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And they all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up what was left over of the broken pieces, seven large baskets full.
Matthew 15:37 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.
  • KJV And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.
  • BSB They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.
  • NKJV So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
  • NLT They all ate as much as they wanted. Afterward, the disciples picked up seven large baskets of leftover food.

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

Everyone eats and is filled, with seven baskets of leftovers gathered. It matters because the abundant surplus proves Christ's provision is more than sufficient.

Overview

The whole crowd eats to satisfaction, and seven full baskets remain. The leftovers demonstrate that Christ's provision overflows all need. This abundance confirms the miracle and reveals the generosity of God in Christ. It assures believers that the Lord supplies more than enough for those who trust him.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Mark 8:19–21When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.”
  • 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.
  • 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?”
  • Matt 14:20–21They all ate, and were filled. They took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces.
  • Matt 16:9–10Don’t you yet perceive, neither remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up?
  • Ps 107:9For he satisfies the longing soul. He fills the hungry soul with good.

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 15:37YouTube · 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 15:37 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.