Simon answered him, “Master, we worked all night, and took nothing; but at your word I will let down the net.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.
- BSB “Master,” Simon replied, “we have worked hard all night without catching anything. But because You say so, I will let down the nets.”
- NKJV But Simon answered and said to Him, “Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”
- NASB Simon responded and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”
- NLT “Master,” Simon replied, “we worked hard all last night and didn’t catch a thing. But if you say so, I’ll let the nets down again.”
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
Simon, despite a fruitless night, obeys at Jesus' word. His response models faith that trusts Christ's command above human expectation.
Overview
Simon, an experienced fisherman, knows the night's failure makes another attempt unpromising. Yet he addresses Jesus as 'Master' and obeys simply because Jesus says so. This trust in the word of Christ over his own judgment is the seed of discipleship and a pattern for all believers.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- John 2:5His mother said to the servants, “Whatever he says to you, do it.”
- John 15:14You are my friends, if you do whatever I command you.
- Luke 6:46–48“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things which I say?
- 2 Kgs 5:10–14Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall come again to you, and you shall be clean.”
- Ezek 37:4–7Again he said to me, Prophesy over these bones, and tell them, you dry bones, hear Yahweh’s word.
- Ps 127:1–2A Song of Ascents. By Solomon. Unless Yahweh builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless Yahweh watches over the city, the watchman guards it in vain.
- John 21:3Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They told him, “We are also coming with you.” They immediately went out, and entered into the boat. That night, they caught nothing.
- Ezek 37:11–12Then he said to me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel: behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are clean cut off.
- Luke 8:24They came to him, and awoke him, saying, “Master, master, we are dying!” He awoke, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water, and they ceased, and it was calm.
- Luke 17:13They lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”
- Luke 9:33As they were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let’s make three tents: one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not knowing what he said.
- Luke 9:49John answered, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he doesn’t follow with us.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 5:5 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
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.