John 21:16

16. Jesus drops πλέον τούτων, which the humbled Apostle had shrunk from answering, but retains His own word ἀγαπᾷς. With πάλιν δεύτερον comp. John 4:54 and πάλιν ἐκ δευτέρου (Acts 10:15), πάλιν ἄνωθεν (Galatians 4:9), rursus denuo. Winer, p. 755.

ποίμ. τ. προβάτιά μ. Tend, or shepherd, My sheep. Βόσκειν is ‘to supply with food,’ as of the herd of swine (Matthew 8:30; Matthew 8:33; Mark 5:11; Mark 5:14; Luke 8:32; Luke 8:34; Luke 15:15; the only other passages where it occurs in N.T.): ποιμαίνειν is ‘to be shepherd to:’ literally Luke 17:7; 1 Corinthians 9:7; figuratively Matthew 2:6; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 5:2. Comp. Jude 1:12; Revelation 2:27; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 12:5; Revelation 19:15. It implies more of guidance than βόσκειν does. The lambs, which can go no distance, scarcely require guidance; their chief need is food. The sheep require both.