Jesus said, “Have the people recline to eat.” Now there was plenty of grass in the place. So the men reclined, about five thousand in number.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
- KJV And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
- BSB “Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
- NKJV Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
- NLT “Tell everyone to sit down,” Jesus said. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus has the crowd of about five thousand men sit down on the grass. The orderly preparation shows His authority and sets the stage for a deliberate, public miracle.
Overview
John notes the abundant grass, marking the Passover season (6:4) and recalling the Shepherd who makes His flock lie down in green pastures (Ps. 23:2). Counting only the men, the full crowd was likely far larger. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, gathers and feeds His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 9:14–16For they were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
- Matt 14:18–19He said, “Bring them here to me.”
- Mark 8:6–7He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves. Having given thanks, he broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve, and they served the multitude.
- Mark 6:39–41He commanded them that everyone should sit down in groups on the green grass.
- Matt 15:35–36He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 6:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.