Mark 6:39-40

6:39 Then he directed them all to sit down in groups on the green grass. 6:40 So they reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties.

Matthew 14:18-19

14:18 “Bring them here to me,” he replied. 14:19 Then ¹  he instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples, ²  who in turn gave them to the crowds. ³ 

Matthew 15:35-36

15:35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 15:36 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. ⁴ 

Luke 9:14-15

9:14 (Now about five thousand men ⁵  were there.) ⁶  Then ⁷  he said to his disciples, “Have ⁸  them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 9:15 So they did as Jesus directed, ⁹  and the people ¹⁰  all sat down.

Luke 12:37

12:37 Blessed are those slaves ¹¹  whom their master finds alert ¹²  when he returns! I tell you the truth, ¹³  he will dress himself to serve, ¹⁴  have them take their place at the table, ¹⁵  and will come ¹⁶  and wait on them! ¹⁷ 

John 2:5

2:5 His mother told the servants, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” ¹⁸ 

John 6:10

6:10 Jesus said, “Have ¹⁹  the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) ²⁰  So the men ²¹  sat down, about five thousand in number.

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”

² tn Grk “And after instructing the crowds to recline for a meal on the grass, after taking the five loaves and the two fish, after looking up to heaven, he gave thanks, and after breaking the loaves he gave them to the disciples.” Although most of the participles are undoubtedly attendant circumstance, there are but two indicative verbs – “he gave thanks” and “he gave.” The structure of the sentence thus seems to focus on these two actions and has been translated accordingly.

³ tn Grk “to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.”

⁴ tn Grk “was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.”

⁵ tn The Greek text reads here ἄνδρες (andres) – that is, adult males. The actual count would be larger, since the use of this Greek term suggests that women and children were not included in this number (see the parallel in Matt 14:21).

⁶ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁸ tn Or “Make” (depending on how the force of the imperative verb is understood). Grk “cause them to recline” (the verb has causative force here).

⁹ tn Grk “And they did thus.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ action was a result of Jesus’ instructions. The adverb οὕτως ({outw", “thus”) has been expanded in the translation to “as Jesus directed” to clarify what was done.

¹⁰ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

¹² tn Or “watching”; Grk “awake,” but in context this is not just being awake but alert and looking out.

¹³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹⁴ tn See v. 35 (same verb).

¹⁵ tn Grk “have them recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.

¹⁶ tn The participle παρελθών (parelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

¹⁷ sn He…will come and wait on them is a reversal of expectation, but shows that what Jesus asks for he is willing to do as well; see John 13:5 and 15:18-27, although those instances merely foreshadow what is in view here.

¹⁸ tn The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.

¹⁹ tn Grk “Make.”

²⁰ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author (suggesting an eyewitness recollection).

²¹ tn Here “men” has been used in the translation because the following number, 5,000, probably included only adult males (see the parallel in Matt 14:21).