And they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
Parallel translations
- WEB They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves.
- BSB So they went away in a boat by themselves to a solitary place.
- NKJV So they departed to a deserted place in the boat by themselves.
- NASB And they went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.
- NLT So they left by boat for a quiet place, where they could be alone.
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
They withdrew by boat to a deserted place. It sets the stage for the feeding of the five thousand.
Overview
Seeking solitude and rest, Jesus and the Twelve crossed the lake to a remote spot. Their attempt to escape the crowds would be overtaken by the people's eagerness, but it leads directly into one of Jesus' great miracles. The verse highlights both Christ's desire to care for His own and the unrelenting need of the multitudes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Mark 4:36And when they had sent away the multitude, they took him even as he was in the ship. And there were also with him other little ships.
- Mark 6:45And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people.
- Mark 8:2–9I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat:
- John 6:5–13When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?
- 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.
- Matt 14:13–21When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.
- Luke 9:10–17And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 6:32 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.