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Selected Verse: John 21:11 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Joh 21:11	Strong Concordance	Simon [4613] Peter [4074] went up [305], and [2532] drew [1670] the net [1350] to [1909] land [1093] full [3324] of great [3173] fishes [2486], an hundred [1540] and fifty [4004] and three [5140]: and [2532] for all there were so many [5118], yet was [5607] not [3756] the net [1350] broken [4977].
	King James	Simon Peter went up, and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Peter went up--into the boat; went aboard. and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken--The manifest reference here to the former miraculous draught (Luk 5:1-11) furnishes the key to this scene. There the draught was symbolical of the success of their future ministry: While "Peter and all that were with him were astonished at the draught of the fishes which they had taken, Jesus said unto him, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men." Nay, when first called, in the act of "casting their net into the sea, for they were fishers," the same symbolic reference was made to their secular occupation: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mat 4:18-19). Here, then, if but the same symbolic reference be kept in view, the design of the whole scene will, we think, be clear. The multitude and the size of the fishes they caught symbolically foreshadowed the vast success of their now fast approaching ministry, and this only as a beginning of successive draughts, through the agency of a Christian ministry, till, "as the waters cover the sea, the earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord." And whereas, at the first miraculous draught, the net "was breaking" through the weight of what it contained--expressive of the difficulty with which, after they had 'caught men,' they would be able to retain, or keep them from escaping back into the world--while here, "for all they were so many, yet was not the net broken," are we not reminded of such sayings as these (Joh 10:28): "I give unto My sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand" [LUTHARDT]? But it is not through the agency of a Christian ministry that all true disciples are gathered. Jesus Himself, by unseen methods, gathers some, who afterwards are recognized by the constituted fishers of men, and mingle with the fruit of their labors. And are not these symbolized by that portion of our Galilean repast which the fishers found, in some unseen way, made ready to their hand?

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Peter went up--into the boat; went aboard.

and drew the net to land full of great fishes, an hundred and fifty and three; and for all there were so many, yet was not the net broken--The manifest reference here to the former miraculous draught (Luk 5:1-11) furnishes the key to this scene. There the draught was symbolical of the success of their future ministry: While "Peter and all that were with him were astonished at the draught of the fishes which they had taken, Jesus said unto him, Fear not, from henceforth thou shalt catch men." Nay, when first called, in the act of "casting their net into the sea, for they were fishers," the same symbolic reference was made to their secular occupation: "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men" (Mat 4:18-19). Here, then, if but the same symbolic reference be kept in view, the design of the whole scene will, we think, be clear. The multitude and the size of the fishes they caught symbolically foreshadowed the vast success of their now fast approaching ministry, and this only as a beginning of successive draughts, through the agency of a Christian ministry, till, "as the waters cover the sea, the earth should be full of the knowledge of the Lord." And whereas, at the first miraculous draught, the net "was breaking" through the weight of what it contained--expressive of the difficulty with which, after they had 'caught men,' they would be able to retain, or keep them from escaping back into the world--while here, "for all they were so many, yet was not the net broken," are we not reminded of such sayings as these (Joh 10:28): "I give unto My sheep eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of My hand" [LUTHARDT]? But it is not through the agency of a Christian ministry that all true disciples are gathered. Jesus Himself, by unseen methods, gathers some, who afterwards are recognized by the constituted fishers of men, and mingle with the fruit of their labors. And are not these symbolized by that portion of our Galilean repast which the fishers found, in some unseen way, made ready to their hand?

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
An hundred and fifty and three - The number is mentioned because it seems to have been a very unusual draught, and it was particularly gratifying and striking to them after they had spent the whole night and had caught nothing. This convinced them that it was no other than the same Saviour who had so often worked wonders before them that was now with them.

The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917]
was not Contrast (Luk 5:6).

Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886]
Went up Into the vessel. To land (ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς) Strictly, upon the land. Great fishes All authorities agree as to the abundance of fish in the Lake of Galilee. M. Lortet, cited by Dr. Thomson, says that two castings of the net usually filled his boat. Bethsaida (there were two places of that name on the lake) means House of the Fisheries. The fame of the lake in this particular reached back to very early times; so that, according to the Rabbinical legend, one of the ten fundamental laws laid down by Joshua on the division of the country was, that any one might fish with a hook in the Lake of Galilee, so that they did not interfere with the free passage of boats. The Talmud names certain kinds of fish which might be eaten without being cooked, and designates them as small fishes. So ὀψάρια is rendered in Joh 6:9. Possibly the expression great fishes may imply a contrast with the small fishes which swarmed in the lake, and the salting and pickling of which was a special industry among its fishermen.

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²⁸ And I [2504] give [1325] unto them [846] eternal [166] life [2222]; and [2532] they shall [622] never [3364] [1519] [165] perish [622], neither [2532] [3756] shall [726] any [5100] man pluck [726] them [846] out of [1537] my [3450] hand [5495].

¹⁸ And [1161] Jesus [2424], walking [4043] by [3844] the sea [2281] of Galilee [1056], saw [1492] two [1417] brethren [80], Simon [4613] called [3004] Peter [4074], and [2532] Andrew [406] his [846] brother [80], casting [906] a net [293] into [1519] the sea [2281]: for [1063] they were [2258] fishers [231].
¹⁹ And [2532] he saith [3004] unto them [846], Follow [1205] [3694] me [3450], and [2532] I will make [4160] you [5209] fishers [231] of men [444].

¹ And [1161] it came to pass [1096], that, as [1722] the people [3793] pressed upon [1945] him [846] to hear [191] the word [3056] of God [2316], [2532] he [846] stood [2258] [2476] by [3844] the lake [3041] of Gennesaret [1082],
² And [2532] saw [1492] two [1417] ships [4143] standing [2476] by [3844] the lake [3041]: but [1161] the fishermen [231] were gone [576] out of [575] them [846], and were washing [637] their nets [1350].
³ And [1161] he entered [1684] into [1519] one [1520] of the ships [4143], which [3739] was [2258] Simon's [4613], and prayed [2065] him [846] that he would thrust out [1877] a little [3641] from [575] the land [1093]. And [2532] he sat down [2523], and taught [1321] the people [3793] out of [1537] the ship [4143].
⁴ Now [1161] when [5613] he had left [3973] speaking [2980], he said [2036] unto [4314] Simon [4613], Launch out [1877] into [1519] the deep [899], and [2532] let down [5465] your [5216] nets [1350] for [1519] a draught [61].
⁵ And [2532] Simon [4613] answering [611] said [2036] unto him [846], Master [1988], we have toiled [2872] all [3650] [1223] the night [3571], and have taken [2983] nothing [3762]: nevertheless [1161] at [1909] thy [4675] word [4487] I will let down [5465] the net [1350].
⁶ And [2532] when they had [4160] this [5124] done [4160], they inclosed [4788] a great [4183] multitude [4128] of fishes [2486]: and [1161] their [846] net [1350] brake [1284].
⁷ And [2532] they beckoned [2656] unto their partners [3353], which [3588] were in [1722] the other [2087] ship [4143], that they should come [2064] and help [4815] them [846]. And [2532] they came [2064], and [2532] filled [4130] both [297] the ships [4143], so [5620] that they [846] began to sink [1036].
⁸ When [1161] Simon [4613] Peter [4074] saw [1492] it, he fell down at [4363] Jesus [2424]' knees [1119], saying [3004], Depart [1831] from [575] me [1700]; for [3754] I am [1510] a sinful [268] man [435], O Lord [2962].
⁹ For [1063] he [846] was astonished [4023] [2285], and [2532] all [3956] that were [4862] with him [846], at [1909] the draught [61] of the fishes [2486] which [3739] they had taken [4815]:
¹⁰ And [1161] so [3668] was also [2532] James [2385], and [2532] John [2491], the sons [5207] of Zebedee [2199], which [3739] were [2258] partners [2844] with Simon [4613]. And [2532] Jesus [2424] said [2036] unto [4314] Simon [4613], Fear [5399] not [3361]; from [575] henceforth [3568] thou shalt [2071] catch [2221] men [444].
¹¹ And [2532] when they had brought [2609] their ships [4143] to [1909] land [1093], they forsook [863] all [537], and followed [190] him [846].

⁶ And [2532] when they had [4160] this [5124] done [4160], they inclosed [4788] a great [4183] multitude [4128] of fishes [2486]: and [1161] their [846] net [1350] brake [1284].

⁹ There is [2076] a [1520] lad [3808] here [5602], which [3739] hath [2192] five [4002] barley [2916] loaves [740], and [2532] two [1417] small fishes [3795]: but [235] what [5101] are [2076] they [5023] among [1519] so many [5118]?