Luke 5:2

Ships. Or, “boats.” One of the boats here mentioned belonged to Peter and Andrew; the other, to James and John.

The fishermen. Literally, “the sea folk.” The four fishermen soon to become fishers of men, together with Zebedee and two or more “hired servants” (see Mark 1:20), had just returned from their night’s fishing expedition (see Luke 5:5).

Washing their nets. That is, before hanging them up to dry. The expression “casting a net” (see Matt. 4:18; Mark 1:16) means simply that the men were fishing, and might be considered as describing any phase of their occupation. Caring for the nets was as important as actually using them to catch fish. Others of the group were “mending” their nets (see Matt. 4:21; Mark 1:19), that is, getting them in shape for the next fishing expedition. If the terms “casting” and “mending” are considered in their general aspects there is no discrepancy in the various narratives (see Additional Notes on Matt 3, Note 2; cf. on Mark 5:2; 10:46; Luke 7:3; Additional Note on Luke 7).