Then Jesus said to them, “Children, have you any food?” They answered Him, “No.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus therefore said to them, “Children, have you anything to eat?” They answered him, “No.”
- KJV Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.
- BSB So He called out to them, “Children, do you have any fish?” “No,” they answered.
- NASB So Jesus *said to them, “Children, you do not have any fish to eat, do you?” They answered Him, “No.”
- NLT He called out, “Fellows, have you caught any fish?” “No,” they replied.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus calls out asking whether they have caught any food, and they answer no. It matters because their admission of failure precedes His provision.
Overview
Addressing them warmly as 'Children,' the unrecognized Jesus asks about their catch. Their blunt 'No' confesses the night's failure. The simple exchange sets up the contrast between empty human effort and the abundance Christ will supply. It quietly underscores the disciples' need and Jesus' readiness to meet it.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Phil 4:19My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
- Phil 4:11–13Not that I speak in respect to lack, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content in it.
- 1 Jn 2:13I write to you, fathers, because you know him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I write to you, little children, because you know the Father.
- Heb 13:5Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you have, for he has said, “I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake you.”
- Ps 37:3Trust in Yahweh, and do good. Dwell in the land, and enjoy safe pasture.
- Luke 24:41–43While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
- 1 Jn 2:18Little children, these are the end times, and as you heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen. By this we know that it is the final hour.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 21:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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