Going on a little farther, He saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat, mending their nets.
Parallel translations
- WEB Going on a little further from there, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John, his brother, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
- KJV And when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
- NKJV When He had gone a little farther from there, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending their nets.
- NASB And going on a little farther, He saw James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John, who were also in the boat mending the nets.
- NLT A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets.
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 next sees James and John mending nets and is about to call them too. The circle of disciples grows.
Overview
James and John, sons of Zebedee, will become part of Jesus' inner three. Finding them at ordinary work again shows that Christ calls people in the midst of daily life. Their inclusion continues the formation of the band who will witness and carry on His mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Mark 9:2After six days Jesus took with Him Peter, James, and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There He was transfigured before them.
- Mark 3:17James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
- Acts 12:2He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
- Mark 14:33He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed.
- Mark 10:35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
- 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,
- Acts 1:13When they arrived, they went to the upper room where they were staying: Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas son of James.
- Mark 5:37And He did not allow anyone to accompany Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 1:19 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
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.