Matthew 4:20 BSB — MannaFest

Matthew 4:20

And at once they left their nets and followed Him.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And they straightway left the nets, and followed him.

KJV

And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

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Commentary

4 voices

Hilary of Poitiers

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (367)

By this that they left their occupation and their father's house we are taught, that when we would follow Christ we should not be holden of the cares of secular life, or of the society of the paternal mansion. Or, the number that was to be of the Evangelists is figured.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers1 voice

Jerome

Commentary on Matthew (420)

(Ver. 19, 20.) Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men. And immediately they left their nets and followed him. These first ones were called to follow the Lord: fishermen and unlettered men are sent to preach, lest the faith of believers be thought to come about not by the power of God, but by eloquence and teaching.

The Medieval Church1 voice

Gregory the Dialogist

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (604)

(Hom. in Evan. v. 1.) Peter and Andrew had seen Christ work no miracle, had heard from him no word of the promise of the eternal reward, yet at this single bidding of the Lord they forgot all that they had seemed to possess, and straightway left their nets, and followed Him. In which deed we ought rather to consider their wills than the amount of their property. He leaves much who keeps nothing for himself, he parts with much, who with his possessions renounces his lusts.

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

And they straightway left their nets,.... That is, as soon as he had called them, they left their worldly employment, and followed him; they gave up themselves to his service, and became his disciples; they not only left their "nets", but their fishing boats, and fishing trade, and all that belonged to it, even all their substance; and also their relations, friends, and acquaintance, see Mat 19:27 which shows what a mighty power went along with the words and call of Christ; and what a ready, cheerful, and voluntary subjection this produces, wherever it takes place.

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2618: “"Straightway"” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) (1899)

This is a mark of the effectual calling by Divine Grace—whenever it comes, men are led "straightway" to obey it. I may call you as long as I please, yet you will not come to Christ for all my calling. But if Christ shall call you by His Spirit, you will come. Yes, and come "straightway." When the command of Christ is applied to the soul with Divine energy, there is an immediate yielding of the heart to Him and His Law is obeyed.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

8 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
οἱ	hoi	<the>	G3588 →
δὲ	de	And	G1161 →
εὐθέως	eutheōs	immediately	G2112 →
ἀφέντες	aphentes	having left	G863 →
τὰ	ta	the	G3588 →
δίκτυα	diktua	nets	G1350 →
ἠκολούθησαν	ēkolouthēsan	they followed	G190 →
αὐτῷ.¶	autō	Him.	G846 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Matthew 19:27
“Look,” Peter replied, “we have left everything to follow You. What then will there be for us?”
leads to
- Philippians 3:8
  More than that, I count all things as loss compared to the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may…
- Luke 18:28
  “Look,” said Peter, “we have left all we had to follow You.”
- Luke 5:11
  And when they had brought their boats ashore, they left everything and followed Him.
- Mark 1:17–20
  “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
- Luke 15:29
  But he answered his father, ‘Look, all these years I have served you and never disobeyed a commandment of yours. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with…
Through
Psalms 119:60
I hurried without hesitating to keep Your commandments.
leads to
- Psalms 95:7–8
  For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, the sheep under His care. Today, if you hear His voice,
- Ecclesiastes 9:10
  Whatever you find to do with your hands, do it with all your might, for in Sheol, where you are going, there is no work or planning or knowledge or wisdom.
Through
1 Kings 19:21
So Elisha turned back from him, took his pair of oxen, and slaughtered them. With the oxen’s equipment, he cooked the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set…
leads to
- 2 Samuel 24:22
  Araunah said to David, “My lord the king may take whatever seems good and offer it up. Here are the oxen for a burnt offering and the threshing sledges and ox yokes for the…