Keraia
Mark 8

Mark 8:5

The Feeding of the Four Thousand · Mark 8:1–10
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Translations

Modern
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.
Traditional
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Literal
And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”
Latin
Et interrogavit eos: Quot panes habetis? Qui dixerunt: Septem.

Interlinear

Greek
English
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

Notes

Mark 8:5

Seven: Many people have tried to find symbolic meaning in the numbers in the two feeding miracles. However, there is no agreement among these interpretations. The mention of "a few fish" in this story also suggests that the numbers are not symbolic.

None of the Gospel writers explain any special meaning for these numbers. This should caution us not to assign meaning to them.

As with the feeding of the five thousand, the numbers mainly serve to highlight the greatness of the miracle and of Jesus.

Mark 8:1–10

The stories about feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000 are similar. All four Gospels report the earlier feeding of the 5,000 (6:35–44; Matthew 14:13–21; Luke 9:10–17; John 6:1–15). Only Mark and Matthew also record the feeding of the 4,000 as a separate miracle (Matthew 15:32–39; Mark 8:19–21; Matthew 16:9–10). The details of the events are different.

Events

Parallels

2 Kings 4:42–44 Matthew 15:29–39

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Heal, Healing Mark, Gospel of Miracle

Topics

Jesus, the Christ: Feeds More than Four-Thousand People Jesus, the Christ: Miracles of More than Four-Thousand People Fed Miracles of Jesus, in Chronological Order: Feeds More than Four-Thousand People