Zebedee
Ask about Zebedee
Zebedee was a Galilean fisherman and the father of the apostles James and John. He was in the boat with his sons mending their nets when Jesus called them, and they immediately left the ship and their father to follow him. Mark adds that they left him 'in the ship with the hired servants,' a detail that suggests a fishing business of some size. Zebedee never speaks in the Gospels, but his name stayed attached to his sons, who were known as 'the sons of Zebedee,' and his wife, usually identified as Salome, followed Jesus and was present at the crucifixion.
Biography
- Occupation
- Fisherman
- Spouse
- Salome (Mother of James and John)
- Children
- James (Son of Zebedee), John (Apostle)
- Era
- New Testament
- Nationality
- Jewish, Galilean
Family
Did You Know?
Luke 5:10 says that James and John, 'the sons of Zebedee,' were 'partners with Simon,' so the two families appear to have fished the Sea of Galilee together.
The mention of 'hired servants' in Mark 1:20 shows that Zebedee employed workers beyond his own family, so his sons' departure did not leave him alone in the boat.
John's Gospel never names James or John directly; the only time it mentions them is as 'the sons of Zebedee' among the disciples by the sea after the resurrection (John 21:2).
Key Chapters
Key Passages
Left in the Ship
Matthew 4:21-22
The call of Jesus takes priority even over family and livelihood, and Zebedee is left mending nets as his sons walk away to follow.
21nd going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
With the Hired Servants
Mark 1:19-20
Mark's detail that Zebedee had hired servants shows the sons left a working business behind, not an empty boat.
19nd when he had gone a little farther thence, he saw James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, who also were in the ship mending their nets.
The Mother of Zebedee's Children
Matthew 20:20-21
Zebedee's wife comes to Jesus with an ambitious request for their sons, which Jesus answers with a lesson on service.
20hen came to him the mother of Zebedee’s children with her sons, worshipping him, and desiring a certain thing of him.
At the Cross
Matthew 27:55-56
The mother of Zebedee's children is among the women who followed Jesus from Galilee and stayed near to the end.
55nd many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
