5:2a
He saw two boats at the edge of the lake: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at the edge of the lake indicates the location of the boats. The fishermen had pulled the boats up out of the water. They did this so that the boats would not drift away. These boats may have been partly on dry land and partly in shallow water.
Some other ways to translate this are:
He saw two boats pulled up on the beach (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus saw two boats on the shore (God’s Word)
boats: The boats were wooden boats used for fishing. They were probably big enough for four to fifteen people to sit inside.
If you do not have a word for boats in your language, some ways to translate it are:
• Use a phrase that describes the function of boats. For example:
vehicles for crossing water
-or-
something/vehicles for carrying people on top of water
• Use the word for a specific kind of boats in your culture. For example:
canoes
-or-
fishing boats
5:2b
The fishermen had left them: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The fishermen had left them is literally: “the fishermen having gone away from them.” This phrase indicates that the fishermen were not in the boats but that they had gone a short distance away from them. They had done this some time earlier, before Jesus saw the boats.
Some other ways to translate this are:
the fishermen were not in them
-or-
the fishermen had left them there
fishermen: The word fishermen refers to men who catch fish and sell them as their job.
5:2c
were washing their nets: The fishermen were standing by the lake cleaning the nets that they used for catching fish.
nets: The nets were probably large fishing nets. The fishermen dragged them through the water to catch fish.
General Comment on 5:1–2
In the Greek, 5:1–2 is one long sentence. The Berean Standard Bible divides it into two sentences. You may want to divide this sentence into several sentences. For example:
1aOne day Jesus was standing by the sea of Galilee. 1bThe people crowded around him as they listened to God’s word. 2aJesus saw two boats on the shore. 2bThe fishermen had stepped out of them 2cand were washing their nets. (God’s Word)
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