Matthew places the disciples in the dark with two vivid details. The received text says the boat was “in the midst of the sea.” When Peter walks toward Jesus, he sees the wind “boisterous.” Critical editions prefer “many furlongs distant from the land” in the first place and often mark “boisterous” as doubtful in the second.
“But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves.” — Matthew 14:24
“In the midst of the sea” agrees closely with Mark 6:47. The critical reading gives a measured distance: the boat was many stadia from land. Critics therefore suspect that scribes replaced Matthew’s figure with Mark’s familiar phrase.
But John 6:19 also gives a distance. If a copyist wanted an exact measure, the Fourth Gospel stood ready. The received wording is natural in Matthew’s scene and does not have to be copied from Mark. The Sea of Galilee is small enough that “in the midst” describes exposure, not a geometric center point. Land is far enough away; the wind is contrary; Jesus comes over the water.
The two forms may also reflect an early attempt to make a general description exact. Numbers can look more historical while still being secondary. The received phrase has broad church use and gives the story its simple force.
The strong wind Peter saw
Verse 30 in the Textus Receptus reads τὸν ἄνεμον ἰσχυρόν, “the wind strong.” The Authorized Version says “the wind boisterous.” Important Egyptian witnesses omit the adjective, and some modern editions bracket it. The noun alone still explains the waves, but the adjective explains Peter’s sudden fear.
No one sees wind as an object. Peter sees what the strong wind is doing to the sea and feels it against his body. He turns from Christ’s command to the danger. The added description is not gaudy. It links the conditions already stated in verse 24 to the disciple’s failure in verse 30.
An adjective can be added to heighten a story. It can also be dropped when the wind has already been described as contrary and its strength seems obvious. The wide support for “strong,” its narrative work, and its received use favor keeping it.
The two readings place the boat and name the threat. In the midst of the sea, under a boisterous wind, the disciples meet the Lord who says, “Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.” Textual care should sharpen that scene, not drown it in apparatus.
The measured critical distance does not conflict with the received description at the level of history. A boat many stadia from shore may well be in the middle region of the lake. The textual question is which form Matthew wrote, not which geographic claim can be true.
Peter’s sinking also shows why the adjective is not mere spectacle. He begins upon Christ’s command, then attends to the strength of the wind. The threat has not changed; his object of sight has. “Boisterous” gives the distraction a named force before Jesus names his little faith.
The account should not be turned into a promise that faith makes physical danger imaginary. Peter actually sinks and actually needs rescue. The Lord’s hand, not the disciple’s mental steadiness, brings him into the boat. The received details make both danger and deliverance concrete.
Sources and further reading
- Matthew 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52; John 6:16–21.
- Bruce M. Metzger, A Textual Commentary on the Greek New Testament, notes on Matthew 14:24 and 14:30.
- John William Burgon and Edward Miller, The Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels.