Bible Strands
Matthew 4:19
“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to Simon (Peter) and Andrew, two brothers casting nets by the Sea of Galilee. It is the moment of their first call, before they have left their trade.
The words — δεῦτε (deute) is a bare imperative, a summons with no condition attached. ὀπίσω (opisō) means "behind" spatially — not "with" but in the trail of someone already moving.
The thread — Mark 1:17 is the direct parallel. Matthew 16:24 returns to the same "follow Me" language later, now paired with self-denial and the cross.
Why it lands — It is not an invitation to add Jesus to an existing life but a command to abandon the current task and redirect the work itself. The promise ("I will make you") is contingent on the prior act of leaving.
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 he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
Cross-references
- Mark 1:17 “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- John 12:26 If anyone serves Me, he must follow Me; and where I am, My servant will be as well. If anyone serves Me, the Father will honor him.
- Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus told His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.
- Luke 9:59 Then He said to another man, “Follow Me.” The man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”
- John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
- Luke 5:27 After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him,
- John 21:22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain until I return, what is that to you? You follow Me!”
- Mark 2:14 As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. “Follow Me,” He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.
- Luke 5:10 and so were his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee. “Do not be afraid,” Jesus said to Simon. “From now on you will catch men.”
- Matthew 19:21 Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me.”