James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James, to whom He gave the name Boanerges, that is, “Sons of Thunder”;
Parallel translations
- WEB James the son of Zebedee; John, the brother of James, and he called them Boanerges, which means, Sons of Thunder;
- KJV And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:
- BSB James son of Zebedee and his brother John (whom He named Boanerges, meaning “Sons of Thunder”),
- NASB James the son of Zebedee and John the brother of James (to them He gave the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”);
- NLT James and John (the sons of Zebedee, but Jesus nicknamed them “Sons of Thunder”),
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
James and John, sons of Zebedee, are named 'Boanerges,' Sons of Thunder. It matters because the nickname hints at their fiery temperament that Christ would shape for service.
Overview
The brothers' bold, sometimes impetuous zeal earned them this striking name. Jesus does not reject such temperament but calls and refines it for kingdom use. The detail shows how Christ takes real, flawed people and forms them into apostles, transforming natural intensity into faithful witness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Mark 14:33He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be greatly troubled and distressed.
- Jer 23:29“Isn’t my word like fire?” says Yahweh; “and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?
- Mark 5:37He allowed no one to follow him, except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.
- Heb 4:12For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and is able to discern the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
- John 21:20–25Then Peter, turning around, saw a disciple following. This was the disciple whom Jesus loved, the one who had also leaned on Jesus’ breast at the supper and asked, “Lord, who is going to betray You?”
- Mark 9:2After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John, and brought them up onto a high mountain privately by themselves, and he was changed into another form in front of them.
- Acts 12:1Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
- John 21:2Simon Peter, Thomas called Didymus, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples were together.
- Mark 1:19–20Going 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.
- Mark 10:35James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came near to him, saying, “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we will ask.”
- Isa 58:1“Cry aloud, don’t spare. Lift up your voice like a trumpet. Declare to my people their disobedience, and to the house of Jacob their sins.
- Rev 10:11They told me, “You must prophesy again over many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”
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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 3:17 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.