1:17a

Come, follow Me: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Come, follow Me is literally “Come after me.” Jesus said this to invite Simon and Andrew to go with him and become his disciples. Jesus did not simply want them to walk along behind him. He wanted them to be with him and learn from him. In some languages you may need to indicate this explicitly. For example:

Come, be my disciples (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)

See disciple in the Glossary for information on how to translate it.

Jesus said: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the phrase Jesus said in the middle of what Jesus was saying. In the Greek text it comes before Jesus’ words. In some languages, the phrase Jesus said would occur after his words in 1:17b. You should place this phrase wherever it is most natural in your language.

1:17b

I will make you fishers of men: This statement is a figure of speech. It indicates that Jesus would train the disciples to gain people for the kingdom of God. This work of gaining people contrasted with their work of gaining fish.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I will teach you how to catch people instead of fish. (God’s Word)
-or-
I will show you how to fish for people! (New Living Translation)

In some languages an expression like “catch people” may imply a wrong meaning. It may imply that they were going to gather people to do forced labor or that they were going to catch criminals. In other languages it may not be possible to use a phrase like “fish for people.”

If that is true in your language, here are some other ways to translate it:

I will teach you how to bring in people instead of fish (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You have been gaining fish, but now I will show you how to gain people to believe in me.
-or-
Your work has been to catch fish. But now I will teach you to do the work of bringing people to me.

If a literal translation of 1:17b is well known in a major language version in your area, you may want to mention this literal wording in a footnote. For example:

Here is a more literal translation of these words: “I will teach you to fish for people.”

make you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make you is literally “make you to become.” It means “teach or train you” to do a different kind of work. It does not imply that Jesus would force them to change their work.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to people in general. It does not refer only to males.

General Comment on 1:17a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the parts of 1:17a–b. For example:

17aHe said to them, “17bUntil now your(dual) work has been to catch fish. 17aCome(dual) with me and become(dual) my disciples 17band then I will teach you(dual) to do the work of persuading people to believe in me.”

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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