Doubt is not the end of faith. Jesus “reached out His hand and took hold of Peter” before he asked, “why did you doubt?” In Matthew 14:31, the Greek word is distazō (G1365): to doubt, to waver, to be of two minds. It is rare: the New Testament uses it only twice, both times of disciples who had seen Jesus.
Get DeepWordWhat the original says
Behind “did you doubt” in this verse is the Greek word distazō (said dis-TAD-zo).
It means to doubt, to waver, to be of two minds. It is rare: the New Testament uses it only twice, both times of disciples who had seen Jesus.
This form, edistasas, is ‘you doubted’, said to one person about what has just happened. Just before it Jesus calls Peter oligopiste, “You of little faith”.
The Berean has it only 2 times, both as ‘doubt’: here, and in Matthew 28:17, where some “doubted” even as they worshiped:
Word by word
| καὶ | λέγει | αὐτῷ | ὀλιγόπιστε | εἰς | τί | ἐδίστασας; |
| and | he says | to him | of little faith | of | why | did you doubt |
Original form
What this tells us
Jesus has sent his disciples across the lake at night, and “the boat was already far from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it” (Matthew 14:24). Then he comes to them, walking on the sea. Peter calls out, “Lord, if it is You,” and then, “command me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). He gets out and walks. Then he sees the wind, is afraid, begins to sink, and cries out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30). The word for “doubt” is distazō: to waver, to be of two minds. Notice the order in the verse. First: “Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter.” Only then the question: “why did you doubt?” The rescue comes before the question, not after Peter has sorted out his doubt. Jesus calls Peter’s faith small, “You of little faith”, but he does not say it is gone; Peter was the one who stepped out of the boat. Think of a child learning to swim who panics and grabs for a parent’s arm: the parent catches first and talks about it later. Back in the boat, the disciples worshiped him: “Truly You are the Son of God!” (Matthew 14:33). Doubt in the middle of a storm does not put you out of Jesus’ reach. His hand came first; the question came after.
What the original says
Behind “doubted” in this verse is distazō again (said dis-TAD-zo).
It is the same word you met in Matthew 14:31: to doubt, to waver, to be of two minds.
This form, edistasan, is ‘they doubted’. Just before it is prosekynēsan, “they worshiped”. Word for word the end reads ‘but the ones doubted’, and readers have long asked whether that means some of the eleven or all of them.
The Berean has it only 2 times, ‘doubt’ both times. The other is Peter on the water, “why did you doubt?” (Matthew 14:31):
Word by word
| ἰδόντες | αὐτὸν | προσεκύνησαν | αὐτῷ | οἱ | δὲ | ἐδίστασαν |
| having seen | him | they worshiped | to him | some | however | doubted |
Original form
What this tells us
Jesus has risen. The angel at the tomb told the women to send the disciples to Galilee: “There you will see Him” (Matthew 28:7). Now “the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated” (Matthew 28:16), and there they see him. The word for “doubted” is distazō, the same wavering Peter knew on the water. Matthew tells it straight: “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.” Worship and doubt sit in one sentence, among the very people who saw the risen Jesus with their own eyes. The Gospel does not tidy it away. What Jesus does next matters. He does not send anyone away. “Then Jesus came to them” (Matthew 28:18), and he gave all of them the same work: “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). He ended with a promise for everyone on that mountain: “And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Christians read ‘some’ here in different ways, as a few of the eleven or as others who were there; either way, the doubters are in the scene, and the promise is for them too. If you worship with questions still in you, you are in good company. Jesus came close to those disciples, and he gave them his promise as well.
What the original says
Behind “doubting” in this verse is the Greek word diakrinō (said dee-ah-KREE-no).
Its basic sense is to separate, to judge between two things. Turned inward, it means to be divided in yourself, to hesitate. In the Berean it is most often ‘doubt’.
This form, diakrinomenos, is an ‘‑ing’ form describing someone: ‘doubting’. It comes twice in the verse: ask “without doubting”, because “he who doubts” is like a wave.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘doubt’ 6 times and ‘hesitation’ 2 times. Elsewhere it keeps its sense of judging between, as in “He made no distinction between us and them” (Acts 15:9):
Word by word
| ἐν | πίστει | μηδὲν | διακρινόμενος | ὁ | γὰρ | διακρινόμενος |
| in | faith | nothing | doubting | the | for | doubting |
Original form
What this tells us
James opens his letter with hard things: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you encounter trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). Then he says wisdom is there for the asking: “if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5). The word for “doubting” is diakrinō, here meaning to be divided in yourself. James’s picture is the sea: “he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.” A verse later he calls such a person “double-minded” (James 1:8): leaning toward God and away from him at the same time. Many readers take James to mean not honest questions but asking God while not really wanting or expecting anything from him, keeping your options open. Just before, he has said God “gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5), so the call is to lean on that generosity. Some Christians hear this verse as a warning against doubt of any kind; others hear it as a warning against a divided heart that does not want God’s answer; both read it next to the promise that God gives freely. When you ask God for wisdom, you can come with your uncertainty. What James asks is that you come wanting his answer, and trusting that he gives.
Read every verse in the original Hebrew and Greek, in the app
Tap any word to see its meaning, lexicon entry, and every other place it appears.
Download on the App StoreWhat the original says
Behind “doubt” in this verse is diakrinō (said dee-ah-KREE-no), the word you met in James 1:6.
It is the same word you met in James 1:6: to be divided in yourself, to waver, to doubt.
This form, diakrinomenous, is an ‘‑ing’ form describing people, ‘those who are doubting’. It is the object of the command just before it, “have mercy on”.
The Berean has it as ‘doubt’ 6 times. Abraham “did not waver through disbelief” with this word (Romans 4:20):
Word by word
| καὶ | οὓς | μὲν | ἐλεᾶτε | διακρινομένους |
| and | those who | indeed | do have mercy on | are doubting |
Original form
What this tells us
Jude writes a short, urgent letter about people who were leading a church astray. Near the end he turns to the believers themselves: “But you, beloved, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20), “keep yourselves in the love of God” (Jude 1:21). The word for “doubt” is diakrinō, the wavering of a mind pulled two ways. Jude’s instruction about doubters is short, and it is gentle: “And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt.” Not argue them down. Not push them out. Have mercy on them. It is the same mercy Jude has just named as the believers’ own hope: they “await the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you eternal life” (Jude 1:21). People who are waiting for mercy themselves are asked to give it to those who waver. Think of friends walking with someone who is limping: they slow down, and they do not leave that person behind on the path. If you doubt, this verse tells you how God wants his people to treat you: with mercy. And if someone near you doubts, it tells you what to give them.
What the original says
Behind “Stop doubting” in this verse is the Greek word apistos (said AH-pis-tos).
It means without faith, not believing. It is pistos, ‘believing, faithful’, with a- in front, meaning ‘not’.
This form, apistos, is a describing word. Word for word Jesus says, ‘do not be unbelieving but believing’: apistos, then pistos. The Berean puts it as “Stop doubting and believe.”
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘unbeliever’ 12 times and ‘unbelieving’ 9 times, and ‘doubting’ only here:
Word by word
| μου | καὶ | μὴ | γίνου | ἄπιστος | ἀλλὰ | πιστός |
| of Me | and | not | do be | unbelieving | but | believing |
Original form
What this tells us
Thomas was not there when the risen Jesus first came to the disciples (John 20:24). When they told him, he said, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe” (John 20:25). Eight days later Jesus came again, and this time Thomas was with them. The word behind “doubting” is apistos: unbelieving, not trusting. Jesus does not scold Thomas from a distance. He offers exactly what Thomas asked for: “Put your finger here and look at My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side.” Then, “Stop doubting and believe.” Thomas answers with one of the strongest confessions in the Gospels: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Then Jesus speaks of everyone who would come after: “blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed” (John 20:29). Thomas is often remembered as ‘doubting Thomas’, but his story ends with his faith, not with his doubt. Jesus met Thomas exactly where his doubt was, and gave him what he needed to believe. You can bring him your own honest questions; he knows them already.
What the original says
Behind “doubts” in this verse is the Greek word dialogismos (said dee-ah-lo-gis-MOS).
It means thoughts turned over inside, reasoning, questions argued in the mind. Most often the Berean puts it as ‘thoughts’.
This form, dialogismoi, is plural: many questions at once. Word for word Jesus asks why they ‘come up’ in your heart, as if rising from below.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘thoughts’ 7 times, as in “For out of the heart come evil thoughts” (Matthew 15:19), and ‘doubts’ only here:
Word by word
| καὶ | διὰ | τί | διαλογισμοὶ | ἀναβαίνουσιν | ἐν | τῇ |
| and | through | why | doubts | do come up | in | the |
Original form
What this tells us
It is the evening of the resurrection. Two disciples have come back from Emmaus with their news, and as they are telling it, Jesus himself stands among them and says, “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36). “But they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit” (Luke 24:37). The word for “doubts” is dialogismos: questions turned over and over in the mind. Jesus names them gently: “Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?” He asks not to shame them but because he is about to answer them. Then he gives them something to touch: “Look at My hands and My feet. It is I Myself. Touch Me and see” (Luke 24:39). Even then, “they were still in disbelief because of their joy and amazement” (Luke 24:41), and so he asks for food, and “He took it and ate it in front of them” (Luke 24:43). The risen Jesus answers their doubts patiently, one sign after another, with his own body. Your questions are not too much for him. In this scene Jesus stays until the doubts have something solid to hold on to.
What the original says
Behind “are you downcast” in this verse is the Hebrew word shachach (said shah-KHAKH).
It means to bow down, to sink low, to be brought down. Here it is a soul bent low.
This form, tishtochachi, is said to ‘you’, and the ‘you’ is ‘my soul’: the psalmist is talking to himself. The form is one Hebrew often uses for something a person does to himself: bowing yourself down.
In the Berean Standard Bible, it is ‘downcast’ 3 times, all in Psalms 42 and 43, and ‘low’ 5 times, counting their other forms:
Word by word
| מַה | תִּשְׁתּוֹחֲחִי | נַפְשִׁי | וַתֶּהֱמִי | עָלָי | הוֹחִילִי | לֵאלֹהִים |
| why | are you bowed down | o soul · my | and · were you in turmoil | on · me | wait | for · God |
Original form
What this tells us
The psalm begins with longing: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul longs after You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). But the writer is far from the place where he used to worship, and he says, “My tears have been my food both day and night” (Psalm 42:3), while people keep asking him where his God is. The word for “downcast” is shachach: to be bowed down, brought low. Here the psalmist talks to his own soul: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me?” Sadness and questions are allowed to speak. But the verse goes on: “Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him.” The same lines come back as a chorus at the end of the psalm, almost word for word (Psalm 42:11). The writer does not argue his feelings away once and for all; he keeps answering them with hope, again and again. The Bible has many prayers like this, like “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” (Psalm 22:1), words Jesus himself cried from the cross (Matthew 27:46). Doubt can be prayed, not only hidden. You can bring God your hardest question and, in the same breath, tell your soul to hope in him.
Behind "doubt" are 4 different words
Your English Bible says "doubt" 10 times. Behind it stand several Hebrew and Greek words:
Reflect
Read it as yours
Peter was sinking when Jesus did this. Read it slowly:
Name it
What do you doubt? Write it honestly. Then write it again as a question to God, the way the psalm does: ‘Why…?’
Carry with you
What would you ask Jesus if, like Thomas, you could tell him exactly what you need?