Luke 9:12-13

9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close, ¹  so ²  the twelve came and said to Jesus, ³  “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging ⁴  and food, because we are in an isolated place.” ⁵  9:13 But he said to them, “You ⁶  give them something to eat.” They ⁷  replied, ⁸  “We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless ⁹  we go ¹⁰  and buy food ¹¹  for all these people.”

¹ tn Grk “the day began to decline,” looking to the approach of sunset.

² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ request was related to the approach of sunset.

³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn That is, find someone to show them hospitality. L&N 34.61 has “find lodging,” using this verse as an example.

⁵ tn Or “in a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation). Here ὧδε (Jwde) has not been translated.

⁶ tn Here the pronoun ὑμεῖς (Jumeis) is used, making “you” in the translation emphatic.

⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁸ tn Grk “said.”

⁹ tn This possibility is introduced through a conditional clause, but it is expressed with some skepticism (BDF §376).

¹⁰ tn The participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.

¹¹ sn Not only would going and buying food have been expensive and awkward at this late time of day, it would have taken quite a logistical effort to get the food back out to this isolated location.