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.”
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.
- BSB 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.”
- 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 13:47“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a dragnet, that was cast into the sea, and gathered some fish of every kind,
- Matt 4:19He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
- Ezek 47:9–10It shall happen, that every living creature which swarms, in every place where the rivers come, shall live; and there shall be a very great multitude of fish; for these waters have come there, and the waters of the sea shall be healed, and everything shall live wherever the river comes.
- Mark 1:17Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”
- Luke 5:7They beckoned to their partners in the other boat, that they should come and help them. They came, and filled both boats, so that they began to sink.
- Acts 2:4They were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and began to speak with other languages, as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
- Luke 6:14Simon, whom he also named Peter; Andrew, his brother; James; John; Philip; Bartholomew;
- 2 Cor 8:23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for you. As for our brothers, they are the apostles of the assemblies, the glory of Christ.
- Matt 20:20Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and asking a certain thing of him.
- Matt 4:21Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets. He called them.
- Matt 14:27But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Cheer up! It is I! Don’t 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.