21:16a
Jesus asked a second time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?”: This second time Jesus did not ask Peter to compare his love for him with the other disciples’ love. He just asked him if he, Peter, loved Jesus. He used the same verb for love that he used in 21:15a. For a discussion of the word love, see the note on Paragraph 21:15–19 above.
21:16b
“Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.”: Peter replied the same way he did before. See how you translated this sentence in 21:15c. For a discussion of the word love, see the note on Paragraph 21:15–19 above.
21:16c
Shepherd My sheep: This clause is another metaphor, meaning the same thing as “Feed my lambs” in 21:15d. The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Shepherd describes the activity of a shepherd. A shepherd will tend (care for) his sheep by leading them to good food, protecting them, and rescuing them. It is a different verb from the one in 21:15d, where Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.” However, here it is used as a synonym, both words meaning the same thing. Like the clause in 21:15d, this is a metaphor and there are several ways to translate it:
• Use a metaphor, like the Berean Standard Bible.
• Explain all or part of the meaning of the metaphor. For example:
Take care of my sheep. (New International Version)
• Change all or part of the metaphor into a simile. For example:
Look after my people like a shepherd looks after his sheep.
Tending Jesus’ sheep was what Peter should do because he loved Jesus. You may want to indicate the connection with 21:16b by supplying a connector. For example:
Then take care of my sheep. (New Living Translation (2004))
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