Did Peter Speak Hebrew to the Servant?: A Linguistic Examination of the Expression "I Do Not Know What You Are Saying" (Matt 26:70, Mark 14:68, Luke 22:60)

Abstract

In this article I examine the statement "I do not know what you are saying," uttered by Peter according to the Synoptic Gospels as a response to the accusation that he was one of Jesus's men. I examine the Hebrew parallels to this phrase in Tannaitic literature, with special attention to their wording and pragmatic function. Although Tannaitic literature postdates the New Testament, its use of this phrase may shed light on the Synoptic passage. I conclude that Peter's phrase is not likely to have been formulated originally in Greek or Aramaic; it should be understood as reflecting an idiomatic expression in Hebrew.