And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.
Parallel translations
- WEB Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
- KJV And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
- NKJV Now those who had eaten the loaves were about five thousand men.
- NASB There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.
- NLT A total of 5,000 men and their families were fed.
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
Five thousand men ate, not counting women and children. The number underscores the magnitude of the miracle.
Overview
Mark specifies the men alone numbered five thousand, implying a total crowd far larger. The sheer scale rules out any natural explanation and magnifies the power displayed. This is one of the few miracles recorded in all four Gospels, marking its importance as a sign of who Jesus is.
Cross-references & the web
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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 6:44 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.