Ayub 38:16

38:16 Have you gone to the springs that fill the sea, ¹ 

or walked about in the recesses of the deep?

Mazmur 77:20

77:20 You led your people like a flock of sheep,

by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Amsal 8:28

8:28 when he established the clouds above,

when the fountains of the deep grew strong, ² 

Habakuk 3:15

3:15 But you trample on the sea with your horses,

on the surging, raging waters. ³ 

Matius 14:25

14:25 As the night was ending, ⁴  Jesus came to them walking on the sea. ⁵ 

Markus 6:48

6:48 He ⁶  saw them straining at the oars, because the wind was against them. As the night was ending, ⁷  he came to them walking on the sea, ⁸  for ⁹  he wanted to pass by them. ¹⁰ 

Yohanes 6:19

6:19 Then, when they had rowed about three or four miles, ¹¹  they caught sight of Jesus walking on the lake, ¹²  approaching the boat, and they were frightened.

¹ tn Heb “the springs of the sea.” The words “that fill” are supplied in the translation to clarify the meaning of the phrase.

² tn To form a better parallel some commentators read this infinitive בַּעֲזוֹז (ba’azoz), “when [they] grew strong,” as a Piel causative, “when he made firm, fixed fast” (cf. NIV “fixed securely”; NLT “established”). But the following verse (“should not pass over”) implies the meaning “grew strong” here.

³ tn Heb “the foaming of the mighty [or “many”] waters.”

⁴ tn Grk “In the fourth watch of the night,” that is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

⁵ tn Or “on the lake.”

⁶ tn This verse is one complete sentence in the Greek text, but it has been broken into two sentences in English for clarity.

⁷ tn Grk “about the fourth watch of the night,” between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.

⁸ tn Or “on the lake.”

⁹ tn The καί (kai) was translated so as to introduce a subordinate clause, i.e., with the use of “for.” See BDF §442.9.

¹⁰ sn The statement he wanted to pass by them is somewhat difficult to understand. There are at least two common interpretations: (1) it refers to the perspective of the disciples, that is, from their point of view it seemed that Jesus wanted to pass by them; or (2) it refers to a theophany and uses the language of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) when God “passed by” Moses at Sinai (cf. Exod 33:19, 22). According to the latter alternative, Jesus is “passing by” the disciples during their struggle, in order to assure them of his presence with them. See W L. Lane, Mark (NICNT), 236.

¹¹ tn Grk “about twenty-five or thirty stades” (a stade as a unit of linear measure is about 607 feet or 187 meters).

sn About three or four miles. The Sea of Galilee was at its widest point 7 mi (11.6 km) by 12 mi (20 km). So at this point the disciples were in about the middle of the lake.

¹² tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16. John uses the phrase ἐπί (epi, “on”) followed by the genitive (as in Mark, instead of Matthew’s ἐπί followed by the accusative) to describe Jesus walking “on the lake.”