Choosing the Twelve
These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter), Mark 3:16 · Berean Standard Bible
Here are the twelve He chose: Simon, whom Jesus named Peter.
Jesus gave Simon a new name—Peter, meaning 'Rock.' Jesus saw who Simon would become, not just who he was in that moment. He does the same for you.
Mark begins listing the twelve apostles, starting with Simon Peter.
Imagine being given a new name by Jesus—a name that described your future, not your past. That's what happened to Simon. He was impulsive and inconsistent, but Jesus called him Rock.
Mark begins the apostolic list with Simon, to whom Jesus gave the name Peter (Petros, from Aramaic Kēphā', 'Rock'), signifying his foundational role in the community of disciples.
The renaming practice was significant in biblical tradition (Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel), indicating a new identity and mission. Peter is consistently listed first in every New Testament apostolic list.
Mark introduces the apostolic catalog, beginning with Simon Peter and his divinely given name.
Simon the fisherman received a new name reflecting a new destiny. 'Rock' would seem ironic given Peter's later failures, but Jesus named him for what he would become through grace, not what he was by nature.
14He appointed twelve of them, whom He designated as apostles, to accompany Him, to be sent out to preach,
15and to have authority to drive out demons.
16These are the twelve He appointed: Simon (whom He named Peter),
17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
18Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot,
Read all of Mark 3 — A man with a withered hand, a crowd pressing in from every side, and twelve unlikely men called to change the world.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
NIV, NLT, NKJV, KJV and the Berean — plus the Catholic NLT-CE and Douay-Rheims, with the full deuterocanon in the reading order.
Tap any of the 31,102 for what it means, and any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, without leaving the chapter.
Start recording at church and put your phone away. You get the transcript, the key moments, and every verse referenced.
Say what's sitting on your heart and hear it back as a real prayer, in a warm voice. Keep the ones that land.
The whole Bible in a year — five chapters a day, five days a week, weekends off. Built to be finished.
A verse each morning with its meaning, how it lands today, something to sit with, and a prayer to close it.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad