Keraia
John 6

John 6:10

The Feeding of the Five Thousand · John 6:1–15
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Translations

Modern
“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
Traditional
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Literal
Jesus said, “Make the men recline.” Now there was much grass in the place; therefore the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Latin
Dixit ergo Jesus: Facite homines discumbere. Erat autem fœnum multum in loco. Discubuerunt ergo viri, numero quasi quinque millia.

Interlinear

Greek
English
“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.

Notes

John 6:10

The count of about 5,000 included only the men, as was the usual way of counting in that culture (Matthew 14:21). Including women and children, the total number of people was much greater.

John 6:1–15

Jesus feeding the 5,000 recalls the Old Testament story of manna (bread from heaven) when Israel was in the wilderness (Exodus 16). In that story, God provided bread each day for his people.

In the time of Jesus, some Jewish teachers believed that the Messiah would again give bread from heaven (Exodus 16:4). They expected a new act of divine provision.

When Jesus fed the crowd, he met this expectation. However, he was not only giving physical bread. He was pointing to himself as the true bread from heaven, who gives life to the world.

John 6:1–71

Each story in this chapter uses the setting of the Feast of the Passover (6:4) to communicate a deeper meaning.

Events

Parallels

Matthew 14:13–21 Mark 6:30–44 Luke 9:10–17

People

Jesus: The Son of God and Savior of the world

Glossary

Agriculture Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Bread Food and Food Preparation Jesus Christ Jesus Christ, Teachings of John, Gospel of Lord’s Supper, the Miracle Sea of Galilee Spirit of Jesus Christ

Topics

Jesus, the Christ: Miracles of More than Five-Thousand People Fed Jesus, the Christ: The Twelve Apostles Return