When therefore they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they saw Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing near to the boat; and they were afraid.
Parallel translations
- KJV So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid.
- BSB When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified.
- ESV When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat, and they were frightened.
- NKJV So when they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus walking on the sea and drawing near the boat; and they were afraid.
- NASB Then, when they had rowed about twenty-five or thirty stadia, they *saw Jesus walking on the sea and coming near the boat; and they were frightened.
- NLT They had rowed three or four miles when suddenly they saw Jesus walking on the water toward the boat. They were terrified,
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Having rowed a few miles, the disciples see Jesus walking on the sea and are terrified. The miracle reveals His divine power over creation, though it first provokes fear.
Overview
Walking on the sea is something Scripture ascribes to God alone (Job 9:8; Ps. 77:19). The disciples' fear reflects the awe of encountering the divine. John presents this as a sign of Jesus's deity, preparing for His self-disclosure in the next verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Mark 6:47–49When evening had come, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and he was alone on the land.
- Matt 14:25–26In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came to them, walking on the sea.
- John 14:18I will not leave you orphans. I will come to you.
- Ps 93:4Above the voices of many waters, the mighty breakers of the sea, Yahweh on high is mighty.
- Job 9:8He alone stretches out the heavens, and treads on the waves of the sea.
- Jonah 1:13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to get them back to the land; but they could not, for the sea grew more and more stormy against them.
- Ps 29:10Yahweh sat enthroned at the Flood. Yes, Yahweh sits as King forever.
- Ezek 27:26Your rowers have brought you into great waters: the east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas.
- Luke 24:36–39As they said these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.”
- John 11:18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about fifteen stadia away.
- Rev 14:20The wine press was trodden outside of the city, and blood came out of the wine press, even to the bridles of the horses, as far as one thousand six hundred stadia.
- Rev 21:16The city is square, and its length is as great as its width. He measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand twelve stadia. Its length, width, and height are equal.
- Luke 24:13Behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was sixty stadia from Jerusalem.
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 6:19 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.