and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”
Parallel translations
- WEB and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid. From now on you will be catching people alive.”
- KJV And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.
- NKJV and so also were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.”
- NASB and likewise also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not fear; from now on you will be catching people.”
- NLT His partners, James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were also amazed. Jesus replied to Simon, “Don’t be afraid! From now on you’ll be fishing for people!”
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 reassures Peter and calls him to catch people alive. The miracle becomes a commission to gospel mission.
Overview
James and John share the amazement, and Jesus turns the scene into a calling: 'From now on you will be catching people alive.' His words 'Don't be afraid' answer Peter's fear of his own sinfulness with grace. The image of catching people alive describes the rescuing work of evangelism, gathering men and women into the Kingdom of God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 13:47Once again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea and caught all kinds of fish.
- Matt 4:19“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Ezek 47:9–10Wherever the river flows, there will be swarms of living creatures and a great number of fish, because it flows there and makes the waters fresh; so wherever the river flows, everything will flourish.
- Mark 1:17“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Luke 5:7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.
- Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
- Luke 6:14Simon, whom He named Peter, and his brother Andrew; James and John; Philip and Bartholomew;
- 2 Cor 8:23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, to the glory of Christ.
- Matt 20:20Then the mother of Zebedee’s sons came to Jesus with her sons and knelt down to make a request of Him.
- Matt 4:21Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,
- Matt 14:27But Jesus spoke up at once: “Take courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 5:10 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.