Immediately (Good News Translation “At once”) stands in the position of emphasis in the Greek text.

Reached out his hand and caught him is somewhat abbreviated in Good News Translation: “reached out and grabbed hold of him.” In New Jerusalem Bible this part of the verse is translated “Jesus put out his hand at once and held him”; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Jesus at once stuck out his hand, took hold of him.”

O man of little faith translates one word in Greek. Good News Translation has “What little faith you have!” and New English Bible “How little faith you have!” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates “You have too little faith.” It may be necessary to indicate the object of the faith, as in Moffatt: “How little you trust me!” One may also translate “Why don’t you trust me more than that?” or “You ought to trust me more than that!”

Doubt (in the New Testament only here and in 28.17) is the primary meaning of the verb, though it may also mean “hesitate” (New English Bible) or “waver” (An American Translation). The tense is perhaps best represented by Barclay (“begin to doubt”), since Peter’s initial steps on the water would suggest that he did initially have faith that he could go to Jesus.

It is quite common for languages to require the translator to specify what Peter failed to trust. Translators can say “Why didn’t you believe you could walk on the water?” or “Didn’t you believe I could make you walk on the water?”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .