Matthew 13:47-50
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This parable highlights that the "kingdom of heaven" on earth, represented by the net, is intentionally designed to sweep up every kind of fish. It's not about a selective catch initially, but about encompassing all within its reach, setting the stage for a future sorting.
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This parable, like the preceding ones about treasure and pearls, continues Jesus' teaching on the true value and nature of God's kingdom. It follows parables that emphasize the immense worth of the kingdom and the commitment it demands. This teaching is delivered to disciples, some of whom were fishermen, making the imagery relatable and impactful.
Ever wonder why the 'kingdom of heaven' seems to include so many different kinds of people, some good, some not so much? This parable explains that.
Jesus compares the kingdom of heaven to a great dragnet, a huge net cast into the sea to gather fish. This isn't a small, selective net for just the prize catches.
The Net's Design
This specific type of net was designed to sweep widely across the seabed, pulling in everything in its path. The original Greek word used here describes a net that makes a large sweep, encompassing a vast area and collecting a huge variety of sea creatures.
Gathering 'Every Kind'
This imagery highlights that the kingdom, as it expands in the world through the preaching of the gospel, naturally draws in people from all walks of life, with all sorts of backgrounds and spiritual conditions. It’s not about a perfect, pre-selected group initially, but a broad gathering.
This parable isn't just about what happens in the net, but what happens after the net is full. There's a crucial transition point.
The parable clearly distinguishes between the vast sea, representing the world where people live in sin and ignorance, and the shore, where the net’s contents are sorted.
From the Depths to the Land
The net is cast into the 'sea,' a powerful image for the chaotic, sinful world from which people are drawn. When the net is full, it's not left in the sea; it's 'drawn to the shore.' This act of drawing the net to land signifies a point of separation and judgment.
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The Great Sorting
On the shore, the fishermen sort the fish. The good are kept for use, while the bad are thrown away. This is a stark reminder that while the kingdom's initial gathering is inclusive, the ultimate purpose is purification and separation. Not everyone who is gathered will ultimately belong to God.
Understand the original words
basileia tou ouranou · Greek Noun
The sovereign rule and reign of God, both in the present spiritual realm and the future eternal state. It encompasses the reality of God's authority over His creation and His redemptive work through Christ.
sagēnē · Greek Noun
A dragnet used to sweep through water to capture a large quantity of sea life. Symbolically, it represents the indiscriminate nature of the Gospel proclamation in the current age, which draws people from all nations and backgrounds.
synteleia tou aiōnos · Greek Noun phrase
The final consummation of history when Christ returns, marked by divine judgment and the transition into the eternal state. It signals the close of the current era of grace and the commencement of God's final separation of the just and the unjust.
angelos · Greek Noun
Heavenly beings who act as God’s messengers and agents of His sovereign will. In the context of judgment, they serve as the executors of God’s decree, carrying out the separation of the righteous from the wicked.
ponēros · Greek Adjective
Those who are morally corrupt, wicked, or opposed to God. In Scripture, it describes the state of humanity apart from God’s redemptive work, characterized by rebellion and defiance against His law.
dikaios · Greek Adjective
Those who are justified through faith in God; they are righteous not by their own works, but by being declared right in God’s sight through His grace. They are characterized by their obedience and alignment with God’s holiness.
kaminos tou pyros · Greek Noun phrase
A descriptive term for the place of eternal punishment and separation from God. It highlights the severity, intensity, and irreversibility of the divine judgment awaiting those who reject the kingdom.
klauthmos kai ho brygmos tōn odontōn · Greek Noun phrase
An expression denoting intense agony, regret, and frustration. It is consistently used in the Gospels to describe the ultimate condition of those who find themselves excluded from God's presence in eternal judgment.
This parable likely reflects the reality of the early church, a mixed community of genuine believers and those with false intentions, existing within the Roman Empire during a time of both growth and persecution.
c. 62 AD— this verse
Paul's Imprisonment in Rome
The Apostle Paul, under house arrest in Rome, writes letters to churches like Ephesus, Philippi, and Colossae, addressing issues of spiritual life and doctrine.
c. 64 AD
Great Fire of Rome
A devastating fire sweeps through Rome, leading to widespread destruction and persecution of Christians, whom Emperor Nero falsely accused of starting the blaze.
c. 67-68 AD
Martyrdom of Peter and Paul
Tradition holds that both Peter and Paul met their deaths as martyrs in Rome during Nero's reign.
70 AD
Destruction of Jerusalem
The Roman army, under Titus, brutally sacks Jerusalem and destroys the Second Temple, a pivotal event marking the end of an era for Judaism and early Christianity.
This passage vividly describes a river flowing from the temple, bringing life and fish of all kinds, mirroring the 'gathering of every kind' in Matthew's parable and symbolizing God's life-giving power extending widely.
Habakkuk 1:15-17This prophetic passage uses the imagery of a fisherman's net to describe a conquering army sweeping up nations, drawing a parallel to the 'net' in Matthew's parable which gathers all within its sweep, even if for a different ultimate purpose.
Matthew 13:48-50This immediate continuation of the parable explains the purpose of the net: the final separation of the good fish (kept) from the bad fish (thrown away), directly illustrating the judgment implied in Matthew 13:47.
John 21:6In this post-resurrection appearance, Jesus instructs the disciples to cast their net on the other side of the boat, resulting in a great catch of fish, highlighting a miraculous and abundant gathering that echoes the scope of the kingdom's reach.
Matthew 22:10Similar to the net parable, this passage speaks of a wedding feast where servants go out and gather 'all whom they found,' both bad and good, into the feast, emphasizing the inclusive nature of the kingdom's initial call.
vincentMatthew 13:47: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind:"
Net (σαγήνῃ)See on Matthew 4:18. The only occurrence of the word in the New Testament. A long draw-net, the ends of which are carried out and drawn together. Through the transcription of the word into the Latin sagena comes seine. From the fact of its making a great sweep, the Greeks formed a verb from it, σαγηνέυω, to surround and take with a drag-net. Thus Herodotus (ii…
calvinMatthew 13:44-52: "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
- Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hid in a field, which when found a man hideth, [227] and for the joy which he hath on account of it, goeth away, and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. 45. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant, seeking beautiful…
This parable highlights that the "kingdom of heaven" on earth, represented by the net, is intentionally designed to sweep up every kind of fish. It's not about a selective catch initially, but about encompassing all within its reach, setting the stage for a future sorting.
This parable, like the preceding ones about treasure and pearls, continues Jesus' teaching on the true value and nature of God's kingdom. It follows parables that emphasize the immense worth of the kingdom and the commitment it demands. This teaching is delivered to disciples, some of whom were fishermen, making the imagery relatable and impactful.
This parable, like the preceding ones about treasure and pearls, continues Jesus' teaching on the true value and nature of God's kingdom. It follows parables that emphasize the immense worth of the kingdom and the commitment it demands. This teaching is delivered to disciples, some of whom were fishermen, making the imagery relatable and impactful.
"“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the en…" — This parable highlights that the "kingdom of heaven" on earth, represented by the net, is intentionally designed to sweep up every kind of fish. It's not about a selective catch initially, but abou…
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Last reviewed October 2026
