boat, not by gradually abating, but by a sudden calm. No wonder that all that were in the boat, not only the disciples, but all the passengers, worshiped Him, freely giving Him the glory and honor as the Son of God. Thus was their faith gradually becoming stronger, thus were they growing in the knowledge of their Lord. And thus will all those grow that are in daily, intimate contact and conversation with Him in His Word, Psa 107:29-30.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. The wind ceased. They were safe, for the Lord was with them. Under his arms there is always safety.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

32. ἐκόπασεν. κοπάζειν, properly to be weary or fatigued (κόπτω, κόπος), then to rest from weariness or suffering, used of a sick man Hipp. p. 1207, (so κόπος, of the pain of disease, Soph. Phil. 880,) then figuratively of the wind or a flood, cp. Herod. VII. 191, where speaking of the storm at Artemisium he says that the Magi stopped the wind by charms, ἢ ἄλλως κως αὐτὸς ἐθέλων ἐκόπασεν.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32.] John (6:21) adds καὶ εὐθέως ἐγένετο τὸ πλοῖον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς εἰς ἣν ὑπῆγον:—see note there.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

32. And when they had gone up into the boat, the wind ceased.] Mk. has: “And He went up to them into the boat. And the wind ceased.”

(M)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ceased [εκοπασεν] . A beautiful word. Lit., grew weary; sank away like one who is weary.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.