Fishing serves as a metaphor for evangelism and discipleship in the Bible, as Jesus called His disciples to be fishers of men. In the Bible, we find stories and teachings that illustrate the principles and practices of effective fishing for souls. Join us as we reflect on verses that highlight the significance of fishing, inspiring us to share the gospel boldly, cast our nets wide, and make disciples of all nations for the glory of God.
Also Read: Bible Verses About Finding Love
Bible Verses About Fishing
Matthew 4:19 – Jesus Calls Simon and Andrew to Fish for People
And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Mark 1:17 – Jesus Calls James and John to Be Fishers of Men
And Jesus said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you become fishers of men.”
Luke 5:10 – From Now On You Will Catch People
And Jesus said to Simon, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men.”
Matthew 13:47 – Parable of the Dragnet
“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.”
Matthew 4:18-19 – Jesus Calls Peter and Andrew to be Fishers of Men
While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Luke 5:4-7 – The Great Catch of Fish
And when he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” And Simon answered, “Master, we toiled all night and took nothing! But at your word I will let down the nets.” And when they had done this, they enclosed a large number of fish, and their nets were breaking. They signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.
John 21:6 – Cast the Net on the Right Side
He said to them, “Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in, because of the quantity of fish.
Luke 5:1-3 – Jesus Preaches from a Boat
On one occasion, while the crowd was pressing in on him to hear the word of God, he was standing by the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats by the lake, but the fishermen had gone out of them and were washing their nets. Getting into one of the boats, which was Simon’s, he asked him to put out a little from the land. And he sat down and taught the people from the boat.
Jonah 1:1-3 – Jonah Flees From the Lord
Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the LORD. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the LORD.
Matthew 17:27 – The Miraculous Catch of a Fish With a Coin in Its Mouth
However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself.
Genesis 9:2 – You Shall Have Dominion Over the Fish of the Sea
The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered.
Exodus 14:21 – The Parting of the Red Sea
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.
Psalm 104:25 – There Is the Sea, Vast and Spacious
There is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great.
Job 41:1 – Can You Draw Out Leviathan With a Fishhook?
“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord?”
Ezekiel 47:9 – There Will Be a Great Multitude of Fish
And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes.
Matthew 14:17-21 – Jesus Feeds Five Thousand with Five Loaves and Two Fish
And they said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.” And he said, “Bring them here to me.” Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 15:34-38 – Jesus Feeds Four Thousand with Seven Loaves and a Few Fish
And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Exodus 7:18-21 – The Plague of Fish
The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”’” And the LORD said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’” Moses and Aaron did as the LORD commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.
Nehemiah 13:16 – The Sabbath Day
On the Sabbath day they are not to let loads be carried or goods be sold in the city.
Leviticus 11:9 – You Shall Not Eat Any Sea Creatures That Do Not Have Fins and Scales
“These you may eat, of all that are in the waters. Everything in the waters that has fins and scales, whether in the seas or in the rivers, you may eat.”
1 Kings 4:33 – Wisdom of Solomon
He spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that grows out of the wall. He spoke also of beasts, and of birds, and of reptiles, and of fish.
Ecclesiastes 9:12 – Fish are Caught in an Evil Net
For man does not know his time. Like fish that are taken in an evil net, and like birds that are caught in a snare, so the children of man are snared at an evil time, when it suddenly falls upon them.
Genesis 1:26 – Dominion Over the Fish of the Sea
Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Job 41:6 – Can You Fill His Skin With Harpoons?
Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears?
Proverbs 27:19 – A Man is Tested by Praising
As in water face reflects face, so the heart of man reflects the man.
Proverbs 20:1 – Wine is a Mocker, Strong Drink is a Brawler
Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.
Deuteronomy 14:9 – Of All the Creatures Living in the Water
These you may eat of all that are in the waters. Everything that has fins and scales you may eat.
1 Kings 7:23 – The Sea of Cast Metal
Then he made the sea of cast metal. It was round, ten cubits from brim to brim, and five cubits high, and a line of thirty cubits measured its circumference.
Psalm 8:8 – The Birds of the Air and the Fish of the Sea
The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
Habakkuk 1:14 – Make Mankind Like Fish of the Sea
You make mankind like the fish of the sea, like crawling things that have no ruler.
Psalm 104:25-26 – The Great and Wide Sea
Here is the sea, great and wide, which teems with creatures innumerable, living things both small and great. There go the ships, and Leviathan, which you formed to play in it.
Genesis 1:20-22 – Creation of the Sea Creatures and Birds
And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
Jonah 1:17 – Jonah Swallowed by the Great Fish
And the LORD appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
Isaiah 27:1 – Leviathan, the Fleeing Serpent
In that day the LORD with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
Job 12:8 – Speak to the Earth, and It Will Teach You
Or speak to the earth, and it will teach you; and let the fish of the sea declare to you.
Ezekiel 47:10 – Fishermen Will Stand By the Sea
Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea.
Matthew 7:10 – Asking for Fish
Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent?
Amos 4:2 – The Lord Declares, “I Will Take You Away with Hooks”
The Lord GOD has sworn by his holiness that, behold, the days are coming upon you, when they shall take you away with hooks, even the last of you with fishhooks.
Ezekiel 38:20 – All the Men Who Are on the Face of the Earth Shall Quake at My Presence
The fish of the sea and the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field and all creeping things that creep on the ground, and all the people who are on the face of the earth, shall quake at my presence. And the mountains shall be thrown down, and the cliffs shall fall, and every wall shall tumble to the ground.
Matthew 7:9 – If His Son Asks Him for Bread, Will Give Him a Stone?
Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone?
Job 12:9 – Who among All These Does Not Know That the Hand of the Lord Has Done This?
Who among all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this?
Matthew 7:11 – If You Then, Who Are Evil, Know How to Give Good Gifts
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 14:16 – They Need Not Go Away
But Jesus said, “They need not go away; you give them something to eat.”
Ecclesiastes 1:7 – All Rivers Run to the Sea, but the Sea Is Not Full
All streams run to the sea, but the sea is not full; to the place where the streams flow, there they flow again.
Acts 27:16 – Under the Shelter of a Dry Dock
Running under the lee of a small island called Cauda, we managed with difficulty to secure the ship’s boat.
Revelation 8:9 – A Third of the Living Creatures in the Sea Died
A third of the living creatures in the sea died, and a third of the ships were destroyed.
Haggai 1:6 – You Shall Earn Wages, but Not Put Them Into a Bag with Holes
You have sown much, and harvested little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes.