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The Feeding of the Four Thousand

32 Then Jesus called his disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.” 33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” 34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven—and a few small fish.” 35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds.[a] 37 They[b] all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 38 Not counting children and women,[c] there were 4,000 men who ate.[d] 39 After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat[e] and went to the region of Magadan.[f]

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 15:36 tn Grk “was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.”
  2. Matthew 15:37 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
  3. Matthew 15:38 tc ‡ Although most witnesses (B C L N W Γ Δ ƒ13 33 1424 M f sys,p,h mae) read “women and children” instead of “children and women,” this is likely a harmonization to Matt 14:21. A decision is difficult here, but since “children and women” is found in early and geographically widespread witnesses (e.g., א D [Θ ƒ1] 579 lat syc sa bo), and has more compelling internal arguments on its side, it is likely the reading of the initial text. NA28, however, agrees with the majority of witnesses.
  4. Matthew 15:38 tn Grk “And those eating were 4,000 men, apart from children and women.”
  5. Matthew 15:39 sn See the note at Matt 4:21 for a description of the first-century fishing boat discovered in 1986 near Tiberias on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee.
  6. Matthew 15:39 sn Magadan was a place along the Sea of Galilee, the exact location of which is uncertain.

32 And Jesus called unto him his disciples, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days and have nothing to eat: and I would not send them away fasting, lest haply they faint on the way. 33 And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude? 34 And Jesus said unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few small fishes. 35 And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; 36 and he took the seven loaves and the fishes; and he gave thanks and brake, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes. 37 And they all ate, and were filled: and they took up that which remained over of the broken pieces, seven baskets full. 38 And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children. 39 And he sent away the multitudes, and entered into the boat, and came into the borders of Magadan.

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