Luke 9:10-12

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

9:10 When ¹  the apostles returned, ²  they told Jesus ³  everything they had done. Then ⁴  he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town ⁵  called Bethsaida. ⁶  9:11 But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He ⁷  welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, ⁸  and cured those who needed healing. ⁹  9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close, ¹⁰  so ¹¹  the twelve came and said to Jesus, ¹²  “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging ¹³  and food, because we are in an isolated place.” ¹⁴ 

[9:10]  ¹ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:10]  ² tn The participle ὑποστρέψαντες (Jupostreyante") has been taken temporally.

[9:10]  ³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:10]  ⁵ tc There is a seeming myriad of variants for this text. Many mss read εἰς τόπον ἔρημον (ei" topon erhmon, “to a deserted place”; א*^,2 [1241]) or εἰς τόπον ἔρημον πόλεως καλουμένης Βηθσαϊδά (ei" topon erhmon polew" kaloumenh" Bhqsai>da, “to a deserted place of a town called Bethsaida”; [A] C W Ξ^mg [Ë^1,13] [565] Ï) here, while others have εἰς κώμην λεγομένην Βηδσαϊδά (ei" kwmhn legomenhn Bhdsai>da, “to a village called Bedsaida”; D), εἰς κώμην καλουμένην Βηθσαϊδά εἰς τόπον ἔρημον (ei" kwmhn kaloumenhn Bhqsai>da ei" topon erhmon, “to a village called Bethsaida to a deserted place”; Θ), or εἰς τόπον καλουμένον Βηθσαϊδά (ei" topon kaloumenon Bhqsaida, “to a place called Bethsaida”; Ψ). The Greek behind the translation (εἰς πόλιν καλουμένην Βηθσαϊδά, ei" polin kaloumenhn Bhqsai>da) is supported by (Ì⁷⁵) א¹ B L Ξ* 33 2542 pc co. The variants can be grouped generally into those that speak of a “deserted place” and those that speak of a place/city/town called Bethsaida. The Byzantine reading is evidently a conflation of the earlier texts, and should be dismissed as secondary. The variants that speak of a deserted place are an assimilation to Mark 6:32, as well a harmonization with v. 12, and should also be regarded as secondary. The reading that best explains the rise of the others – both internally and externally – is the one that stands behind the translation and is found in the text of NA²⁷.

[9:10]  ⁶ sn Bethsaida was a town on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. Probably this should be understood to mean a place in the vicinity of the town. It represents an attempt to reconcile the location with the place of the miraculous feeding that follows.

[9:11]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:11]  ⁸ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

[9:11]  ⁹ sn Again the combination of word (spoke to them) and healing (cured, compassionate deed) is what summarizes Jesus’ ministry: See Luke 4:38-44; 6:17-19; 7:22 (as also the disciples, 9:6).

[9:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “the day began to decline,” looking to the approach of sunset.

[9:12]  ¹⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ request was related to the approach of sunset.

[9:12]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:12]  ¹⁶ tn That is, find someone to show them hospitality. L&N 34.61 has “find lodging,” using this verse as an example.

[9:12]  ¹⁷ tn Or “in a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation). Here ὧδε (Jwde) has not been translated.