Bible Strands
Luke 5:6
When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to tear.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator records the immediate result of the disciples obeying Jesus’ command to let down their nets after a fruitless night. The event occurs on the Sea of Galilee as the fishermen execute the instruction.
The words — The Greek συνὲκλεισαν (sunekleisan) translates literally to “they enclosed,” describing the fish being trapped in the nets. The phrase διερρὴσσετο (dierrēseto) means “were breaking,” indicating the physical strain of the catch.
The thread — This pattern of miraculous abundance following obedience appears in John 21:6, where Jesus directs the disciples to cast the net on the right side, and in 2 Kings 4:3, where Elisha instructs a widow to gather many empty jars. The result mirrors the overflow described in Luke 5:7, where both boats fill until they begin to sink.
Why it lands — The text states that obedience to a spoken command produces a catch that physically destroys the fishing equipment. It requires the reader to accept that divine instruction overrides prior experience and exhausts human capacity.
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 when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.
Cross-references
- John 21:6 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.
- 1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast and immovable. Always excel in the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
- 2 Kings 4:3 “Go,” said Elisha, “borrow empty jars from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few.
- Ecclesiastes 11:6 Sow your seed in the morning, and do not rest your hands in the evening, for you do not know which will succeed, whether this or that, or if both will equally prosper.
- Galatians 6:9 Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
- Acts 2:41 Those who embraced his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to the believers that day.
- Acts 4:4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.