Luke 5:2

Luk 5:2. Ἁλεῖς, the fishermen) So they are called, as if being still regarded as strangers to Jesus.—ἀπέπλυναν, washed) inasmuch as their work was done.

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

Luk 5:2 . ἑστῶτα : two boats standing by the lake, not necessarily drawn up on shore, but close to land, so that one on shore could enter them. They had just come in from the fishing, and were without occupants, their owners having come on shore to clean their nets.

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

Verse 2. Two ships] δυο πλοια, Two vessels, It is highly improper to term these ships. They appear to have been only such small boats as are used to manage nets on flat smooth beaches: one end of the net is attached to the shore; the fishermen row out, and drop the net as they go, making a kind of semicircle from the shore; they return, and bring the rope attached to the other end with them, and then the net is hauled on shore; and, as it was sunk with weights to the bottom, and floated with corks at the top, all the fish in that compass were included, and drawn to shore.

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

(2) Two ships.—Better, boats, or little ships, the Greek word being a diminutive, as in Joh_6:23. The narrative implies that they were the boats respectively of Jonas, the father of Peter and Andrew, and of Zebedee.

Washing their nets.—There is a slight, but noticeable variation here, from the “mending their nets” in St. Matthew and St. Mark. The process implied that having fished fruitlessly during the night, they were now giving up the work, and cleaning their nets from weeds, etc., before laying them up. On the assumption that the two narratives refer to the same event, some have seen in the “mending,” a confirmation of the statement in St. Luke that the “nets brake.” The Note on Luk_5:6 will, however, show that is precisely what he does not say.

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

2. ships] Rather, boats (ploiaria).

standing] i. e. lying at anchor.

were washing their nets] If we combine these notices with those in Mar_1:16-20; Mat_4:18-22, we must suppose that during a discourse of Jesus the four disciples were fishing with a drawnet (amphiblestron) not far from the shore, and within hearing of His voice; and that the rest of the incident (here narrated) took place on the morning after. The disciples had spent the night in fruitless labour, and now Peter and Andrew were washing, and James and John mending, their castingnets (diktua), because they felt that it was useless to go on, since night is the best time for fishing.

nets] Here diktua or castingnets (from dikô I throw, funda, jaculum) as in Mat_4:20; Joh_21:6. In Mat_4:18 we have the amphiblestron or drawnet (from amphi and ballo, I throw around); and in Mat_13:47, sagênê, seine or haulingnet (from sattô ‘I load’).

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 saw two ships standing by the lake,.... Or two fishing boats; which were, as the Arabic version renders it, "detained by anchors at the shore of the lake"; the one belonging to Peter and Andrew, and the other to Zebedee, and his two sons, James and John:

but the fishermen were gone out of them; that is, either the above persons, or their servants:

and were washing their nets; on shore; they having gathered a great deal of soil and filthiness, but had caught no fish; and therefore were cleansing their nets, in order to lay them up, finding it to be in vain to make any further attempts with them at present; and which considered, makes the following miracle the more illustrious.

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

2 And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

Ver. 2. Were washing their nets] Though they laboured last night, and had taken nothing. Ferendum et sperandum. Hope beguiles calamity, as good company doth the way.

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 ships - The ships used on so small a lake were probably no more than fishing-boats without decks, and easily drawn up on the beach. Josephus says there were 230 of them on the lake, attended by four or five men each. That they were small is also clear from the account commonly given of them. A single large draught of fishes endangered them and came near sinking them.

Standing by the lake - Anchored by the lake, or drawn up upon the beach.

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

Washing their nets. See St. Matthew iv. 18. and St. Mark i. 16, where it is said, that Christ saw them when they were casting their nets; i.e. some of them were casting, others washing, or mending, their nets. (Witham)

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).

2. Ships—Small fishing smacks, such as plied the waters of this lake. For the full account of Capernaum and Gennesaret see our notes on Mat_4:13, with the map.

Standing by the lake—The word stand might imply that the ships were in the water. But the phrase by the lake implies that they were drawn up out of the water, and were lying upon the dry beach for safety. This shows that they must have been small craft.

Washing their nets—Cleansing the filth of the fish and sea from the threads of the nets. Though the brothers had gone out of their boats they were probably in sight, net washing, as if, their work being done, they were about to depart.

At the present day, no fishermen cast their nets, and no boats cut the waves, of Gennesaret. The wild Bedouin, who loves the desert but detests the water, hovers around its shores. The desolation will rather increase than diminish, until the extending power of Christian Europe can arrive at that locality and destroy the devastators.

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

2. Saw two boats standing. Those of Peter and Andrew, and of James and John. See Matt. 4:18–22, for notes; also Mark 1:16–20.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

2. πλοῖα. אBD. πλοιάρια, ‘little boats.’ AC.

ἔπλυνον. BD. This is a far better reading than the ἀπέπλυναν of Rec[106] The sense requires an imperfect.

[106] Rec. The Textus Receptus.

2. πλοῖα, ‘boats.’

ἑστῶτα, drawn up close to the shore, or lying at anchor.

ἔπλυνον τὰ δίκτυα. They might have been listening to Christ even while they continued their work. If ἔπλυναν be read, the aor. can only be used in an incorrect sense. If we combine these notices with those in Mar 1:16-20; Mat 4:18-22, we must suppose that during a discourse of Jesus the four disciples were fishing with a drawnet (ἀμφίβληστρον) not far from the shore, and within hearing of His voice; and that the rest of the incident (here narrated) took place on the morning after. The disciples had spent the night in fruitless labour, and now Peter and Andrew were washing, and James and John mending, their castingnets (δίκτυα), because they felt that it was useless to go on, since night is the best time for fishing.

δίκτυα. ‘Castingnets’ (from δίκω I throw, funda, jaculum) as in Mat 4:20; Joh 21:6. In Mat 4:18 we have the ἀμφίβληστρον or drawnet (from ἀμφὶ and βάλλω, I throw around); and in Mat 13:47, σαγήνη, seine or haulingnet (from σάττω ‘I load’).

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.

2.] ἔπλυνον, ‘ut peracto opere,’ Bengel: see ver. 5.

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

2. οἱ δὲ ἁλεεῖς “But the sea-folk” (ἅλς) or “fishermen.” It is one of many Homeric words which seem to have gone out of use and then to have reappeared in late Greek. Fishing in the take has now almost ceased. The Arabs dislike the water. The washing of the nets was preparatory to hanging them up to dry. As distinct from νίπτω, which is used of washing part of the human body, and λούω, which is used of washing the whole of it, πλύνω is used of washing inanimate objects (Rev 7:14, 22:14; Gen 49:11; Exo 19:10). In Lev 15:11 all three words are used with exactly this difference of meaning. Trench, Syn. xlv.

τὰ δίκτυα. The most general term for nets of all kinds, of which ἀμφίβληστρον (Mat 4:18) and σαγήνη (Mat 13:47) are special varieties. Trench, Syn. lxiv.; D.B. art. “Net.”

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

Ships [πλοια] . Used of vessels in general. Some texts read ploiapia, a diminutive form, meaning little boats.

Were washing. From the sand and pebbles accumulated during the night 's work. Luke uses four different words for washing or cleansing : plunw, here, see also Rev 7:14; ajpomassw, of wiping the dust from the feet, only at chapter Luk 10:11; ejkmassw, of the woman wiping Christ 's feet with her hair, chapter Luk 7:38, 44; ajpolouw, of washing away sins, Act 22:16; louw, of washing the prisoners ' stripes and the body of Dorcas, Act 16:33; Act 9:37. The reading ajpoplunw is rejected by the best texts, so that ajpomassw is the only one peculiar to Luke. All the words were common in medical language.

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