Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Parallel Translations
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Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
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And Iesus sayde. Make the people sit doune: Ther was moche grasse in the place. And the men sate doune in nombre about five thousande.
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And Iesus saide, Make ye people sit downe. (Nowe there was much grasse in that place.) Then the men sate downe in nomber, about fiue thousande.
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to John 6:10 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Luke 9:14-16 For they were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” They did so, and made them all sit down. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to the sky, he blessed them, broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude.
- Matthew 14:18-19 He said, “Bring them here to me.” He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass; and he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, broke and gave the loaves to the disciples, and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
- Mark 8:6-7 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves. Having given thanks, he broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve, and they served the multitude. They had a few small fish. Having blessed them, he said to serve these also.
- Matthew 15:35-36 He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground; and he took the seven loaves and the fish. He gave thanks and broke them, and gave to the disciples, and the disciples to the multitudes.
- Mark 6:39-41 He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass. They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties. He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, he blessed and broke the loaves, and he gave to his disciples to set before them, and he divided the two fish among them all.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 10. Make the men sit down. That the disciples…
10. Make the men sit down. That the disciples were not sooner prepared to cherish the hope which their Master held out, and did not remember to ascribe to his power all that was proper, was a degree of stupidity worthy of blame; but no small praise is due to their cheerful obedience in now complying with his injunction, though they know not what is his intention, or what advantage they will derive from what they are doing. The same readiness to obey is manifested by the people; for, while they are uncertain about the result, they all sit down as soon as a single word of command has been pronounced. And this is the trial of true faith, when God commands men to walk, as it were, in darkness. For this purpose let us learn not to be wise in ourselves, but, amidst great confusion, still to hope for a prosperous issue, when we follow the guidance of God, who never disappoints his own people.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 10 And Jesus said, Make the men sit down.…
10 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.
Ver. 10. Make the men sit down] And they did so, though they saw no sense for it. This kind of blind obedience is very acceptable: Clausis oculis Deum sequi debemus ducem. We must wink and put ourselves into God’s hand to be led whither he pleaseth.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Jesus said, make the men sit down,.... The Syriac…
Jesus said, make the men sit down,.... The Syriac version reads, "all the men"; and the Persic version, "all the people"; men, women, and children: Christ, without reproving his disciples for their unbelief, ordered them directly to place the people upon the ground, and seat them in rows by hundreds and by fifties, in a rank and company, as persons about to take a meal:
now there was much grass in the place; at the bottom of the mountain; and it was green, as one of the evangelists observes, it being the spring of the year, and was very commodious to sit down upon:
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so the men sat down, in number about five thousand; besides women and children, Mat 14:21, so that there was but one loaf for more than a thousand persons.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 10. There was much grass in the place.]…
Verse 10. There was much grass in the place.] Perhaps newly mown grass, or hay, is meant, (so the Vulgate faenum,) and this circumstance marks out more particularly that the passover was at hand. In Palestine the grass is ready for mowing in March; and this miracle seems to have been wrought only a few days before the commencement of that festival: see Joh 6:4.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain The text in St. Matthew adds: without counting the…
The text in St. Matthew adds: without counting the women and the children, who might possibly amount to an equal number.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 10. much grass] As we might expect early in…
10. much grass] As we might expect early in April (Joh_6:4). S. Mark (Mar_6:39-40) mentions how they reclined in parterres, by hundreds and by fifties, on the green grass. This arrangement would make it easy to count them.
the men sat down] The women and children were probably apart by themselves. S. Matthew (Mat_14:21) tells us that the 5000 included the men only. Among those going up to the Passover there would not be many women or children.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (10) Much grass.—This is an addition in this account.…
(10) Much grass.—This is an addition in this account. St. Mark, who also represents the impression of an eye-witness, tells us that the grass was green (Joh_6:39). We know from Joh_6:4 that it was at the time of the Passover—i.e., about our April, when the hill-country on the west of the lake would naturally be clothed with verdure.
So the men sat down.—The word (ἄνδρες) means men as such, as distinct from women. (Comp. Note on Joh_1:51.) St. Matthew tells us there were five thousand men besides the women and children (Joh_14:21; see Note there).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Jesus said (the omission of de rather augments the…
Jesus said (the omission of de rather augments the vivid force of the statement), Make the people (anyrwpouv here. contrasted with the andrev of the next clause) recline. Now there was much grass in the place. As already said, this is in harmony with the note of time conveyed in ver. 4. The other evangelist (Mar_6:39) speaks of the people sitting down "upon the green grass a vivid touch this of an eyewitness; Matthew (Mat_14:19) also speaks of the grass; and Mark and Luke add another rememberable feature which John omits. The men (andrev were distinguished from anyrwpoi , which last term may have included the "women and children", (Mat_14:21) who in no great numbers probably formed, according to Eastern custom, a company by themselves). The men sat down (reclined), in number the matter of the "number" is here put into the "accusative of closer definition" (Meyer) about five thousand.
Luke says, "in groups of fifty." Mark first declares that Jesus ordered them to sit down (sumposia sumposia) in parties, and describes the result as having the appearance of garden beds (prasiai prasiai), of fifty or of a hundred each. The prasia is area, forus (Gartenbett; Homer, "Od.," 7:127; 24:247). Prasiai ," says Theophylact, "are the different divisions in gardens, in which different herbs are often planted." The image of the garden plots, with different divisions between them, forced itself on the eyewitness (see Trench, "Miracles," p. 205).
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain The miracle:
The miracle:
v. 10. 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.
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v. 11. And Jesus took the loaves; and when He had given thanks, He distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
v. 12. When they were filled, He said unto His disciples, Gather up the fragments that remain that nothing be lost.
v. 13. Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.
v. 14. Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.
Jesus now assumed charge of affairs, He became master of ceremonies, governor of the feast. He ordered the disciples to have the people recline on the green grass, which grew in abundance at this place, in the lowlands near the mouth of the Jordan, and had attained its full growth at this time of year. Since the men reclined in groups, it was an easy matter to find their number, which was five thousand, without women and children. Before the entire vast assembly which was now seated in anxious expectation, Jesus next took the loaves and gave thanks; He dedicated them to God by His prayer. And He at the same time proved Himself the almighty God and Lord, for His blessing upon the bread caused the miracle. The few loaves did not grow into great stacks, but they multiplied under His almighty touch during the distribution. No matter how often the disciples returned to the Lord for further supplies, there was always enough on hand. They obtained not only of the bread all that they wished for, but they were also given of the fishes, as much as everyone desired. All the people were fully satisfied, they had all that they could eat. Here was a powerful proof of the almighty power of Christ. The simple Nazarene is the Creator and Preserver of all things, who gives food and sustenance to all creatures. The hand of the Lord is not shortened even now, but is able and willing to help in all emergencies, if we but place our trust in Him. It is our duty to use the means He has given us, to do the work of our calling faithfully; then His blessing will never fail us. Incidentally, Jesus taught proper food conservation. He commanded that the disciples should pick up the small pieces that remained, the fragments, that nothing might go to waste. And when they did so, they filled twelve large wicker baskets or hampers, such as are used in the orient and elsewhere by gardeners for carrying fruit and vegetables on the back. The evangelist emphasizes that these fragments remained over and above that which had been eaten by the multitude. There is a lesson for all times in this story, namely, that infinite resources do not justify waste. There is a far cry from being anxiously careful for the future and being careful of the gifts which God has given. But the people did not draw the right conclusion from the miracle. They merely thought that this was "the beginning of that reign of earthly abundance which the prophets were thought to have foretold. " Some of them may have believed that Jesus was truly the Messiah, but the majority voiced their opinion in the statement that this man was of a truth, beyond doubt, that prophet that should come into the world, for they understood the words of Moses, Deu 18:15, of a mere man, with the spirit and the power of Moses. Note: There are many people in the midst of Christendom whose ideas concerning Christ are just as hazy as were those of the Jews on this occasion. It is only by continual study of the Bible that a full and clear understanding of the person and office of Jesus may be gained.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 sit down
sit down
"lie down"
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Now there was a lot of grass in the place
John briefly stops telling about the events in the story in order to give background information about the place where this event happens. (See: Background Information)
So the men sat down, about five thousand in number
While the crowd probably included women and children (John 6:4-5), here John is counting only the men.
giving thanks
Jesus prayed to God the Father and thanked him for the fish and the loaves.
he gave it
"he" here represents "Jesus and his disciples." AT: "Jesus and his disciples gave it" (See: Synecdoche)
translationWords
Jesus
disciple
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 6:10 The headcount of about 5,000 reflected the men…
6:10 The headcount of about 5,000 reflected the men alone (Matt 14:21), as social custom dictated. With women and children included, the total number was far greater.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.