Luke 5:6

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(6) Their net brake.—Better, their nets were breaking, the tense being the imperfect.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

5:1-11 When Christ had done preaching, he told Peter to apply to the business of his calling. Time spent on week days in public exercises of religion, need be but little hinderance in time, and may be great furtherance to us in temper of mind, as to our worldly business. With what cheerfulness may we go about the duties of our calling, when we have been with God, and thus have our worldly employments sanctified to us by the word and prayer! Though they had taken nothing, yet Christ told them to let down their nets again. We must not abruptly quit our callings because we have not the success in them we desire. We are likely to speed well, when we follow the guidance of Christ's word. The draught of fishes was by a miracle. We must all, like Peter, own ourselves to be sinful men, therefore Jesus Christ might justly depart from us. But we must beseech him that he would not depart; for woe unto us if the Saviour depart from sinners! Rather let us entreat him to come and dwell in our hearts by faith, that he may transform and cleanse them. These fishermen forsook all, and followed Jesus, when their calling prospered. When riches increase, and we are tempted to set our hearts upon them, then to quit them for Christ is thankworthy.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Their net brake - Or their net "began" to break, or was "about" to break. This is all that is implied in the Greek word. If their nets had actually "broken," as our English word seems to suppose, the fish would have escaped; but no more is meant than that there was such a multitude of fishes that their net was "on the point" of being torn asunder.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

6. net brake—rather "was breaking," or "beginning to break," as in Lu 5:7, "beginning to sink."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Luke 5:3"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And when they had done this,.... Had put the ship out further to sea, and had let down their net:

they enclosed a great multitude of fish; in their net, which by the secret divine power of Christ, were gathered together just in that place, where by his order they cast the net:

and their net brake; with the weight and number, of the fishes, yet not so as to let the fish out; the Arabic version reads, "it was within a little that their nets were broke": they were just upon breaking, the draught was so numerous, the struggling so great, and the weight so heavy.

Geneva Study Bible

And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 5:6. διερήσσετο began to break, or were on the point of breaking; on the symbolic theory = the threatened rupture of unity though the success of the Gentile mission (Acts 15).

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

6. a great multitude of fishes] Of this—as of all miracles—we may say with St Gregory Dum facit miraculum prodit mysterium—in other words the miracle was an acted parable, of which the significance is explained in Matthew 13:47.

brake] Rather, were beginning to break (dierregnuto). Contrast this with John 21:11, οὐκ ἐσχίσθη. This breaking net is explained by St Augustine as the symbol of the Church which now is: he compares the unrent net to the Church of the future which shall know no schisms.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 6. - And their net brake. Augustine beautifully compares the broken and torn net to the Church that now is, full of divisions and rents; the net unrent and untorn will be the Church of the future, which will know no schisms. Luke 5:6