A Breakfast by the Sea
Have you ever misunderstood a message because you didn't know what a word meant? A text from a friend, a note from a doctor, a line in a contract: misread one word, and the whole message goes wrong. In Scripture, a single word can unlock the meaning of a whole passage.
John 21 shows how. After the resurrection, Peter and six other disciples fished all night on the sea of Tiberias and that night they caught nothing (John 21:3). At daybreak Jesus stood on the shore. When they came to land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread (John 21:9). After breakfast He turned to the disciple who had denied Him three times.
“So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.”JOHN 21:15–17 · KJV
In English, Jesus asks the same question three times: lovest thou me? In Greek, John uses two different verbs. In the first two questions Jesus uses agapaō, and each time Peter answers with phileō. The third time, Jesus takes up Peter's word, phileō.
Many Bible teachers have drawn a meaningful lesson from the change in Greek words. They understand agapaō as emphasizing committed, sacrificial love and phileō as expressing personal affection or friendship. On this reading, Peter, humbled by his denials, hesitated to claim the depth of love Jesus initially asked for, and Jesus graciously met him where he was by using Peter's own word in the third question. Other careful interpreters understand the variation as part of John's writing style, noting that he frequently uses these words interchangeably. We believe the stylistic explanation has stronger linguistic support, but the traditional interpretation remains worth considering. What is certain is that Jesus graciously restored Peter after his three denials and recommissioned him to care for His sheep. The beauty of that restoration does not depend upon assigning different levels of love to the two Greek verbs.
“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”PSALM 119:130 · KJV
When we study the original words of Scripture with humility and the right tools, God gives light and depth to His Word.
Have you ever misunderstood a message because you didn't know what a word meant? What might you be missing in God's Word for the same reason?
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For Deeper Study
- Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the BibleAmazon James StrongThe classic concordance of the King James Bible, first published in 1890; its numbering system opens most word-study tools.
- Vine's Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament WordsAmazon W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White Jr.Explains the Hebrew and Greek words behind the English of the King James Bible, arranged by English word.
- Greek for the Rest of UsAmazon William D. MounceTeaches readers without formal Greek how to do word studies and use original-language study tools well.
- Exegetical FallaciesAmazon D. A. CarsonA short, sharp guide to the mistakes this study warns against, including the root fallacy. Carson reads the change of verbs in John 21 as stylistic.
- Synonyms of the New TestamentAmazon Richard Chenevix TrenchA nineteenth-century classic on near-synonyms in the Greek New Testament, including the verbs for love; useful for seeing how careful readers have weighed such distinctions.
- Foxe's Book of MartyrsAmazon John FoxeThe classic Protestant record of those who died for the faith, from the early church to the English Reformation.
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Literal, Figurative, and Symbolic Language
Reading the Bible literally means reading it as its authors intended: taking plain statements plainly, and recognizing figures of speech, symbols, and types where the text itself signals them.
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