Matthew 14:1-2

The Death of John the Baptist

14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch ¹  heard reports about Jesus, 14:2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Matthew 10:23

10:23 Whenever ²  they persecute you in one place, ³  flee to another. I tell you the truth, ⁴  you will not finish going through all the towns ⁵  of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 12:15

God’s Special Servant

12:15 Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great ⁶  crowds ⁷  followed him, and he healed them all.

Mark 6:30-33

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:30 Then ⁸  the apostles gathered around Jesus and told him everything they had done and taught. 6:31 He said to them, “Come with me privately to an isolated place and rest a while” (for many were coming and going, and there was no time to eat). 6:32 So they went away by themselves in a boat to some remote place. 6:33 But many saw them leaving and recognized them, and they hurried on foot ⁹  from all the towns ¹⁰  and arrived there ahead of them. ¹¹ 

Luke 9:10-17

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

9:10 When ¹²  the apostles returned, ¹³  they told Jesus ¹⁴  everything they had done. Then ¹⁵  he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town ¹⁶  called Bethsaida. ¹⁷  9:11 But when the crowds found out, they followed him. He ¹⁸  welcomed them, spoke to them about the kingdom of God, ¹⁹  and cured those who needed healing. ²⁰  9:12 Now the day began to draw to a close, ²¹  so ²²  the twelve came and said to Jesus, ²³  “Send the crowd away, so they can go into the surrounding villages and countryside and find lodging ²⁴  and food, because we are in an isolated place.” ²⁵  9:13 But he said to them, “You ²⁶  give them something to eat.” They ²⁷  replied, ²⁸  “We have no more than five loaves and two fish – unless ²⁹  we go ³⁰  and buy food ³¹  for all these people.” 9:14 (Now about five thousand men ³²  were there.) ³³  Then ³⁴  he said to his disciples, “Have ³⁵  them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 9:15 So they did as Jesus directed, ³⁶  and the people ³⁷  all sat down.

9:16 Then ³⁸  he took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks ³⁹  and broke them. He gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 9:17 They all ate and were satisfied, and what was left over ⁴⁰  was picked up – twelve baskets of broken pieces.

John 6:1-15

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:1 After this ⁴¹  Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). ⁴²  6:2 A large crowd was following him because they were observing the miraculous signs he was performing on the sick. 6:3 So Jesus went on up the mountainside ⁴³  and sat down there with his disciples. 6:4 (Now the Jewish feast of the Passover ⁴⁴  was near.) ⁴⁵  6:5 Then Jesus, when he looked up ⁴⁶  and saw that a large crowd was coming to him, said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread so that these people may eat?” 6:6 (Now Jesus ⁴⁷  said this to test him, for he knew what he was going to do.) ⁴⁸  6:7 Philip replied, ⁴⁹  “Two hundred silver coins worth ⁵⁰  of bread would not be enough for them, for each one to get a little.” 6:8 One of Jesus’ disciples, ⁵¹  Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to him, 6:9 “Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good ⁵²  are these for so many people?”

6:10 Jesus said, “Have ⁵³  the people sit down.” (Now there was a lot of grass in that place.) ⁵⁴  So the men ⁵⁵  sat down, about five thousand in number. 6:11 Then Jesus took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed the bread to those who were seated. He then did the same with the fish, ⁵⁶  as much as they wanted. 6:12 When they were all satisfied, Jesus ⁵⁷  said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces that are left over, so that nothing is wasted.” 6:13 So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves ⁵⁸  left over by the people who had eaten.

6:14 Now when the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus ⁵⁹  performed, they began to say to one another, “This is certainly the Prophet ⁶⁰  who is to come into the world.” ⁶¹  6:15 Then Jesus, because he knew they were going to come and seize him by force to make him king, withdrew again up the mountainside alone. ⁶² 

[14:1]  ¹ sn A tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.

[10:23]  ² tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ³ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.”

[10:23]  ⁴ tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.

[10:23]  ⁵ tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.” “Town” was chosen here to emphasize the extensive nature of the disciples’ ministry. The same word is translated earlier in the verse as “place.”

[12:15]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[12:15]  ⁷ tc א B pc lat read only πολλοί (polloi, “many”) here, the first hand of N reads ὄχλοι (ocloi, “crowds”), while virtually all the rest of the witnesses have ὄχλοι πολλοί (ocloi polloi, “great crowds”). In spite of the good quality of both א and B (especially in combination), and the testimony of the Latin witnesses, the longer reading is most likely correct; the shorter readings were probably due to homoioteleuton.

[6:30]  ⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[6:33]  ⁹ tn Grk “ran together on foot.” The idea of συντρέχω (suntrecw) is “to come together quickly to form a crowd” (L&N 15.133).

[6:33]  ¹⁰ tn Or “cities.”

[6:33]  ¹¹ tc The translation here follows the reading προῆλθον (prohlqon, “they preceded”), found in א B [phone] pc lat co. Some mss (D 28 33 700 pc) read συνῆλθον (sunhlqon, “arrived there with them”), while the majority of mss, most of them late (Ì^84vid [A ˹³] Ï sy^h), conflate the two readings (προῆλθον αὐτοὺς καὶ συνῆλθον πρὸς αὐτόν, “they preceded them and came together to him”). The reading adopted here thus has better external credentials than the variants. As well, it is the harder reading internally, being changed “by copyists who thought it unlikely that the crowd on the land could have outstripped the boat” (TCGNT 78).

[9:10]  ¹² tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:10]  ¹³ tn The participle ὑποστρέψαντες (Jupostreyante") has been taken temporally.

[9:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:10]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:10]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[9:11]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ 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]  ²¹ tn Grk “the day began to decline,” looking to the approach of sunset.

[9:12]  ²² tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the disciples’ request was related to the approach of sunset.

[9:12]  ²³ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:12]  ²⁴ tn That is, find someone to show them hospitality. L&N 34.61 has “find lodging,” using this verse as an example.

[9:12]  ²⁵ tn Or “in a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation). Here ὧδε (Jwde) has not been translated.

[9:13]  ²⁶ tn Here the pronoun ὑμεῖς (Jumeis) is used, making “you” in the translation emphatic.

[9:13]  ²⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:13]  ²⁸ tn Grk “said.”

[9:13]  ²⁹ tn This possibility is introduced through a conditional clause, but it is expressed with some skepticism (BDF §376).

[9:13]  ³⁰ tn The participle πορευθέντες (poreuqente") has been taken as indicating attendant circumstance.

[9:13]  ³¹ 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.

[9:14]  ³² 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).

[9:14]  ³³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[9:14]  ³⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:14]  ³⁵ 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).

[9:15]  ³⁶ 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.

[9:15]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and they”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[9:16]  ³⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[9:16]  ³⁹ 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.”

[9:17]  ⁴⁰ sn There was more than enough for everybody, as indicated by the gathering of what was left over.

[6:1]  ⁴¹ tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.

[6:1]  ⁴² sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.

[6:3]  ⁴³ sn Up on the mountainside does not necessarily refer to a particular mountain or hillside, but may simply mean “the hill country” or “the high ground,” referring to the high country east of the Sea of Galilee (known today as the Golan Heights).

[6:4]  ⁴⁴ sn Passover. According to John’s sequence of material, considerable time has elapsed since the feast of 5:1. If the feast in 5:1 was Pentecost of a.d. 31, then this feast would be the Passover of a.d. 32, just one year before Jesus’ crucifixion.

[6:4]  ⁴⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[6:5]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “when he lifted up his eyes” (an idiom).

[6:6]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:6]  ⁴⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[6:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “Philip answered him.”

[6:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “two hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be an amount worth about eight months’ pay.

[6:8]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “one of his disciples.”

[6:9]  ⁵² tn Grk “but what are these”; the word “good” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[6:10]  ⁵³ tn Grk “Make.”

[6:10]  ⁵⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author (suggesting an eyewitness recollection).

[6:10]  ⁵⁵ 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).

[6:11]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “likewise also (he distributed) from the fish.”

[6:12]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:13]  ⁵⁸ sn Note that the fish mentioned previously (in John 6:9) are not emphasized here, only the five barley loaves. This is easy to understand, however, because the bread is of primary importance for the author in view of Jesus’ upcoming discourse on the Bread of Life.

[6:14]  ⁵⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:14]  ⁶⁰ sn The Prophet is a reference to the “prophet like Moses” of Deut 18:15, by this time an eschatological figure in popular belief.

[6:14]  ⁶¹ sn An allusion to Deut 18:15.

[6:15]  ⁶² sn Jesus, knowing that his “hour” had not yet come (and would not, in this fashion) withdrew again up the mountainside alone. The ministry of miracles in Galilee, ending with this, the multiplication of the bread (the last public miracle in Galilee recorded by John) aroused such a popular response that there was danger of an uprising. This would have given the authorities a legal excuse to arrest Jesus. The nature of Jesus’ kingship will become an issue again in the passion narrative of the Fourth Gospel (John 18:33ff.). Furthermore, the volatile reaction of the Galileans to the signs prepares for and foreshadows the misunderstanding of the miracle itself, and even the misunderstanding of Jesus’ explanation of it (John 6:22-71).