John 13:38
“Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus responds to Peter's bold promise with a prophecy of his denial, a word of sorrow but also of restoration to come.
Context
This is the climactic moment of Peter's testing. The rooster crow will come just hours away, during the trial. But the verse also looks forward to Peter's restoration and his eventual martyr's death.
In the Original Language
alektwr (Greek), 'rooster' or 'cock' -- a mundane animal whose cry marks time and, in this context, the precise fulfillment of Christ's foreknowledge
Application
We are all Peter-like in our frailty. We make vows we cannot keep, speak bravely and then stumble in the moment of trial. The grace of this passage is that Jesus knows our weakness before we do, and he loves us anyway. Our denials, when they come, are not the end of our story but a chapter in our transformation. Like Peter, we are invited to be restored.