Petra Means Rock, Not Peter
Who Is The Rock?
Peter, the Rock?
How many times have we read the passage (or heard read) Matthew 16 (specifically verse 18) and been presented with the idea that Shimon Kefa is the foundation on which the entirety of Christianity is built? The Universal church in Rome claims to be built on his grave (wrong!), even though they teach and follow doctrine based on distorting the epistles of Sha’ul.
Allow me to shatter that incorrect perception.
Catholics in the audience should look away now. This will upset you mightily. To paraphrase Pastor Garrison Simons, while the truth will set you free, it’s likely to make you angry first.
Here is the verse from The Scriptures 2009 version, with some Strong’s Concordance numbers:
Matthew 16:18 — “And I also say to you that you are Kĕpha (G4074 — petros), and on this rock (G4073 — petra) I shall build My assembly (G1577 — ekklesia), and the gates of She’olb (Shem Tov’s Matthew says: GĕHinnom= the valley of weeping) shall not overcome it.
You are probably aware generally (if you don’t have it memorized) that this verse in the KJV and other English versions basically says something like: You are Peter and on this rock I shall build my church, with the assumption the Peter IS that rock on which the “church” is built.
Here’s the problem: This isn’t what this verse says. You will see in the verse above that the rock by which Messiah names Peter (which translates as Kefa from the Hebrew) is the Greek word petros, but in the next part of the verse Messiah says that on this rock — PETRA — will I build my ekklesia.
The word ekklesia first appears in the Torah in Exodus 12:3 (in the Greek Septuagint) and is utilized throughout the Tanak (H5712, edah: ay-daw, which is assembly or congregation). The word ekklesia does not mean church, it means assembly or congregation. The assembly of Messiah will be founded on the PETRA to which He refers. (** See note at end about the English word, church.)
But is this Peter?
No.
Whoa, whoa, whoa…
How can I say that? First, a Greek lesson. Neither Greek nor Hebrew have punctuation (especially in the old, ancient usage), so a lot of our English constructs must be inferred from the original written language. Often this is simple. Here’s an example, however, of how the placement of a comma completely changed the entire meaning of a sentence:
→ I tell you today, you shall be with me in paradise.
→ I tell you, today you shall be with me in paradise.
Do you notice the difference? One is a promise made today that the other man will one day be with Him in paradise. While the second says that the other man will be there today. (Even Messiah was not there that day!)
The first version of the sentence is the correct translation of that verse based on the context and content of the crucifixion, and Messiah’s other promises and prophecy. And don’t forget that Messiah Himself did not go to “paradise” upon His death, but spent the three days in Sheol and then went before the Father. This is why Miriam of Magdal could not touch Him.
Greek and Hebrew also lack most participles and articles, like “and” and “but”. Therefore, when reading the verse (from the KJV), we place the correct comma:
… And I say also unto thee, that thou are Peter[,] and upon this rock I will build my church.
Now let’s modern-English this up a bit and leave Shakespearian English in the past:
… And to you I say that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church.
Let’s do that one more time with the Greek words used:
… And I say that you are petros, and upon this petra will I build my assembly {ekklesia}.
Lastly, let’s correct the usage of the particle “and” to what is implied when rendering the verse using the correct Greek words:
… And I say that you are petros, but upon this petra I will build my assembly.
As we reassemble this verse using the corrected words and modern English, are you starting to notice the pause in the verse? Next, let’s define the two Greek words and then word study out some of the other words, as well as the Hebrew origin:
G4074 Πέτρος Petros (pe’-tros) n/p.
1. a (piece of) rock
2. as a name, Petrus, an apostle.
{larger than G3037}
G4073 πέτρα petra (pe’-tra) n.
1. (properly) a mass of solid rock (such as a solidly massive foundation or as jutting upward for hewing out a large family chamber tomb).
2. (person) The Solid Rock (of Ages), Jesus, Yeshua.
3. (Note) The solid rock is in distinct contrast to a piece of rock or a rock fragment.
G3037 λίθος lithos (liy’-thos) n.
a stone.
{literally or figuratively}
[apparently a primary word]
The word above, lithos, we know from geography/geology class — the lithosphere. This is the hard crust of the planet. Lithos is essentially the solid earth, something like an enormous mountain (Ayers Rock in Australia or bedrock). Not some piece of stone one could hold in their hand or toss into a pond to make waves.
The Greek Kefa:
G2786 Κηφᾶς Kephas (kee-fas’) n/p.
1. a piece of rock (or hollow rock) such as found on a mountain side. <Job 30:6 and Jeremiah 4:29>
2. Kephas (i.e. Kepha), a surname of Peter.
3. (mis-transliterated) Cephas.
Root(s): H3710
H3710 כֵּף keph (kafe) n-m.
a hollow rock.
I find the Hebrew root of Kefa particularly interesting. Messiah spoke Hebrew, not Greek. The Hebrew origin of Kefa is a hollow rock. A rock missing something inside. Let’s reword the verse using this new information:
I’m telling you today that you are a small, hollow rock, there is something missing inside of you, but I still see great value and have tremendous plans for you. But it is on Me, the foundation stone, the one prophesied about throughout the Tanakh (to which you will refer later in one of your letters), on ME, Messiah, will be built the assembly of believers. And against Me, neither the grave, nor sorrow, nor the flames of eternity (look up the GĕHinnom valley where they burned trash in those days) will ever prevail.
Put away the tar and feathers. Peter is not the ROCK on which the assembly is built. The assembly of believers, those that follow Messiah Yeshua, are built on HIM. But you’re still thinking,
→ “Dude, you’re being so hard on Peter.”
Yep.
Go to the end of John, chapter 21:
John 21:15–22 (in segments) — When, therefore, they had eaten breakfast, יהושע said to Shim‛on Kĕpha, “Shim‛on, son of Yonah, do you love {G25} Me more than these {fish}?” He {Kepha} said to Him, “Yes, Master, You know that I love {G5368} You.” He יהושע said to him, “Feed My lambs.”
Kefa, do you love me with your whole heart (or are we just friends)?
→ Master, you know that we are just friends.
… 16) יהושע said to him again, the second time, “Shim‛on, son of Yonah, do you love {G25} Me?” {Kefa} [answered] to Him, “Yes, Master, You know that I love {G5368} You.” יהושע said to him, “Shepherd My sheep.”
Kefa, do you love me with your whole heart?
→ Master, you know that we are just fiends.
… 17) יהושע said to him the third time, “Shim‛on, son of Yonah, do you love {G5368} Me?” Kĕpha was sad because He said to him the third time, “Do you love Me?” And {Kefa} said to Him, “Master, You know all, You know that I love {G5368} You.” יהושע said to him, “Feed My sheep.
Kefa, do you love me as just friends?
→ Master, you know my heart for you know all things. You know that I want to love you deeper, but I have fears and doubts.
Then do what I taught you to do and leave it all to me. Remember, I’m sending you the power in a few weeks. Be ready.
… 18) “Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were younger you girded yourself and walked where you wished, but when you are old you shall stretch out your hands, and another shall gird you and bring you where you do not wish.” 19) Now this He said, signifying by what death he would esteem Elohim. And having said this, He said to him, “Follow Me.”
20) And Kĕpha, turning around, saw the taught one whom יהושע loved following (John always refers to himself in the third person), who also had leaned on His breast at the supper, and said, “Master, who is the one who is delivering You up?” 21) Seeing him, Kĕpha said to יהושע, “But Master, what about this one?” 22) יהושע said to him, “If I wish him to remain till I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.”
Here is Kefa showing this fear and doubt and another element we don’t see often: jealousy. He’s jealous of the love (agape) Messiah and John share, and there is likely something far more to this than we know, but can infer from the Scripture. (I hold that John and Yeshua knew each other for many years, even as kids, and may have been what we would call “best friends” today. I can support that with Scripture if you are interested in that side discussion, but I am not dogmatic about it.)
Here are those two words from the Greek Strong’s for your consideration:
G25 ἀγαπάω agapao (a-ğa-paō’) v.
1. to love (in a social or moral sense).
2. (perfect passive participle) having been loved.
3. (diminished as adjective) beloved (this simple adjective greatly diminishes the incredible fullness of having been loved by God with his purpose and forethought and the longevity for which he has waited for us to love him back).
{chiefly of the heart (wholehearted, unconditional, devoted) while G5368 is chiefly of the head (feelings, conditional, sentimental)}
[perhaps from ἄγαν agan “much” or remotely from Hebrew agab, but in the sense of H160]
G5368 φιλέω phileo (fiy-le’-ō) v.
1. to be fond of (an individual or an object).
2. to have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling).
3. to be a friend to.
4. (by extension) to affectionately favor.
5. (specially) to kiss (as a mark of affection)
{while G25 (chiefly of the heart) is wider than G5368 (chiefly of the head), embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as G2309 and G1014, or as G2372 and G3563 respectively}
There are other examples of when Kefa loses his faith, loses his path, sits out the game for a few rounds, and a very interesting passage when Sha’ul calls him out and lays him out on the carpet, so to speak, for doing it. Remember that he had to be presented with a vision over which he pondered and pondered before he could be convinced to go with the three goyim to meet with Cornelius (see the lesson, “ It’s About People, Not Meat ” — soon to upload to Medium).
Sha’ul refers to himself as a worthless wretch. He constantly berates himself for continually finding himself failing to live up to the standard of Messiah as he teaches, but is completely honest about it. Kefa gets a little hide-things-I’m-doing-ly and has to be called out for lacking faith and patience and belief in the plan Messiah made him a major part of <Gal 2:11–15> but read to the end of the chapter).
The point is that petros is a small, possibly hollow rock that one could carry in their hand.
This is not the foundation stone on which the entire assembly of Messiah Yeshua is built or it would have collapsed quickly and Gamliel would have been right when he said in Acts 5:
Acts 5:34–39 — 34) But a certain one in the council stood up, a Pharisee named Gamli’ĕl, a teacher of the Torah, respected by all the people, and ordered them to put the emissaries outside for a little while, 35) and said to them, “Men of Yisra’ĕl, take heed to yourselves what you intend to do to these men.
He knew Torah and that the men were about to perform an act in violation of Torah. He could be no part of such lawlessness. He instead gives a history lesson:
… 36) “For before these days Toḏah rose up, claiming to be somebody. A number of men, about four hundred, did join him. He was slain, and all who obeyed him were dispersed, and came to naught. 37) “After him, Yehuḏah of Galil rose up in the days of the census, and drew away many people after him. He also perished, and all who obeyed him were scattered.
38) “And now I say to you, stay away from these men and leave them alone, because if this plan or this work is of men, it shall be overthrown, 39) but if it is of Elohim, you are unable to overthrow it, lest you even be found to fight against Elohim.”
Gamliel, I suspect, was filled with the Ruach in that moment — but didn’t realize it. He prophesied that if the whole “following Yeshua” as Messiah is just another thing of men, it would fail on its own and these men in his council would have to do nothing. But, if it is of Elohim, they would effectively be fighting against El Shaddai Himself.
If the assembly were founded on a small hollow rock one could hold in their hand… crumble…
Messiah Yeshua is the PETRA, the foundation stone, the stone of stumbling, the permanent, everlasting bedrock on which His assembly stands.
** Church comes from the old English/Celt word, kirke, which comes from the Greek, circe, which is the root of the words circus and circle, in which followers of the sorceress Circe (sir-say) would gather to worship this Greek goddess. See the post: “Sound Bytes 5: Wednesday ” for more on circle pagan worship.
