In short
Simon is here called by his nickname Peter (meaning rock
: Matthew 16:18–19), partly to distinguish him from Simon the Cananaean, and partly to show his position as the leader of the twelve, also seen in the the fact that this verse also expressly ranks him as first.
The apostle Simon is here identified by his nickname Peter (meaning rock
: Matthew 16:18–19) in part so as to distinguish him from Simon the Cananaean, and also in part to indicate his position as the leader of the twelve. The fact that this verse also expressly ranks him as first
serves to highlight his prominence among the apostles.1
2 The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;