They sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.
Parallel translations
- KJV And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.
- BSB So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties.
- NKJV So they sat down in ranks, in hundreds and in fifties.
- NASB They reclined in groups of hundreds and fifties.
- NLT So they sat down in groups of fifty or a hundred.
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 people sat in ranks of hundreds and fifties. The orderly arrangement underscores that this was a real, organized event witnessed by thousands.
Overview
The structured seating recalls Israel's encampment in the wilderness, evoking God's provision of manna. It allowed the disciples to serve everyone and confirmed the scale of the crowd. The orderliness reflects that God is not a God of confusion but acts purposefully and visibly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Luke 9:14–15For they were about five thousand men. He said to his disciples, “Make them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
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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 6:40 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
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