And if I send them away hungry to their own houses, they will faint on the way; for some of them have come from afar.”
Parallel translations
- WEB If I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come a long way.”
- KJV And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.
- BSB If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”
- NASB And if I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way; and some of them have come from a great distance.”
- NLT If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a long distance.”
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 refuses to send the people away hungry lest they collapse on the journey home. He provides rather than dismisses those in need.
Overview
Noting that some had come a long way underscores both the crowd's devotion and their vulnerability. Jesus' refusal to abandon them displays his caring provision. It pictures the Lord who does not turn away the weary but sustains his people for the journey, ultimately feeding them with himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Isa 40:31But those who wait for Yahweh will renew their strength. They will mount up with wings like eagles. They will run, and not be weary. They will walk, and not faint.
- Judg 8:4–6Gideon came to the Jordan, and passed over, he, and the three hundred men who were with him, faint, yet pursuing.
- 1 Sam 30:10–12But David pursued, he and four hundred men; for two hundred stayed behind, who were so faint that they couldn’t go over the brook Besor.
- 1 Sam 14:28–31Then one of the people answered, and said, “Your father directly commanded the people with an oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’” The people were faint.
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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 8:3 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.