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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

John 21:6

He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Fish;   Galilee;   Jesus, the Christ;   John;   Miracles;   Net;   Peter;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Fish;   Fishnets;   Home;   Miracles;   Net;   Obedience;   Obedience-Disobedience;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Fishes;   Miracles of Christ, the;   Ships;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Fish, Fisher;   Miracle;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Fish;   Palestine;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Hospitality;   Miracle;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Fishing, the Art of;   Peter;   Resurrection of Christ;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Gospels;   Miracles;   Net;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Dragnet;   John, the Gospel of;   Martha;   Presence of God;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John, Gospel of;   Miracles;   Peter;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Animals;   Attributes of Christ;   Discourse;   Draught of Fishes;   Fish, Fisher, Fishing;   Foresight;   James ;   John (the Apostle);   Luke, Gospel According to;   Multitude;   Nets;   Portion ;   Property (2);   Temple (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Miracles;   3 To Draw, Drag;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - John, Gospel of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Fish;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Thomas;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Able;   Andrew;   Fishing;   James;   Thomas;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;   New Testament;   Simon Cephas;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for October 19;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“Cast the net on the right side of the boat,”
King James Version (1611)
And he said vnto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and yee shall finde. They cast therfore, and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.
King James Version
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
English Standard Version
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
New American Standard Bible
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you will find the fish." So they cast it, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great quantity of fish.
New Century Version
He said, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they did, and they caught so many fish they could not pull the net back into the boat.
Amplified Bible
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat (starboard) and you will find some." So they cast [the net], and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great catch of fish.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
Legacy Standard Bible
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish.
Berean Standard Bible
He 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.
Contemporary English Version
So he told them, "Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish." They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.
Complete Jewish Bible
He said to them, "Throw in your net to starboard and you will catch some." So they threw in their net, and there were so many fish in it that they couldn't haul it aboard.
Darby Translation
And he said to them, Cast the net at the right side of the ship and ye will find. They cast therefore, and they could no longer draw it, from the multitude of fishes.
Easy-to-Read Version
He said, "Throw your net into the water on the right side of your boat. You will find some fish there." So they did this. They caught so many fish that they could not pull the net back into the boat.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he said vnto them, Cast out the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall finde. So they cast out, & they were not able at all to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.
George Lamsa Translation
He said to them, Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find. So they threw it, and they were not able to draw the net, because of the many fishes which it had caught.
Good News Translation
He said to them, "Throw your net out on the right side of the boat, and you will catch some." So they threw the net out and could not pull it back in, because they had caught so many fish.
Lexham English Bible
And he said to them, "Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they threw it, and were no longer able to haul it in from the large number of the fish.
Literal Translation
And He said to them, Cast the net into the right side of the boat and you will find.
American Standard Version
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
Bible in Basic English
And he said to them, Let down the net on the right side of the boat and you will get some. So they put it in the water and now they were not able to get it up again because of the great number of fish.
Hebrew Names Version
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fish.
International Standard Version
He told them, "Throw the net on the right hand side of the boat, and you'll catchfind
">[fn] some." So they threw it out and were unable to haul it in because it was so full of fish.Luke 5:4,6-7;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
He saith to them, Cast your net on the right side of the vessel, and you shall find. And they cast (it), and could not draw the net for the multitude of fishes which it held.
Murdock Translation
He said to them: Cast your net on the right side of the ship, and ye will find them. And they cast; and they could not draw up the net, because of the multitude of fishes it contained.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he saith vnto them: Cast out the net on the ryght syde of the shippe, and ye shall fynde. They cast out therefore, and anone they were not able to drawe it for the multitude of fisshes.
English Revised Version
And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
World English Bible
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it in for the multitude of fish.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They answered him, No. And he said to them, Cast your net on the right side of the vessel, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.
Weymouth's New Testament
"Throw the net in on the right hand side," He said, "and you will find fish." So they threw the net in, and now they could scarcely drag it along for the quantity of fish.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Putte ye the nett in to the riyt half of the rowing, and ye schulen fynde. And thei puttiden the nett; and thanne thei miyten not drawe it for multitude of fischis.
Update Bible Version
And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fish.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he said to them, Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.
New English Translation
He told them, "Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they threw the net, and were not able to pull it in because of the large number of fish.
New King James Version
And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast, and now they were not able to draw it in because of the multitude of fish.
New Living Translation
Then he said, "Throw out your net on the right-hand side of the boat, and you'll get some!" So they did, and they couldn't haul in the net because there were so many fish in it.
New Life Bible
He said to them, "Put your net over the right side of the boat. Then you will catch some fish." They put out the net. They were not able to pull it in because it was so full of fish.
New Revised Standard
He said to them, "Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, he, said unto them - Cast the net, on the right side of the boat, - and ye shall find. They cast, therefore; and, no longer, were they able, to draw, it, for the multitude of the fishes.
Douay-Rheims Bible
He saith to them: Cast the net on the right side of the ship; and you shall find. They cast therefore: and now they were not able to draw it, for the multitude of fishes.
Revised Standard Version
He said to them, "Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, for the quantity of fish.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he sayde vnto them: cast out ye net on the ryght syde of the ship and ye shall fynde. They cast out and anone they were not able to drawe it for ye multitude of fysshes
Young's Literal Translation
they answered him, `No;' and he said to them, `Cast the net at the right side of the boat, and ye shall find;' they cast, therefore, and no longer were they able to draw it, from the multitude of the fishes.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
He sayde vnto the: Cast out the nett on ye right syde of the shippe, & ye shal fynde. The they cast out, & coulde nomore drawe it for ye multitude of fishes.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they answered him, no. and he said to them, cast the net on the right side of the vessel, and ye shall find. so they cast it, and it was so full of fish they were not able to draw it.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus hollered back, "Cast your net on the right side of the boat and I bet you'll catch something." When they did, their nets started to break because of all the fish.

Contextual Overview

1After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing." The rest of them replied, "We're going with you." They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him. Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?" They answered, "No." He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in. Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!" When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught." Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn't rip. Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." Not one of the disciples dared ask, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master. Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead. After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." He then asked a second time, "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" "Yes, Master, you know I love you." Jesus said, "Shepherd my sheep." Then he said it a third time: "Simon, son of John, do you love me?" Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, "Do you love me?" so he answered, "Master, you know everything there is to know. You've got to know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep. I'm telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you'll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don't want to go." He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, "Follow me." Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, "Master, what's going to happen to him?" Jesus said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you? You—follow me." That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn't die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, "If I want him to live until I come again, what's that to you?" This is the same disciple who was eyewitness to all these things and wrote them down. And we all know that his eyewitness account is reliable and accurate. There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can't imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books. 4Fishing After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed "Twin"), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, "I'm going fishing." The rest of them replied, "We're going with you." They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn't recognize him. 5 Jesus spoke to them: "Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?" They answered, "No." 6 He said, "Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens." They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren't strong enough to pull it in. 7Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It's the Master!" When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren't far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it. 10Jesus said, "Bring some of the fish you've just caught." Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn't rip. 12 Jesus said, "Breakfast is ready." Not one of the disciples dared ask, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Master. 13Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Cast: Matthew 7:27, Luke 5:4-7

They cast: John 2:5, Psalms 8:8, Hebrews 2:6-9

the multitude: Acts 2:41, Acts 4:4

Reciprocal: Habakkuk 1:15 - they catch Malachi 3:10 - that there Luke 5:6 - they enclosed

Cross-References

Genesis 17:17
Abraham fell flat on his face. And then he laughed, thinking, "Can a hundred-year-old man father a son? And can Sarah, at ninety years, have a baby?"
Genesis 21:22
At about that same time, Abimelech and the captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to Abraham: "No matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me that you won't do anything underhanded to me or any of my family. For as long as you live here, swear that you'll treat me and my land as well as I've treated you."
Genesis 21:27
So the two of them made a covenant. Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech. Abraham set aside seven sheep from his flock.
Isaiah 49:15
"Can a mother forget the infant at her breast, walk away from the baby she bore? But even if mothers forget, I'd never forget you—never. Look, I've written your names on the backs of my hands. The walls you're rebuilding are never out of my sight. Your builders are faster than your wreckers. The demolition crews are gone for good. Look up, look around, look well! See them all gathering, coming to you? As sure as I am the living God"— God 's Decree— "you're going to put them on like so much jewelry, you're going to use them to dress up like a bride.
Isaiah 54:1
"Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who've never experienced childbirth! You're ending up with far more children than all those childbearing women." God says so! "Clear lots of ground for your tents! Make your tents large. Spread out! Think big! Use plenty of rope, drive the tent pegs deep. You're going to need lots of elbow room for your growing family. You're going to take over whole nations; you're going to resettle abandoned cities. Don't be afraid—you're not going to be embarrassed. Don't hold back—you're not going to come up short. You'll forget all about the humiliations of your youth, and the indignities of being a widow will fade from memory. For your Maker is your bridegroom, his name, God -of-the-Angel-Armies! Your Redeemer is The Holy of Israel, known as God of the whole earth. You were like an abandoned wife, devastated with grief, and God welcomed you back, Like a woman married young and then left," says your God.
Hebrews 11:11
By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said. That's how it happened that from one man's dead and shriveled loins there are now people numbering into the millions.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he said unto them,.... Willing to make himself known by a miracle, since they knew him not by his person, nor voice:

cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find; that is, a large multitude of fish, as they did. The ship was an emblem of the church in its present afflicted state; the right side of it points to the elect, and where they are to be found in this world; the casting of the net signifies the preaching of the Gospel; the promise of finding fish, the assurance Christ gives of the success of his word, which he owns and blesses for the conversion of elect sinners:

they cast therefore; the net, willing to try what success they might have at the instance of this person, whom they knew not. The Ethiopic version reads the passage thus, "and they said unto him, we have laboured all night, and have found nothing, but at thy word we will let down"; which seems to be taken out of Luke 5:5. However, they obeyed his orders and directions, as the faithful ministers of the Gospel do, and should, and, succeeded.

And now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes. The Syriac adds, "which it held"; being in number, as in John 21:11 an hundred and fifty, and three great fishes; which was an emblem and presage of that large number of souls both among the Jews and Gentiles, which they should be instrumental in bringing to Christ, through the preaching of the Gospel.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

On the right side - Why the right side is mentioned is not known. Grotius supposes that it was the side nearest the shore, where there was less probability of taking fish. It does not appear that they yet recognized the Lord Jesus, but from some cause they had sufficient confidence in him to make another trial. Perhaps they judged that he was one skilled in that employment, and knew where there was the greatest probability of success.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 21:6. And ye shall find. — The AEthiopic, three copies of the Itala, and St. Cyril, add, They said therefore unto him, we have laboured all the night and caught nothing, nevertheless at thy command we will let down the net. This is borrowed from Luke 5:5.

For the multitude of fishes. — This was intended as an emblem of the immense number of souls which should be converted to God by their ministry; according to the promise of Christ, Matthew 4:19.


 
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