Matthew 8:24 (YLT)

Passage

and lo, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but he was sleeping,

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:22 and Jesus said to him, `Follow me, and suffer the dead to bury their own dead.'

Matthew 8:23 And when he entered into the boat his disciples did follow him,

Matthew 8:24 and lo, a great tempest arose in the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but he was sleeping,

Matthew 8:25 and his disciples having come to him, awoke him, saying, `Sir, save us; we are perishing.'

Matthew 8:26 And he saith to them, `Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?' Then having risen, he rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "great", "tempest", "arose", "boat", "covered", "waves", and "sleeping". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "great" and "tempest", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "And when he entered into the boat..." into verse 25's "and his disciples having come to him...", so "great" and "tempest" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "great" and "tempest" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.