John 21:7 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with the historical present legei {λέγει | lé-gei} “he says,” a vivid narrative device that draws the reader into the scene. The subject phrase ho mathētēs ekeinos hon ēgapa ho Iēsous {ὁ μαθητὴς ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς | ho ma-thē-tḗs e-keî-nos hòn ē-gá-pa ho Iē-soûs} consists of a demonstrative “that disciple” modified by a relative clause “whom Jesus loved,” marking this figure as the beloved disciple and highlighting his privileged recognition of Jesus. The dative τῷ Πέτρῳ {τῷ Πέτρῳ | tôi Pé-trōi} “to Peter” indicates the recipient of the declaration. The clause Ὁ κύριός ἐστιν {Ὁ κύριός ἐστιν | Ho ký-ri-os é-stin} “It is the Lord” is short and emphatic, with the subject fronted and the copula following, functioning almost as a christological confession. A new subject is introduced with Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος {Σίμων οὖν Πέτρος | Sí-mōn oûn Pé-tros}, appositional naming that emphasizes the well-known apostle and prepares for his characteristic impulsive action. The aorist participle akousas {ἀκούσας | a-koú-sas} “having heard” is adverbial, temporal, and causal, showing that Peter’s subsequent actions are an immediate response to the report hoti ho kurios estin {ὅτι ὁ κύριός ἐστιν | hó-ti ho ký-ri-os é-stin} “that it was the Lord.” The direct object ton ependutēn {τὸν ἐπενδύτην | tòn e-pen-dý-tēn} “the outer garment” precedes the verb diezōsato {διεζώσατο | di-e-zó-sa-to} “he girded around himself,” an idiomatic middle-voice expression meaning that he secured his mantle to be ready for movement. The explanatory clause ēn gar gumnos {ἦν γὰρ γυμνός | ên gár gym-nós} justifies this action; gumnos in this work setting implies being lightly clothed or stripped for labor rather than completely unclothed. Finally, the aorist ebalen heauton eis tēn thalassan {ἔβαλεν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν | é-ba-len he-au-tón eis tēn thá-las-san} “he threw himself into the sea” uses a strong verb plus reflexive pronoun to portray Peter’s eagerness to reach Jesus quickly. In translation, clauses are arranged to preserve the cause-and-effect flow (hearing, girding, jumping) and to retain the sharp christological focus of the exclamation “It is the Lord.”