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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- BSB When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the sea—and they were terrified.
- 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 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 6:47–49And when even was come, the ship was in the midst of the sea, and he alone on the land.
- Matt 14:25–26And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.
- John 14:18I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
- Ps 93:4The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
- Job 9:8Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.
- Jonah 1:13Nevertheless the men rowed hard to bring it to the land; but they could not: for the sea wrought, and was tempestuous against them.
- Ps 29:10The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
- Ezek 27:26Thy rowers have brought thee into great waters: the east wind hath broken thee in the midst of the seas.
- Luke 24:36–39And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.
- John 11:18Now Bethany was nigh unto Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs off:
- Rev 14:20And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs.
- Rev 21:16And the city lieth foursquare, and the length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are equal.
- Luke 24:13And, behold, two of them went that same day to a village called Emmaus, which was from Jerusalem about threescore furlongs.
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
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