Luke 5:8-9

5:8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Go away from me, Lord, ¹  for I am a sinful man!” ²  5:9 For ³  Peter ⁴  and all who were with him were astonished ⁵  at the catch of fish that they had taken,

[5:8]  ¹ sn Lord is a term of high respect in this context. God’s presence in the work of Jesus makes Peter recognize his authority. This vocative is common in Luke (20 times), but does not yet have its full confessional force.

[5:8]  ² sn Peter was intimidated that someone who was obviously working with divine backing was in his presence (“Go away from me”). He feared his sinfulness might lead to judgment, but Jesus would show him otherwise.

[5:9]  ³ sn An explanatory conjunction (For) makes it clear that Peter’s exclamation is the result of a surprising set of events. He speaks, but the others feel similarly.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[5:9]  ⁵ sn In the Greek text, this term is in an emphatic position.