Charles Ellicott Commentary Matthew 16:22

"And Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall never be unto thee." — Matthew 16:22 (ASV)

Peter took him, and began to rebuke him — It is obvious that the disciple's mind focused on the former, not the latter part of the prediction. The death was plain and terrible to him, because he failed to grasp the idea of the resurrection. The rebuke would have been natural at any time, but the contrast between this prediction and the previous promise's tone of confidence and triumph undoubtedly intensified its force. Personal love for his Lord and his own desire to share in the glory that the promise implied were combined in his refusal to accept this as the outcome toward which they were heading.

Be it far from thee, Lord — The words are a paraphrase rather than a translation of the original. Literally, the words are an abbreviated prayer, "(God be) merciful to you," with the name of God being omitted, as in our common expression "Mercy on us!" The phrase occurs frequently in the Greek version of the Old Testament, for example, in Exodus 32:12, Numbers 14:19, and Deuteronomy 21:8.

It is almost pointless to try and find a clearly formulated thought in this sudden outburst of sorrow and alarm. As far as the words themselves go, they seem to be a protest against what the disciple perceived as a baseless despair—a dark view of the future. This perspective was at odds with both his own expectations and what he understood to be the meaning of his Master's previous words. The words that followed, however, were more than a prayer: "This shall not happen to you." It was as though Peter believed his power to bind and to loose extended even to his Master's work and the means by which it was to be accomplished.