The Meaning of Luke 5:8 Explained

Luke 5:8

KJV: When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

YLT: And Simon Peter having seen, fell down at the knees of Jesus, saying, 'Depart from me, because I am a sinful man, O lord;'

Darby: But Simon Peter, seeing it, fell at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord.

ASV: But Simon Peter, when he saw it, fell down at Jesus knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When  Simon  Peter  saw  [it], he fell down at  Jesus'  knees,  saying,  Depart  from  me;  for  I am  a sinful  man,  O Lord. 

What does Luke 5:8 Mean?

Study Notes

sinful
Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Luke 5:1-11 - New Catchers Of Men
Not their first call, recorded in John 1:35-42, but another which preceded their appointment to the apostolate.
The Lord always supersedes us. He superseded Peter in his command of the boat, which he had navigated since he was a lad. There is always a testing-point for the soul. Will you surrender the command and let Christ be captain? If so, in the teeth of great difficulties-for fish are not caught generally in the glare of day-He will fill your boat to the water's edge. He does beyond all we asked or thought.
Christ will be in no man's debt. If you lend Him your boat, He will return it filled with silver fish. The boats were filled; the upper room was filled with the Holy Spirit; and all Martha's hospitality was well repaid when Lazarus was raised.
At the day of Pentecost when Peter's net landed 3,000 souls, was not our Lord's promise fulfilled? "Thrust out a little,"is the beginning of long voyages and fishing expeditions with Christ! [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 5

1  Jesus teaches the people out of Peter's ship;
4  shows how he will make them fishers of men;
12  cleanses the leper;
16  prays in the desert;
17  heals a paralytic;
27  calls Matthew the tax collector;
29  eats with sinners, as being the physician of souls;
33  foretells the fasting and afflictions of the apostles after his ascension;
36  and illustrates the matter by the parable of patches

Greek Commentary for Luke 5:8

Fell down at Jesus‘ knees [προσεπεσεν τοις γονασιν Ιησου]
Just like Peter, from extreme self-confidence and pride (Luke 5:5) to abject humilation. But his impulse here was right and sincere. His confession was true. He was a sinful man. [source]
Fell down at Jesus' knees []
Compare Sophocles, “Oedipus at Colonus,” 1605:“Zeus from the dark depths thundered, and the girlsHeard it, and shuddering, at their father's kneesFalling, they wept.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 5:8

Luke 8:47 Falling down []
Not in worship, but in terror. See on fell down, Luke 5:8. [source]
Acts 10:25 Worshipped him [prosekunēsen)]
“Cornelius was not an idolator and would not have honoured Peter as a god” (Furneaux). The word probably means here reverence like old English usage (Wycliff) and not actual worship, though Peter took it that way (Acts 10:26). Jesus accepted such worship (Matthew 8:2; Luke 5:8 by Peter). [source]
2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter []
Note the addition of Simon, and see on 1 Peter 1:1. The best-attested orthography is Symeon, which is the form of his name in Acts 15:14, where the account probably came from him. This also is the Hebraic form of the name found in the Septuagint, Revelation href="/desk/?q=re+7:7&sr=1">Revelation 7:7; Luke 2:25, Luke 2:34; Luke 3:30; Acts 13:1. The combined name, Simon Peter, is found Luke 5:8; John 13:6; John 20:2; John 21:15, and elsewhere, though in these instances it is given as Simon; Symeon occurring only in Acts 15:14. While his name is given with greater familiarity than in the first epistle, his official title, servant and apostle, is fuller. This combination, servant and apostle, occurs in no other apostolic salutation. The nearest approach to it is Titus 1:1. [source]
Revelation 1:17 I fell []
Compare Exodus 23:20; Ezekiel 1:28; Daniel 8:17sqq.; Daniel 10:7sqq.; Luke 5:8; Revelation 19:10. The condition of the seer, in the Spirit, does not supersede existence in the body. Compare Acts 9:3-5. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 5:8 mean?

Having seen now Simon Peter fell at the knees of Jesus saying Depart from me for a man sinful am I Lord
Ἰδὼν δὲ Σίμων Πέτρος προσέπεσεν τοῖς γόνασιν Ἰησοῦ λέγων Ἔξελθε ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ ὅτι ἀνὴρ ἁμαρτωλός εἰμι Κύριε

Ἰδὼν  Having  seen 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
Σίμων  Simon 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Σίμων  
Sense: Peter was one of the apostles.
Πέτρος  Peter 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Πέτρος  
Sense: one of the twelve disciples of Jesus.
προσέπεσεν  fell  at 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: προσπίπτω  
Sense: to fall forwards, fall down, prostrate one’s self before, in homage or supplication: at one’s feet.
γόνασιν  knees 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: γόνυ  
Sense: the knee, to kneel down.
Ἰησοῦ  of  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
λέγων  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
Ἔξελθε  Depart 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ἐμοῦ  me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἀνὴρ  a  man 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀνήρ  
Sense: with reference to sex.
ἁμαρτωλός  sinful 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἁμαρτωλός  
Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner.
εἰμι  am  I 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
Κύριε  Lord 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: κύριος  
Sense: he to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.