Among Jesus’s twelve disciples, one stands out for something unusual: a name change straight from Jesus himself. Simon, a fisherman from Galilee, became known as Peter, a name that means “rock.” It wasn’t a nickname he picked up along the way. Scripture shows Jesus giving it to him directly, and doing it twice, in two different moments that reveal why the name mattered so much.
The First Meeting: “Thou Shalt Be Called Cephas”
The renaming happens the very first time Jesus and Simon meet. Simon’s brother Andrew had been following John the Baptist, and after John pointed out Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” Andrew went and found Simon and brought him to Jesus. What happened next is recorded in John’s Gospel:
“And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.” (John 1:42, KJV)
“Cephas” is Aramaic, the everyday language Jesus and his disciples spoke. “Peter,” from the Greek word Petros, is simply the Greek translation of the same word. Both mean “rock” or “stone.” What stands out here is the timing: Jesus gives Simon this name before Simon has done anything to earn it. It reads less like a description of who Simon already was and more like a statement of who he would become.
The Name Confirmed at Caesarea Philippi
The name resurfaces, and takes on its fullest meaning, later in Jesus’s ministry near Caesarea Philippi. Jesus asked his disciples who people believed he was, then asked them directly what they believed. Simon answered:
“Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (Matthew 16:16, KJV)
Jesus responded by telling Simon that this truth had been revealed to him by God the Father, not figured out on his own, and then said:
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18, KJV)
Here the wordplay is unmistakable in the Greek text: “thou art Petros, and upon this petra I will build my church.” The name given quietly at their first meeting is now tied publicly to Peter’s confession of faith and to the future Jesus has planned for him.
What Does “Peter” Mean?
“Rock” was a striking name to give Simon. Of all the disciples, Simon Peter is the one the Gospels show acting the most impulsively: he steps out of a boat onto stormy water and then sinks in fear, he draws a sword in the garden of Gethsemane, and he denies even knowing Jesus three times in a single night. He doesn’t look like solid ground. Yet by the book of Acts, this same man stands up at Pentecost and preaches the sermon that brings three thousand people to faith in a single day. The name Jesus gave him at their first meeting pointed toward the man he would grow into, not simply the man he already was. By the time Peter writes his own letters, he uses the same imagery in reverse, calling Jesus “a living stone” and believers “lively stones” built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:4-5).
A Question Christians Answer Differently
While the renaming itself isn’t disputed, what Jesus meant by “upon this rock I will build my church” is one of the most discussed verses in the New Testament, and sincere Christians read it in more than one way. Some traditions, including the Catholic Church, understand Peter himself, in his office as an apostle, as the rock and foundation Jesus is describing. Many Protestant traditions instead read “this rock” as pointing to Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Christ, or to Christ himself as the true foundation, drawing on passages like 1 Corinthians 3:11 (“other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ”). This site doesn’t take a side on that debate. What every tradition agrees on is the plain history: Jesus gave Simon a new name, and that name pointed to a lasting role in what Jesus was building.
Key Bible Verses
- John 1:42 – “And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.”
- Matthew 16:18 – “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
- Mark 3:16 – “And Simon he surnamed Peter.”
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Jesus rename Simon all at once, or gradually?
It happened in stages. John 1:42 records Jesus telling Simon, at their very first meeting, the name he would be called. Later, in Matthew 16:18, Jesus draws out the full meaning of that name after Peter’s confession of faith. By the time the twelve apostles are formally appointed in Mark 3:16, the name is simply stated as already given.
Does the name “Peter” appear anywhere in the Old Testament?
No. “Peter” and “Cephas” are both names Jesus gave to Simon in the New Testament; neither appears as a personal name in the Hebrew Scriptures.
Related Bible Topics
- What Does It Mean to “Witness” in the Bible?
- Can Your Name Be Erased From the Book of Life?
- Where Did Jesus Go When He Died? What the Bible Says About Hades
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