John 21

After this, Jesus showed himself again to his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias. This is how it happened.

1After these things Jesus shewed himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and on this wise shewed he himself.

Note"The sea of Tiberias" is another name for the Sea of Galilee, an inland freshwater lake about thirteen miles long. The town of Tiberias on its western shore was built by Herod Antipas and named after the emperor Tiberius, and the lake took the name from the town. John is the only Gospel writer who calls it this.

2Simon Peter was there, along with Thomas (who was called Didymus, meaning Twin), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two other disciples of Jesus.

2There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples.

Note"Didymus" is simply the Greek word for twin, used as a nickname alongside the Aramaic name Thomas, which means the same thing. "The sons of Zebedee" are James and John, fishing partners of Peter in the other Gospels. Two of the seven men present are never named.

3Simon Peter said to them, "I am going fishing." They said, "We will come with you." So they went out and got into the boat right away, but that night they caught nothing.

3Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately; and that night they caught nothing.

NoteThe KJV "ship" means a small open fishing boat, not an ocean vessel. Fishing at night with nets was the normal practice on this lake, since the fish could not see the net in the dark.

4Early in the morning Jesus was standing on the shore, but the disciples did not recognize him.

4But when the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore: but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.

5Jesus called out to them, "Children, do you have any fish to eat?" They answered, "No."

5Then Jesus saith unto them, Children, have ye any meat? They answered him, No.

NoteIn 1611 "meat" meant food of any kind, not flesh in particular. The Greek word here is narrower still: it means the thing eaten alongside bread, which on that lake meant fish. Jesus is asking whether they have caught anything. "Children" renders a familiar, almost affectionate form of address an older man might use to younger ones, closer to "lads" than to a statement about age.

6He said to them, "Throw the net out on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." So they threw it out, and now they could not pull it back in because there were so many fish.

6And he said unto them, Cast the net on the right side of the ship, and ye shall find. They cast therefore, and now they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.

7Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he wrapped his fisherman's coat around himself, because he had nothing on, and jumped into the water.

7Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.

NoteThe "fisher's coat" is an outer garment. The KJV's "for he was naked" translates a Greek word that can mean fully unclothed but very often means stripped down to a working undergarment, the way a man dresses for heavy labor. Peter puts the outer garment on before entering the water, which reads oddly to us; greeting someone of standing while stripped for work was the greater impropriety.

8The other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, because they were not far from land, only about a hundred yards away.

8And the other disciples came in a little ship; (for they were not far from land, but as it were two hundred cubits,) dragging the net with fishes.

NoteA cubit was roughly eighteen inches, about the length of a forearm, so two hundred cubits is about a hundred yards or ninety meters.

9When they came ashore, they saw a charcoal fire burning there, with fish on it, and some bread.

9As soon then as they were come to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.

Note"A fire of coals" is a charcoal fire. The Greek word is unusual and appears only twice in the whole New Testament: here, and at the fire in the high priest's courtyard where Peter denied knowing Jesus.

10Jesus said to them, "Bring some of the fish you have just caught."

10Jesus saith unto them, Bring of the fish which ye have now caught.

11So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, one hundred fifty-three of them. Even with that many, the net was not torn.

11Simon 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.

NoteThe precise count of one hundred fifty-three has attracted explanations since at least the third century: the supposed number of known kinds of fish, a triangular number, a numerical value of certain Hebrew names. None has ever won general agreement, and the text itself offers no explanation. It may simply record what fishermen always do with a large catch, which is count it.

12Jesus said to them, "Come and eat." None of the disciples dared to ask him, "Who are you?" They knew it was the Lord.

12Jesus saith unto them, Come and dine. And none of the disciples durst ask him, Who art thou? knowing that it was the Lord.

NoteThe Greek verb is specifically about the morning meal, breakfast, not a formal dinner; the KJV "dine" carried that wider sense in 1611. "Durst" is the old past tense of "dare."

13Then Jesus came, took the bread, and gave it to them, and he gave them the fish the same way.

13Jesus then cometh, and taketh bread, and giveth them, and fish likewise.

14This was now the third time Jesus showed himself to his disciples after he was raised from the dead.

14This is now the third time that Jesus shewed himself to his disciples, after that he was risen from the dead.

Note"The third time" counts appearances to the disciples as a group in John's account specifically: to them without Thomas, then with Thomas, and now here. It does not count the appearance to Mary Magdalene alone, or appearances reported in the other Gospels.

15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these?" Peter said, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs."

15So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs.

Note"Son of Jonas" follows the manuscripts the KJV translators used; other early manuscripts read "son of John," which most modern versions print. "More than these" is genuinely ambiguous in the Greek and the ambiguity cannot be resolved from the words themselves: it can mean "more than these other men love me," or "more than you love these men," or "more than you love these things," meaning the boats and nets. The exchange also uses two different Greek verbs for love, agapao in Jesus' first two questions and phileo in Peter's three answers. Whether the shift carries weight or is stylistic variation has been argued for centuries; John elsewhere uses the two words interchangeably.

16A second time Jesus said to him, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?" Peter said, "Yes, Lord. You know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Take care of my sheep."

16He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

NoteThe word behind "feed" changes here to a different verb meaning to shepherd or tend a flock, which covers the whole work of herding rather than feeding alone. The word for the animals changes too, from lambs to sheep. The same kind of variation runs through the three exchanges.

17A third time Jesus said, "Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?" Peter was hurt that Jesus asked him a third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep."

17He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.

NoteIn the third question Jesus switches to Peter's own verb, phileo. Readers have long connected the three askings with Peter's three denials at the charcoal fire in the high priest's courtyard, which the wording of verse 9 quietly recalls.

18"I tell you the truth: when you were young, you dressed yourself and went wherever you wanted. But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and take you where you do not want to go."

18Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.

Note"Girdedst thyself" means fastened your own belt, that is, dressed yourself and went about your business unaided. "Stretch forth thy hands" was a phrase widely used in the ancient world for the posture of a man tied or nailed to a crossbeam, and early readers took it that way here, though the words alone do not specify a manner of death.

19Jesus said this to show what kind of death Peter would die, and how that death would bring honor to God. After he said this, he told Peter, "Follow me."

19This spake he, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he saith unto him, Follow me.

NoteTo "glorify God" by one's death was a settled way of speaking about dying as a martyr in the language of the period. The sentence identifies the saying of verse 18 as being about the end of Peter's life.

20Peter turned around and saw the disciple Jesus loved following them. This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and asked, "Lord, who is going to hand you over?"

20Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

21When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, "Lord, what about this man?"

21Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do?

22Jesus said to him, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me."

22Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me.

23So word spread among the believers that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die. He only said, "If I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?"

23Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?

24This is the disciple who tells about these things and who wrote them down, and we know that what he says is true.

24This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.

25Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world itself could not hold the books that would be written. Amen.

25And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.