And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
Parallel translations
- WEB He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;
- BSB And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground.
- NKJV So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
- NASB And He directed the people to sit down on the ground;
- NLT So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground.
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 commands the crowd to sit down on the ground. It matters because it shows orderly preparation to receive his provision.
Overview
Jesus directs the multitude to be seated, arranging them to receive the miraculous meal. The simple act of obedience precedes the blessing. It reflects how God provides for his people through ordered, trusting reception of his gifts. The scene quietly anticipates the great banquet Christ prepares for his people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Mark 6:39–40And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.
- Luke 9:14–16For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.
- John 6:10And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
- Matt 14:19–21And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 15:35 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.