Boyd’s Bible Dictionary:
Grand division of animal kingdom
(Gen. 1:21-22). Without scales, unclean (Lev. 11:9-12). Plenty in waters of Palestine (Luke 5:5). Worship of, prohibited (Deut. 4:18). Caught with nets, hooks, and spears (Hab. 1:15; Luke 5:5-7; Job 41:7).
Concise Bible Dictionary:
On the fifth day of the creation God said, "Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life.... and God created great whales," or sea monsters. To man was given dominion over the fish of the sea (Gen. 1:20-21, 26, 28). Fish has been called God's especial gift to man. Any one may catch it in the sea and appropriate it to his own use. It increases abundantly without any care of man.
Fish was eaten freely in Egypt (Num. 11:5); but under the law the fish without fins and scales were declared to be unclean (Lev. 11:9-12). The fish in the sea of Galilee was very plentiful, and there was much fishing. In the O. T. we read of the “fish gate” at Jerusalem, which doubtless led to a fish market (Neh. 3:3; Neh. 12:39).
In the river that in a future day will flow from the threshold of the house and run into and heal the Dead Sea, there will be a "very great multitude of fish.... their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many" (Ezek. 47:9-10).
The Lord said to Peter and Andrew, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men." In accordance with this the kingdom of heaven is compared to a net being cast into the sea, which gathered of every kind: the good fish were put into vessels by the fishermen, but the bad were cast away. So will it be at the end of the age: the wicked will be separated from the just by the angels (Matt. 4:19; Matt. 13:47-50).
Dec. 10-20, 1937. Fishermen near Sidon.
“497. Egyptian Fishing” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Isaiah 19:8. The fishers also shall mourn, and all they that cast angle into the brooks shall lament, and they that spread nets upon the waters shall languish.
Reference is made in this “burden of Egypt” (see verse 1) to the Egyptian fisheries. The Egyptians consumed enormous quantities of fish, which they obtained from the teeming waters of the Nile, and of the canals which irrigated the land. So important was the traffic in fish that at one time, the royal profits from Lake Maeris alone amounted to a talent of silver a day, or about $350,000 a year. Large quantities of fish were salted; and sometimes the fish were simply dried in the sun. Two methods of Egyptian fishing are mentioned in the text.
1. Chakkah, “angle,” is rendered “hook” in Job 41:1. Angling was a favorite pastime with all ranks of the Egyptians. Their hooks were of bronze, and were baited with ground bait. Sometimes a short pole was used, and sometimes the fisherman held the line in his hand.
2. Mikmoreth, “nets,” was a drag-net, and is so rendered in Habakkuk 1:15-16. It was of a lengthened form, having floats along one edge and weights along the other, with a rope at each end. It corresponded to our seine, and was sometimes cast by hand, the men wading out with it and dragging it back to the shore, bringing the fish with it. At other times a boat was used, the net being cast overboard as the boat was rowed along. The monuments give a number of illustrations of fishing by nets, as well as with the hook, though it is said that net-fishing is now unknown in Egypt.
“662. Fishing Boats” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Matthew 13:2. He went into a ship, and sat.
See also Mark 4:1.
We have no special description of the ships which wore used on the Sea of Galilee. The most of them were probably small boats used for fishing purposes, and propelled by oars, while some had masts and sails. There were doubtless others which were used for pleasure or for passage; and Josephus tells us of some in his day that were vessels of war. Frequent mention is made by the evangelists of the ships on the Sea of Galilee.
“758. Night Fishing” From Manners and Customs of the Bible:
Luke 5:5. We have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing.
Night-fishing is very common in the East. Roberts says that in India the fishermen prefer the night to the day. They carry lighted torches to allure the fish. Dr. Thomson gives a lively description of night-fishing in Palestine: “It is a beautiful sight. With blazing torch the boat glides over the flashing sea, and the men stand gazing keenly into it until their prey is sighted, when, quick as lightning, they fling their net or fly their spear; and often you see the tired fishermen come sullenly into harbor in the morning, having toiled all night in vain” (The Land and the Book, vol. 2, p. 80).
Night-fishing is also referred to in John 21:3.
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