Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 16:14

"And they said, Some [say] John the Baptist; some, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets." — Matthew 16:14 (ASV)

Opinion on Jesus’ identity was divided. Some thought he was John the Baptist risen from the dead—Herod Antipas’s view (14:2). Those who thought he was Elijah saw him as forerunner to a Messiah still to come . Only Matthew mentions Jeremiah, the largest of the major prophets in the Hebrew canon (cf. comment on 27:9). “One of the prophets” testifies to the diversity of eschatological expectations in Jesus’ day, some of the people expecting a long series of prophetic forerunners. But no group was openly and thoughtfully confessing Jesus as Messiah.