Matthew 14:19-21

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  14:20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, twelve baskets full. 14:21 Not counting women and children, there were about five thousand men who ate.

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.

Luke 9:14-16

9:14 (Now about five thousand men ⁴  were there.) ⁵  Then ⁶  he said to his disciples, “Have ⁷  them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 9:15 So they did as Jesus directed, ⁸  and the people ⁹  all sat down.

9:16 Then ¹⁰  he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks ¹¹  and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd.

John 6:10

6:10 Jesus said, “Have ¹²  the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) ¹³  So the men ¹⁴  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 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).

⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁷ 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).

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹¹ sn Gave thanks adds a note of gratitude to the setting. The scene is like two other later meals: Luke 22:19 and 24:30. Jesus gives thanks to God “with respect to” the provision of food. The disciples learn how Jesus is the mediator of blessing. John 6 speaks of him in this scene as picturing the “Bread of Life.”

¹² tn Grk “Make.”

¹³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author (suggesting an eyewitness recollection).

¹⁴ 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).