Matthew 26:33-35

Matthew 26:33-35. Peter answered, &c.— St. Peter, no doubt, was sincere in this protestation which he made; nevertheless he was greatly to blame for not payinga due attention to his Master's repeated predictions concerning his fall, (see Luk 22:34 and John 13:38.) for the preference which he gave himself above his brethren, and for depending upon his own strength, instead of begging assistance of him from whom all human sufficiency is derived. The 34th verse is expressed differently by St. Mark, who represents our Lord as saying, before the cock crow twice, &c. and from Mar 13:35 of that Gospel it appears, that one of the four watches of the night was named the cock-crowing: now as this ended with the second crowing, before the cock crow, is equivalent to before the cock crow twice, both signifying, "before the expiration of the watch called the cock-crowing;"—at three in the morning, when the cock commonly crows the second time. Or we may suppose that this expression in the three historians is elliptical; and that the twice is understood, and must be supplied. We have examples of this kind of ellipsis in other parts of Scripture.