John 21:8

Joh 21:8. Γὰρ, for) These latter also (as well as Peter) were able to come quickly.—τὸ δίκτυον, the net) which had been left by Peter.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh_21:8-9. Τῷ πλοιαρ.] in the little boat, on board of which they remained; local dative. Comp. Herod. v. 99: ἀπικέατο εἴκοσι νηυσί. See generally Becker, Homer. Blätter, p. 208 f.

The γάρ in the parenthesis states the reason why they did not quit the vessel; they could in this way also quickly enough reach the shore, which was very near (200 cubits = ½ stadium 300 feet, see Wurm, de ponder, etc., p. 195; Hermann, Privatalterth. § 46. 7).

On the form τηχῶν instead of the Attic πηχέων, see Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 245 f. On ἀπό, see on Joh_11:18.

τὸ δίκτυον τῶν ἰχθ.] the net, which was filled with the fishes (Joh_21:6). Comp. on this genit., Nägelsbach, z. Ilias, p. 31, ed. 3.

Joh_21:6. βλέπουσιν, κ.τ.λ.] John relates simply what they saw on landing, namely, a fire of coals lying there, and food lying thereon (i.e. a mess of fish, see on Joh_7:9; the singul. not of a single fish, as Beza, Hengstenberg, Godet, and others think, but collectively, as also ἄρτον, comp. Polyb. xxxiv. 8. 6 : τὸ θαλάττιον ὄψον), and bread. That this preparation for the breakfast to be given was made by Jesus, would be understood by the reader as matter of course (see Joh_21:12-13). But how He brought together the materials, and who kindled the fire, cannot be determined; He might, before He called to the disciples, have Himself, or by other hands, made the preparations. Hence the narrative yields no miracle (bringing forth out of nothing, thought Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euth. Zigabenus, Grotius, Calovius, Maldonatus, and several others; but Nicephorus, Jansen, Luthardt: the angels had provided Him therewith; finally, Hengstenberg, Godet: without more precise definition of the marvellous How), nor even the appearance of such (Lücke). But wherefore did Jesus make this preparation? Because the disciples were to eat with Him the early meal, with which He designed to connect so significant a transaction as that related in Joh_21:15 ff.; He willed to be the giver of the meal. Much that is irrelevant in the older expositors. According to Luthardt, the design is to depict how Jesus, without requiring their aid, knows how to feed the disciples from His own resources. But to what purpose any such further representation, since He had long ago miraculously fed thousands before the eyes of the disciples?

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 21:8 . The rest came in the little boat, οὐ γὰρ ἦσαν … ἰχθύων . Bengel correctly explains the γάρ , “Celeriter hi quoque venire poterant”. They were not far from the land, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀπὸ πηχῶν διακοσίων , “about one hundred yards”. πηχῶν , says Phrynichus, is δεινῶς ἀνάττικον ; we must use the form πηχέων . Observe the unconscious exactness of the eye-witness. For the Hellenistic construction with ἀπό . cf. Joh 11:18 . The others came σύροντες … ἰχθύων , “hauling the net of the fishes,” or “netful of the fishes”; genitive of contents, like δέπας οἴνου , a cup of wine. It is needless, with Lücke, to complete the construction with μεστόν , cf. Joh 21:11 .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

the other disciples came in a little ship--by ship.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. Dragging the net] It is probable that this was that species of fishing in which the net was stretched from the shore out into the sea; the persons who were in the boat, and who shot the net, fetched a compass, and bringing in a hawser, which was attached to the other end of the net, those who were on shore helped them to drag it in. As the net was sunk with weights to the bottom, and the top floated on the water by corks, or pieces of light wood, all the fish that happened to come within the compass of the net were of course dragged to shore. The sovereign power of Christ had in this case miraculously collected the fish to that part where he ordered the disciples to cast the net.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) And the other disciples came in a little ship.—Better. . . . in the boat. The two words “ship” and “boat” (πλοῖον and πλοιάριον) are interchanged here, as in Joh_6:17 et seq.

For they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits.—That is, about 100 English yards. The shortness of the distance explains how they were able to drag the net in tow. The Greek preposition used with “cubits” (literally, “two hundred cubits off”) is used of distance only by St. John (Joh_11:18 and Rev_14:20).

Dragging the net with fishes.—Comp. Note on Joh_21:6. The Greek is more exactly,. . . . with the (literally, of the) fishes—i.e., those with which the net had been filled (Joh_21:6).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. in a little ship] Rather, in the boat, whether ‘the ship’ of Joh_21:3 or a smaller boat attached to it, we cannot determine.

two hundred cubits] About 100 yards.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the other disciples came in a little ship,.... The same that they were fishing in, in which they came to Christ as soon as they could, not choosing to expose themselves, as Peter did; nor was it proper that they should leave the ship, and, as it was, might have hands few enough to bring ship and net, so full of fish, safe to shore; and the rather, they did not think fit to do as he did,

for they were not far from land, but, as it were, two hundred cubits; which was about an hundred yards:

dragging the net with fishes: towing the net full of fishes all along in the water, till they came to land; an emblem of laborious Gospel ministers, who being once embarked in the work of the ministry, continue in it to the end, notwithstanding all toil, labour, and difficulties that attend them; and will at last bring the souls with them they have been made useful to, with great satisfaction and joy, to their dear Lord and master.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

8 And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

Ver. 8. And the other disciples came, &c.] They came all to Christ, but Peter sooner; he cast away all care of his fish, having the Lord to go to. It is best to be first and forwardest in a good matter; not only to make a shift to get to heaven, but to have an abundant entrance thereinto, to come bravely into the haven, by adding one grace to another, as Peter hath it, 2Pe 1:2; 2Pe 1:11. It is a low and unworthy strain in some (saith one) to labour after no more grace than will keep life and soul together, that is, soul and hell asunder. But that man for heaven, and heaven for him, that sets up for his mark, "the resurrection of the dead," Php 3:11, that is, by a metonymy of the subject for the adjunct, that perfection of holiness that accompanieth the state of the resurrection. Paul was Insatiabilis Dei cultor, insatiable worrshipper of God, saith Chrysostom.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Two hundred cubits - About 350 feet, or a little more than 20 rods.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The evangelist praises Peter, and excuses the other apostles: all come to Christ; the former leaving his boat, his companions, his nets and prey, arrives more expeditiously; the latter with the impediments of the boat and nets, &c. &c. arrive also, but not so readily; a just figure this of religious, who leave all to go directly to God, and of those who remain in the world, and have to navigate a treacherous element with imminent danger of shipwreck. (Maldonatus) --- The poet Sedulius writes thus on the nets: Pendula fluctivagam traxerunt retia prædam,

Per typicam noscenda viam; nam retia dignis

Lucida sunt præcepta Dei, quibus omnis in illa

Dextra parte manens concluditur, ac simul ulnis

Fertur apostolicis Domini ad vestigia Christi.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The other disciples came in a little fishing boat, dragging the net with fishes; probably, because it was too heavy to be lifted up into the boat.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Came in a little ship—The little ship or lake-boat in which they were fishing. See note on Luk_5:2. Peter swam and they navigated to the shore.

Two hundred cubits—But a hundred and thirty-two yards.

Dragging the net with fishes—The net was doubtless of that kind which, with the first end attached to the boat, extended in a large circuit into the sea, and coming round, is fastened by the other end to the shore. As the approaches the shore the circle of the net narrows, and the enclosed fish are gradually brought to the shore. The net is sunk at the lower edge by weights, and sustained at the upper edge by corks, so as to form a perpendicular net-work for the fish encompassed by it.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But the other disciples came in the little boat. Either what was first described as to ploion is now more minutely described as ploiarion , "the (same) little boat," or else they had transferred themselves from the more cumbrous fishing-smack to the smaller craft which was tethered to the larger one. The reason why the other disciples came in the boat is given in the parenthesis: (for they were not far from the land, but as it were two hundred cubits off); i.e. about three hundred feet, half a stadium, a hundred yards. Apo to denote distance from, is used in this Gospel (see note, Joh_11:18) and the Revelation. (Rev_14:20) The disciples came in the boat over this distance, dragging the net (full) of fishes. The net was not broken, though filled. They did not further attempt to lift it; they hauled it to the shore as it was. Strauss, who tries to show that we have a glorifying myth framed out of an amalgam of the narratives of the first miraculous draught and that of Peter walking on the water, is singularly unfortunate; for there is less of the supernatural in the story than in either of the two narratives to which he refers.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. τ. πλοιαρίῳ. In the boat, or by means of the boat. As in Joh 6:17-24, πλοῖον and πλοιάριον are both used; we are not sure whether with or without a difference of meaning. This mixture of the two words is not found in the Synoptists: excepting Mar 3:9, πλοιάριον is peculiar to S. John [13]. Ἀπό, in measuring distance, occurs only in S. John’s writings (Joh 11:18; Rev 14:20) [14]: 200 cubits would be about 100 yards.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8.] 200 cubits = 100 yards. The lake was about five miles broad—Jos. B. J. iii. 10. 7: according to Stanley (Sinai and Palestine, p. 369), six in the widest part: according to Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, p. 400) nine.

ὡς ἀπό] See reff.: a mode of speech peculiar to John.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. The other disciples wished to get to shore as soon as they could, and to bring their catch with them; but the big fishing boat (τὸ πλοῖον, v. 3) could not come closer in the shallow water, so they came (there were only six of them) in the dinghy (τὸ πλοιάριον, cf. 6:22 and the note there), the distance being only about 100 yards.

ἀπὸ πηχῶν διακοσίων, “200 cubits off.” For this constr. of ἀπό see on 11:18. πήχεων is contracted into πηχῶν as in Eze 40:7, Eze 41:21, Rev 21:17, etc.

σύροντες τὸ δίκτυον κτλ., “towing the net full of fishes,” i.e. having attached the ropes of the net to the dinghy. σύρειν does not occur again in Jn.; it is used, as here, of dragging towards one a net full of fish by Plutarch, de sollertia animalium c. 26.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A little ship [τω πλοιαριω] . The noun is diminutive. Rev., the little boat. It is hardly probable that this refers to a smaller boat accompanying the vessel. Compare the alternation of ploion and ploiarion in Joh 6:17, 19, 21, 22, 24.

Two hundred cubits. A little over a hundred yards.

With fishes [των ιχθυων] . Or, the net of the fishes. So Wyc, Rev., full of fishes.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.