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They all ate, and were filled. They took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces.
Matthew 14:20 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.
  • BSB They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
  • NKJV So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
  • NASB And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces: twelve full baskets.
  • NLT They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.

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

All eat and are satisfied, with twelve baskets of leftovers gathered. Christ's provision is not merely sufficient but overflowing.

Overview

The entire crowd eats to the full, and twelve baskets of fragments remain. The abundance demonstrates the lavish generosity of Jesus' power, far exceeding the need. This sign points to the Messiah who richly satisfies and recalls God's provision in the wilderness, presenting Jesus as the greater shepherd who feeds His flock.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 20

  • Exod 16:12“I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At evening you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread: and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God.’”
  • Matt 16:8–10Jesus, perceiving it, said, “Why do you reason among yourselves, you of little faith, ‘because you have brought no bread?’
  • Exod 16:8Moses said, “Now Yahweh shall give you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to satisfy you; because Yahweh hears your murmurings which you murmur against him. And who are we? Your murmurings are not against us, but against Yahweh.”
  • 1 Kgs 17:12–16She said, “As Yahweh your God lives, I don’t have a cake, but a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a jar. Behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and bake it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”
  • Mark 6:42–44They all ate, and were filled.
  • Lev 26:26When I break your staff of bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver your bread again by weight. You shall eat, and not be satisfied.
  • John 6:11–14Jesus took the loaves; and having given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to those who were sitting down; likewise also of the fish as much as they desired.
  • 2 Kgs 4:1–7Now a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, “Your servant my husband is dead. You know that your servant feared Yahweh. Now the creditor has come to take for himself my two children to be slaves.”
  • 2 Kgs 4:43–44His servant said, “What, should I set this before a hundred men?” But he said, “Give the people, that they may eat; for Yahweh says, ‘They will eat, and will have some left over.’”
  • Luke 1:53He has filled the hungry with good things. He has sent the rich away empty.
  • Mark 8:8–9They ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
  • Luke 9:17They ate, and were all filled. They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
  • Prov 13:25The righteous one eats to the satisfying of his soul, but the belly of the wicked goes hungry.
  • Mark 8:16–21They reasoned with one another, saying, “It’s because we have no bread.”
  • Hag 1:6You have sown much, and bring in little. You eat, but you don’t have enough. You drink, but you aren’t filled with drink. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm, and he who earns wages earns wages to put them into a bag with holes in it.”
  • Matt 5:6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.
  • Matt 15:33The disciples said to him, “Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a multitude?”
  • John 6:7Philip answered him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that everyone of them may receive a little.”
  • Ezek 4:14–16Then I said, “Ah Lord Yahweh! Behold, my soul has not been polluted; for from my youth up even until now I have not eaten of that which dies of itself, or is torn of animals; neither came there abominable meat into my mouth!”
  • Matt 15:37–38They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 14:20YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 14:20 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.