Devine Scripture

Luke 5:2

What does Luke 5:2 mean?

A plain-English look at Luke 5:2 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.

What Luke 5:2 means

Luke gives a small, realistic detail: two boats stood by the lake, their fishermen washing nets after a night’s work. This shows the ordinary rhythms of Galilean life—fishing as daily labor—and prepares for Jesus’ interaction with working men. The empty boats also supply a practical setting for Jesus to teach from the water. The act of washing nets implies recent failure or completion of labor; it sets up the contrast between human effort and the extraordinary result that will follow at Jesus’ command.

Parallel translations

WEB

World English Bible · 2000

and he saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

KJV

King James Version · 1611

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

ASV

American Standard Version · 1901

and he saw two boats standing by the lake: but the fishermen had gone out of them, and were washing their nets.

BBE

Bible in Basic English · 1949

And he saw two boats by the edge of the water, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets.

YLT

Young's Literal Translation · 1862

and he saw two boats standing beside the lake, and the fishers, having gone away from them, were washing the nets,

DRA

Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752

And saw two ships standing by the lake: but the fishermen were gone out of them and were washing their nets.

DBY

Darby Bible · 1890

and he saw two ships standing by the lake, but the fishermen, having come down from them, were washing their nets.

Context

The verse follows Jesus’ public teaching and provides the practical stage for the coming miracle and call. By describing the fishermen’s routine, Luke prepares us for the interruption of ordinary work by divine action. What comes next—Jesus getting into Simon’s boat and teaching—makes sense because boats were available and the fishermen were nearby, tired but present. This detail helps readers appreciate the ordinary circumstances in which Jesus chose to reveal extraordinary power.

v.1Now it came to pass, while the multitude pressed upon him and heard the word of God, that he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret;

v.2This passage

v.3And he entered into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, and asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the multitudes out of the boat.

Cross references

Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.

  • Mark 1:19

    And going on a little further, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the boat mending the nets.

  • Matthew 4:21

    And going on from thence he saw two other brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

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