What Does John 21:7 Mean?
So that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he belted the outer garment around himself, for he was naked, and threw himself into the sea.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord. Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.THE KEY
One disciple names the Lord; Peter answers that recognition by throwing his own body toward him.
THE MEANING
Another voice makes the Lord recognizable, and recognition takes bodily form: Peter girds his coat while exposed, then throws himself into the sea toward Jesus before the boat reaches shore.
THE ROOT
ἔβαλεν
ebalen
GROWS FROM
βαλλ
ball
throw, cast
“threw himself” in this verse is ebalen. The verb is βάλλω (ballō), to throw or cast. Peter makes his own body the thing thrown into the sea; in Mark 10:50, a compound of this same root describes Bartimaeus throwing off his garment before coming to Jesus.
ALSO GROWS
ballō: to throw, cast
βάλλω
This is the verb behind Peter’s leap: he throws himself into the sea toward Jesus.
apoballō: to throw away, cast off
ἀποβάλλω
Mark 10:50 uses this compound for Bartimaeus casting away his garment before he rises and comes to Jesus.
THE PATTERN
Encounter with the one recognized or approached becomes bodily movement toward him.
And Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac, she fell from the camel.He threw off his cloak, stood up, and came to Jesus.And he said, Come. And Peter stepped down out of the boat and walked upon the waters, to come to Jesus.THE THREAD
He threw off his cloak, stood up, and came to Jesus.John’s verb for Peter throwing himself into the sea and Mark’s verb for Bartimaeus throwing away his garment share the root βαλλ (ball), “throw, cast.” Peter casts his body toward Jesus; Bartimaeus casts his garment aside before coming to him.
This reading is from Selah Verse.
You can read any verse this way in the app, keep it as a card, and send it on.
A Bible app where you send verses from your keyboard and in Messages, and every verse has a Deep Dive.
Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us