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the art of fishing in the Bible

The art of fishing was an important industry in the waters of ancient Israel.

It was from the fishing nets that Jesus called his disciples (Mark 1:16-20), and it was in a fishing-boat he rebuked the winds and the waves (Matthew 8:26) and delivered that remarkable series of prophecies recorded in Matthew 13. He twice miraculously fed multitudes with fish and bread (Matthew 14:19; 15:36). It was in the mouth of a fish that the tribute-money was found (Matthew 17:27). And he “ate a piece of broiled fish” with his disciples after his resurrection (Luke 24:42-43; compare Acts 1:3). At the Sea of Tiberias (John 21:1-14), in obedience to his direction, the disciples cast their net “on the right side of the ship,” and enclosed so many that “they were not able to draw it for the multitude of fishes.”

Two kinds of fishing-nets are mentioned in the New Testament:

  1. The casting-net (Matthew 4:18; Mark 1:16).

  2. The drag-net or seine (Matthew 13:48).

Fish were also caught by the fishing-hook (Matthew 17:27).

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