Q
I recently heard a popular author state that when the above mentioned scripture mentions a cock (rooster) it really is referring to a town crier since no roosters were allowed in the temple or its outer courts. Is this true or is it referring to a literal rooster?
A
The Greek word translated “cock” in Matt. 26:74 appears 12 times in the New Testament. All of them are in the Gospels and they all concern Peter’s denial. It is never translated as anything other than a male bird, or rooster. And there’s nothing in the passage to indicate the bird was in the temple or its courts. A rooster’s crow can be heard from miles away under the right circumstances.