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And when his disciples were come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
Matthew 16:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB The disciples came to the other side and had forgotten to take bread.
  • BSB When they crossed to the other side, the disciples forgot to take bread.
  • NKJV Now when His disciples had come to the other side, they had forgotten to take bread.
  • NASB And the disciples came to the other side of the sea, but they had forgotten to bring any bread.
  • NLT Later, after they crossed to the other side of the lake, the disciples discovered they had forgotten to bring any bread.

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

The disciples cross the lake and realize they forgot to bring bread. It matters because their concern sets up Jesus' warning about a more dangerous 'yeast.'

Overview

Having left the Pharisees and Sadducees, the disciples cross to the other side, having forgotten provisions. Their preoccupation with literal bread becomes the occasion for a spiritual lesson. The small detail leads into Jesus' warning and another instance of the disciples' slowness to understand. It shows how easily everyday worries can crowd out spiritual perception.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 2

  • Mark 8:13–14And he left them, and entering into the ship again departed to the other side.
  • Matt 15:39And he sent away the multitude, and took ship, and came into the coasts of Magdala.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 16:5YouTube · 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 16:5 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.