And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.
Parallel translations
- WEB He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves. Having given thanks, he broke them, and gave them to his disciples to serve, and they served the multitude.
- KJV And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground: and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake, and gave to his disciples to set before them; and they did set them before the people.
- NKJV So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. And He took the seven loaves and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and they set them before the multitude.
- NASB And He *directed the people to recline on the ground; and taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and started giving them to His disciples to serve, and they served them to the people.
- NLT So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground. Then he took the seven loaves, thanked God for them, and broke them into pieces. He gave them to his disciples, who distributed the bread to the crowd.
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 seats the crowd, gives thanks, breaks the loaves, and has the disciples distribute them. He provides abundantly through ordered means.
Overview
The actions of taking, giving thanks, breaking, and giving echo both the first feeding and anticipate the Last Supper, linking Jesus' provision to his self-giving on the cross. He involves the disciples as servants who pass on what they receive from him. This pattern pictures how Christ feeds his people through the ministry he entrusts to the church.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Col 3:17And whatever you do, in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
- Matt 14:18–19“Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said.
- Matt 15:35–36And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.
- John 6:10–11“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.
- 1 Cor 10:30–31If I partake in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of that for which I give thanks?
- John 6:23However, some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.
- Rom 14:6He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.
- John 2:5His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”
- Luke 12:37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.
- Luke 9:14–15(There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.”
- Luke 24:30While He was reclining at the table with them, He took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to them.
- Mark 6:39–44Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass.
- 1 Sam 9:13As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. The people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice; after that, the guests will eat. Go up at once; you will find him.”
- Matt 26:26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is My body.”
- 1 Tim 4:3–5They will prohibit marriage and require abstinence from certain foods that God has created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 8:6 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.