And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.
Parallel translations
- WEB Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
- BSB A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children.
- NKJV Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
- NASB And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
- NLT There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.
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
Those who ate numbered four thousand men, besides women and children. It matters because the large number underscores the scale of the miracle.
Overview
The count of four thousand men, plus women and children, shows the vast scope of what Jesus accomplished from seven loaves. The detail removes any doubt about the magnitude of the sign. It distinguishes this feeding from the earlier one of five thousand. Such provision testifies to Christ's divine power and his care for the multitudes.
Cross-references & the web
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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 15:38 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
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