And the multitude cometh together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
Parallel translations
- WEB The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
- BSB Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.
- NKJV Then the multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
- NASB And He *came home, and the crowd *gathered again, to such an extent that they could not even eat a meal.
- NLT One time Jesus entered a house, and the crowds began to gather again. Soon he and his disciples couldn’t even find time to eat.
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
The crowd gathers again so densely that Jesus and his disciples cannot even eat. It matters because it shows the overwhelming demand on Jesus and his self-giving devotion to the people.
Overview
The relentless press of the multitude leaves no time even for a meal, illustrating Jesus' tireless ministry. This intensity sets the scene for the concern of his family and the slander of the scribes that follow. Mark portrays a Savior so consumed with serving others that his own basic needs are set aside.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 6:31And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while: for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat.
- John 4:31–34In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
- Mark 7:17And when he was entered into the house from the people, his disciples asked him concerning the parable.
- Luke 6:17And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;
- Mark 3:7But Jesus withdrew himself with his disciples to the sea: and a great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from Judaea,
- Mark 9:28And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?
- Mark 3:9And he spake to his disciples, that a small ship should wait on him because of the multitude, lest they should throng him.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 3:20 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.