And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
Parallel translations
- WEB They told him, “We only have here five loaves and two fish.”
- BSB “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
- NKJV And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
- NASB They *said to Him, “We have nothing here except five loaves and two fish.”
- NLT “But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish!” they answered.
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 disciples reply that they have only five loaves and two fish. Their meager resources seem hopelessly inadequate.
Overview
Faced with the impossible task, the disciples report their tiny supply of five loaves and two fish. Their honest assessment underscores the gap between the need and their ability to meet it. This small offering, placed in Jesus' hands, becomes the means through which His miraculous abundance is revealed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Luke 9:13But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.
- John 6:5–9When 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 6:37–38He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?
- Matt 15:33–34And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
- Mark 8:4–5And his disciples answered him, From whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the wilderness?
- Matt 16:9Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
- Ps 78:19–20Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?
- Num 11:21–23And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 14:17 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.