Bible Strands
John 6:17
got into a boat, and started across the sea to Capernaum. It was already dark, and Jesus had not yet gone out to them.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrative records the disciples boarding a vessel and beginning their crossing toward Capernaum at nightfall, while Jesus remains absent from their company. This action follows the evening gathering and immediately precedes the onset of the storm.
The words — The Greek πλοῖον (ploion) identifies the specific craft the disciples enter, and ἤρχοντο (ērchonto) marks their continuous movement across the water. These terms establish the physical departure before the text introduces the wind.
The thread — The destination Capernaum reappears when the crowd later boards vessels to search for Jesus (John 6:24) and aligns with Jesus’ prior command for the disciples to sail to Bethsaida (Mark 6:45). The repeated maritime transit to Capernaum structures the chapter’s geographical progression.
Why it lands — The verse requires the reader to note the disciples’ solitary departure in the dark before Jesus joins them, creating the necessary sequence for the storm account. It demands tracking of chronological and spatial details rather than seeking immediate theological resolution.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And entered into a ship, and went over the sea toward Capernaum. And it was now dark, and Jesus was not come to them.
Cross-references
- Mark 6:45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to Bethsaida, while He dismissed the crowd.
- John 6:24 So when the crowd saw that neither Jesus nor His disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum to look for Him.
- John 2:12 After this, He went down to Capernaum with His mother and brothers and His disciples, and they stayed there a few days.
- John 4:46 So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum.