Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 21:11

"Simon Peter therefore went up, and drew the net to land, full of great fishes, a hundred and fifty and three: and for all there were so many, the net was not rent." — John 21:11 (ASV)

Simon Peter returned to the boat and pulled the net to land. If he did this by himself, he must have possessed unusual strength. One hundred and fifty-three fish plus a wet net would probably weigh as much as three hundred pounds. The observation of the exact number of the fish and the fact that the net did not break reflect both an eyewitness account and a fisherman’s perspective. John was impressed by the numerical size of the catch and the preservation of the net under the stress. These fish were probably sorted and distributed among the disciples.