When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they had done this, they caught a great multitude of fish, and their net was breaking.
- KJV And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
- NKJV And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.
- NASB And when they had done this, they caught a great quantity of fish, and their nets began to tear;
- NLT And this time their nets were so full of fish they began to tear!
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
Obedience yields an overwhelming catch that strains the nets. Christ's word brings abundance where human effort failed.
Overview
The enormous haul of fish, coming immediately at Jesus' word, is a miracle revealing his lordship over creation. The breaking nets dramatize the sheer scale of the blessing. The contrast with the empty night underscores that fruitfulness in God's work flows from obedience to Christ rather than from human striving.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- 1 Cor 15:58Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
- John 21:6–11He told them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it there, and they were unable to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
- Eccl 11:6Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
- 2 Kgs 4:3–7“Go,” said Elisha, “borrow jars, even empty ones, from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few.
- Gal 6:9Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Acts 2:41Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
- Acts 4:4But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
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 5:6 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.