Matthew 27:54 is the fifty-fourth verse of the twenty-seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse follows immediately after the death of Jesus and describes the reaction of the Roman soldiers present. Content The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads: ο δε εκατονταρχος και οι μετ αυτου τηρουντες τον ιησουν ιδοντες τον σεισμον και τα γινομενα εφοβηθησαν σφοδρα λεγοντες αληθως θεου υιος ην ουτος In the King James Version of the Bible it is translated as: Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. The modern World English Bible translates the passage as: Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God." For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 27:54 Analysis This verse is based on , though the author of Matthew makes some modifications. Mention is added of the earthquake, which is not part of Mark's crucifixion narrative. In this verse the earthquake seems to be the prime motivator of the centurion's fear. At the location on Golgotha it would have been impossible to see the damage to the Temple or the rising of the dead. Matthew also adds mention of the soldiers' great fear, and addition that also appears at Matthew 17:6, at a similar demonstration of Jesus' miraculous powers. Matthew also increases the number of people from a single centurion to include his soldiers as well. A multitude of soldiers has been interpreted as foreshadowing of the masses of gentiles who would soon join the Jesus movement. France also notes that an increase of numbers is also legally important, as a single witness would not be enough before a court to verify what had occurred. The soldiers were early mentioned as keeping watch over the crucifixion at Matthew 5:36. This verse highlights their leader, a centurion. It is the second time a centurion appears in Matthew, the previous time being the healing the Centurion's servant in Matthew 8. The soldiers had been present for the torture and mockery of Jesus, such as the King of the Jews sign at Matthew 27:37. The proclamation in this verse thus shows that they