And He *said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of people.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you fishers for men.”
- KJV And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
- BSB “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- NKJV Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
- NLT Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish 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 calls Peter and Andrew to follow Him and become 'fishers for men.' It defines discipleship as following Christ and joining His mission.
Overview
With a play on their trade, Jesus invites the brothers into a life of following Him that will be devoted to gathering people into the kingdom. The call is authoritative and gracious, and it reorders their entire vocation around Christ. It models the pattern of all true discipleship: to follow Jesus and be made into instruments of His saving work.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Mark 1:17–18Jesus said to them, “Come after me, and I will make you into fishers for men.”
- John 12:26If anyone serves me, let him follow me. Where I am, there will my servant also be. If anyone serves me, the Father will honor him.
- Matt 16:24Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
- Luke 9:59He said to another, “Follow me!” But he said, “Lord, allow me first to go and bury my father.”
- John 1:43On the next day, he was determined to go out into Galilee, and he found Philip. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.”
- John 21:22Jesus said to him, “If I desire that he stay until I come, what is that to you? You follow me.”
- Luke 5:27After these things he went out, and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and said to him, “Follow me!”
- Mark 2:14As he passed by, he saw Levi, the son of Alphaeus, sitting at the tax office, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he arose and followed him.
- Matt 19:21Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”
- Luke 5:10–11and 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.”
- 1 Cor 9:20–22To the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to those who are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain those who are under the law;
- Matt 8:22But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”
- 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.
- Matt 9:9As Jesus passed by from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax collection office. He said to him, “Follow me.” He got up and followed him.
- 2 Cor 12:16But be it so, I did not myself burden you. But, being crafty, I caught you with deception.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 4:19 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.