Luke 5:1

THE MESSAGE

Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
As the crowd was pressing in on Jesus to hear God’s word, he was standing by Lake Gennesaret.

King James Version (1611)
And it came to passe, that as the people preassed vpon him to heare the word of God, hee stood by the lake of Genesareth,

King James Version
And it came to pass, that, as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret,

English Standard Version
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret,

New American Standard Bible
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

New Century Version
One day while Jesus was standing beside Lake Galilee, many people were pressing all around him to hear the word of God.

Amplified Bible
Now it happened that while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret (Sea of Galilee), with the people crowding all around Him and listening to the word of God;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

Legacy Standard Bible
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around Him and listening to the word of God, He was standing at the edge of the lake of Gennesaret;

Berean Standard Bible
On one occasion, while Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret with the crowd pressing in on Him to hear the word of God,

Contemporary English Version
Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, teaching the people as they crowded around him to hear God's message.

Complete Jewish Bible
One day, as Yeshua was standing on the shore of Lake Kinneret, with the people pressing in around him in order to hear the word of God,

Darby Translation
And it came to pass, as the crowd pressed on him to hear the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret:

Easy-to-Read Version
As Jesus stood beside Lake Galilee, a crowd of people pushed to get closer to him and to hear the teachings of God.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then it came to passe, as the people preassed vpon him to heare the word of God, that he stoode by the lake of Gennesaret,

George Lamsa Translation
IT came to pass when the people gath ered around him to hear the word of God, he stood on the shore of the lake of Gennesaret.

Good News Translation
One day Jesus was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret while the people pushed their way up to him to listen to the word of God.

Lexham English Bible
Now it happened that while the crowd was pressing around him and hearing the word of God, he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret,

Literal Translation
And it happened that the crowd was pressing on Him to hear the Word of God. And He was standing by Lake Gennesaret.

American Standard Version
Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

Bible in Basic English
Now it came about that while the people came pushing to be near him, and to have knowledge of the word of God, he was by a wide stretch of water named Gennesaret;

Hebrew Names Version
Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Ginosar.

International Standard Version
One day as the crowd was pressing in on him to listen to God's word, Jesushe">[fn] was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
AND it was while the assembly gathered upon him to hear the word of Aloha, he stood upon the bank of the sea of Genesar;

Murdock Translation
And it occurred, that a multitude gathered about him, to hear the word of God. And he was standing by the side of the sea of Gennesaret,

Bishop's Bible (1568)
It came to passe, that when ye people preassed vpon hym, to heare the worde of God, he stoode by the lake of Genezareth,

English Revised Version
Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

World English Bible
Now it happened, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And as the multitude pressed on him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesareth,

Weymouth's New Testament
On one occasion the crowd was pressing on Him and listening to God's Message, while He was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it was don, whanne the puple cam fast to Jhesu, to here the word of God, he stood bisidis the pool of Genasereth,

Update Bible Version
Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed on him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

Webster's Bible Translation
And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Gennesaret.

New English Translation
Now Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing around him to hear the word of God.

New King James Version
Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20">[xr] So it was, as the multitude pressed about Him to hear the word of God, that He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret,

New Living Translation
One day as Jesus was preaching on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, great crowds pressed in on him to listen to the word of God.

New Life Bible
While Jesus was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, many people pushed to get near Him. They wanted to hear the Word of God.

New Revised Standard
Once while Jesus was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret, and the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And it came to pass, while the multitude was pressing upon him, and was hearing the word of God, that, he, was standing near the lake of Gennesaret;

Douay-Rheims Bible
And it came to pass, that when the multitudes pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he stood by the lake of Genesareth,

Revised Standard Version
While the people pressed upon him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennes'aret.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
It came to passe as the people preased vpon him to heare the worde of God that he stoode by the lake of Genezareth:

Young's Literal Translation
And it came to pass, in the multitude pressing on him to hear the word of God, that he was standing beside the lake of Gennesaret,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
It came to passe, yt the people preassed vpon him to heare the worde of God, and he stode by the lake of Genazereth,

Mace New Testament (1729)
One day, as the people press'd after him to hear his divine preaching, he came near the lake of Gennesereth,

Simplified Cowboy Version
One day while Jesus was giving a clinic on the bank of the Sea of Galilee, there were so many people that they were crowding in on him.

Contextual Overview

¹Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. ⁴ When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch." ⁵Simon said, "Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets." It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch. ⁸Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. "Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself." When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee's sons, coworkers with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women." They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him. One day in one of the villages there was a man covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus he fell down before him in prayer and said, "If you want to, you can cleanse me." Jesus put out his hand, touched him, and said, "I want to. Be clean." Then and there his skin was smooth, the leprosy gone. Jesus instructed him, "Don't talk about this all over town. Just quietly present your healed self to the priest, along with the offering ordered by Moses. Your cleansed and obedient life, not your words, will bear witness to what I have done." But the man couldn't keep it to himself, and the word got out. Soon a large crowd of people had gathered to listen and be healed of their ailments. As often as possible Jesus withdrew to out-of-the-way places for prayer. One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him. Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins." That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. "Who does he think he is? That's blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins." Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, "Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,' or to say ‘Get up and start walking'? Well, just so it's clear that I'm the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both...." He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: "Get up. Take your bedroll and go home." Without a moment's hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, "We've never seen anything like that!" After this he went out and saw a man named Levi at his work collecting taxes. Jesus said, "Come along with me." And he did—walked away from everything and went with him. Levi gave a large dinner at his home for Jesus. Everybody was there, tax men and other disreputable characters as guests at the dinner. The Pharisees and their religion scholars came to his disciples greatly offended. "What is he doing eating and drinking with crooks and ‘sinners'?" Jesus heard about it and spoke up, "Who needs a doctor: the healthy or the sick? I'm here inviting outsiders, not insiders—an invitation to a changed life, changed inside and out." They asked him, "John's disciples are well-known for keeping fasts and saying prayers. Also the Pharisees. But you seem to spend most of your time at parties. Why?" Jesus said, "When you're celebrating a wedding, you don't skimp on the cake and wine. You feast. Later you may need to pull in your belt, but this isn't the time. As long as the bride and groom are with you, you have a good time. When the groom is gone, the fasting can begin. No one throws cold water on a friendly bonfire. This is Kingdom Come! "No one cuts up a fine silk scarf to patch old work clothes; you want fabrics that match. And you don't put wine in old, cracked bottles; you get strong, clean bottles for your fresh vintage wine. And no one who has ever tasted fine aged wine prefers unaged wine." ¹¹Push Out into Deep Water Once when he was standing on the shore of Lake Gennesaret, the crowd was pushing in on him to better hear the Word of God. He noticed two boats tied up. The fishermen had just left them and were out scrubbing their nets. He climbed into the boat that was Simon's and asked him to put out a little from the shore. Sitting there, using the boat for a pulpit, he taught the crowd. When he finished teaching, he said to Simon, "Push out into deep water and let your nets out for a catch." Simon said, "Master, we've been fishing hard all night and haven't caught even a minnow. But if you say so, I'll let out the nets." It was no sooner said than done—a huge haul of fish, straining the nets past capacity. They waved to their partners in the other boat to come help them. They filled both boats, nearly swamping them with the catch. Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell to his knees before Jesus. "Master, leave. I'm a sinner and can't handle this holiness. Leave me to myself." When they pulled in that catch of fish, awe overwhelmed Simon and everyone with him. It was the same with James and John, Zebedee's sons, coworkers with Simon. Jesus said to Simon, "There is nothing to fear. From now on you'll be fishing for men and women." They pulled their boats up on the beach, left them, nets and all, and followed him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

it: Luke 8:45, Luke 12:1, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 11:12, Mark 1:16-20, Mark 3:9, Mark 5:24

the lake: Numbers 34:11, Chinnereth, Joshua 12:3, Chinneroth, Matthew 14:34, Mark 6:53

Reciprocal: Joshua 11:2 - General Joshua 13:27 - Chinnereth Ezekiel 39:11 - on the east Matthew 15:29 - unto Mark 4:1 - so that Luke 8:40 - the people John 6:1 - the sea John 10:41 - many 1 Thessalonians 2:13 - the word of God

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 10:1
This is the family tree of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. After the flood, they themselves had sons.

1 Chronicles 1:1
Adam Seth Enosh Kenan Mahalalel Jared Enoch Methuselah Lamech Noah Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Ecclesiastes 12:1
Honor and enjoy your Creator while you're still young, Before the years take their toll and your vigor wanes, Before your vision dims and the world blurs And the winter years keep you close to the fire.

Matthew 1:1
The family tree of Jesus Christ, David's son, Abraham's son:

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And it came to pass, that as the people pressed upon him,.... As Christ went through Galilee, and preached in the synagogues there, great crowds of people attended on him, and they followed him wherever he went; and so large were their numbers, and so very eager were they to see him, and hear him, that they were even troublesome to him, and bore hard upon him, and were ready to press him down, though they had no ill design upon him, but only

to hear the word of God; the scriptures of the Old Testament explained, and the doctrines of the Gospel preached; and which were preached by him, as never were before or since, and in such a manner as were not by the Scribes and Pharisees; and both the matter and manner of his ministry drew a vast concourse of people after him:

he stood by the lake of Gennesaret; the same with the sea of Chinnereth, Numbers 34:11 where the Targums of Onkelos, Jonathan, and the Jerusalem, call it, ימא דגנוסר, "the sea of Geausar" or "Gennesaret": and so it is elsewhere called a, and is the same which is called the sea of Galilee, and of Tiberias, John 6:1 and is, by other writers b, as here, called the lake of Gennesaret, and said to be sixteen miles long, and six broad. Josephus says c, it is forty furlongs broad, and an hundred long. The Jews say d, that

"the holy, blessed God created seven seas, but chose none of them all, but the sea of Gennesaret.''

And indeed, it was a place chosen by Christ, and honoured, and made famous by him, by his preaching at it, his miracles upon it, and showing himself there after his resurrection.

a Targum in Ezek. xxxix. 11. Zohar in Gen. fol. 3. 2. & 17. 2. & in Exod. fol. 52. 4. & 61. 4. b Plin. l. 5. c. 15. Solin, c. 48. Ptolom. l. 5. c. 15. c De Bello Jud. l. 3. c. 18. d Pirke Eliezer, c. 18.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The people pressed upon his - Multitudes came to hear. There were times in the life of our Saviour when thousands were anxious to hear him, and when many, as we have no reason to doubt, became his true followers. Indeed, it is not possible to tell what “might” have been his success, had not the Pharisees and scribes, and those who were in office, opposed him, and taken measures to draw the people away from his ministry; “for the common people heard him gladly,” Mark 12:37.

The Lake of Gennesaret - Called also the Sea of Galilee and the Sea of Tiberias. “Gennesaret was the more ancient name of the lake, taken from a small territory or plain of that name on its western borders. See Numbers 34:11; Joshua 19:35, where, after the Hebrew orthography, it is called Chinnereth” (Owen). The plain lying between Capernaum and Tiberias is said by Dr. Thomson (“The Land and the Book,” vol. i. p. 536) to be a little longer than thirty, and not quite twenty furlongs in breadth. It is described by Josephus as being, in his time, universally fertile. “Its nature is wonderful as well as its beauty. Its soil is so fruitful that all sorts of trees can grow upon it, and the inhabitants accordingly plant all sorts of trees there; for the temperature of the air is so well mixed that it agrees very well with those several sorts; particularly walnuts, which require the coldest air, flourish there in vast plenty. One may call this the ambition of nature, where it forces those plants which are naturally enemies to one another to agree together. It is a happy conjunction of the seasons, as if every one laid claim to this country; for it not only nourishes different sorts of autumnal fruits beyond people’s expectations, but preserves them a great while. It supplies people with the principal fruits; with grapes and figs continually during ten months of the year, and the rest of the fruits, as they become ripe, through the whole year; for, besides the good temperature of the air, it is also watered from a most fertile fountain.”

Dr. Thomson describes it now as “preeminently fruitful in thorns.” This was the region of the early toils of our Redeemer. Here he performed some of his first and most amazing miracles; here he selected his disciples; and here, on the shores of this little and retired lake, among people of poverty and inured to the privations of fishermen, he laid the foundation of a religion which is yet to spread through all the world, and which has already blessed millions of guilty and miserable people, and translated them to heaven.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

CHAPTER V.

The miraculous draught of fishes at the lake of Gennesaret,

1-11.

Christ heals a leper, 12-14.

His fame being published abroad, he withdraws to the desert,

15, 16.

He heals a paralytic person, at which the scribes and Pharisees

murmur, but the people glorify God, 17-26.

He calls the publican Levi, who makes a feast for Christ, to

which he invites a great number of publicans and others, at

which the scribes and Pharisees murmur, and our Lord vindicates

his conduct, 27-32.

The question about fasting answered, 33-35.

The parable of the new piece of cloth put on the old garment,

and the new wine in old bottles, 36-39.

NOTES ON CHAP. V.

Verse Luke 5:1. The people pressed upon him — There was a glorious prospect of a plentiful harvest, but how few of these blades came to full corn in the ear! To hear with diligence and affection is well; but a preacher of the Gospel may expect that, out of crowds of hearers, only a few, comparatively, will fully receive the truth, and hold out to the end.

To hear the word of God — Του λογον του Θεου, The doctrine of God, or, the heavenly doctrine.

The lake of Gennesaret — Called also the sea of Galilee, Matthew 4:18, and Mark 1:16; and the sea of Tiberias, John 6:1. It was, according to Josephus, forty furlongs in breadth, and one hundred and forty in length. No synagogue could have contained the multitudes who attended our Lord's ministry; and therefore he was obliged to preach in the open air. But this also some of the most eminent rabbins were in the habit of doing; though among some of their brethren it was not deemed reputable.