Charles Ellicott Commentary John 21:9

"So when they got out upon the land, they see a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread." — John 21:9 (ASV)

They saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid thereon, and bread.—In the original the tenses are present, describing the scene as it was impressed on the mind of the writer. They saw a fire of coals and fish lying on it, and bread, or, perhaps, ... and a fish lying on it, and a loaf.

For “fire of coals” compare Note on John 18:18.

For the word rendered “fish,” compare John 21:10; John 21:13, and Notes on John 6:9; John 6:11. In this passage and in John 21:13 only it occurs in the singular, but it seems clear that it may be collective, as our word “fish.”