And Jesus *said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.”
- KJV And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.
- BSB “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”
- NKJV Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
- NLT Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” They replied, “Seven loaves, and a few small fish.”
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 asks how many loaves they have; they have seven loaves and a few small fish. It matters because Christ characteristically begins with the little that is offered to him.
Overview
Jesus directs attention to the small supply already at hand—seven loaves and a few fish. He often works through what his people bring, however meager, to display his abundance. The modest inventory makes the coming provision unmistakably miraculous. It teaches that nothing is too small for Christ to use and multiply.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Matt 16:9–10Don’t you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
- Luke 24:41–42While they still didn’t believe for joy, and wondered, he said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?”
- John 21:9–10So when they got out on the land, they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid on it, and bread.
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 15:34 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.