John Gill

and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces of bread and fish.

“And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments,.... Of the broken pieces of bread, after all had eaten, and were satisfied: and of the fishes; what remained of them:, for though there was but one loaf for a thousand persons and more, and…”

And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.

“And they that did eat of the loaves,.... And also of the fishes; for they all ate of both; were about five thousand men; the word ωσει, "about", is omitted in the Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, Persic and Ethiopic versions, reading five thousand men certain.”

When evening came, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and Jesus was alone on land.

“And when even was come,.... The second evening, and it was properly night: the ship was in the midst of the sea; of Galilee, about twenty five or thirty furlongs from the shore; see Joh 6:19; and he alone on the land; upon the mountain.”

for they had not understood about the loaves, but their hearts had been hardened.

“For they considered not the miracle of the loaves,.... Which they had seen but the day before; they did not attend to it, nor learn from it, as they might, the wonderful glory of Christ, and the greatness of his power; which was as much…”

When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and moored the boat.

“And when they had passed over,.... The lake of Gennesaret, or sea of "Galilee", they came into the land of Gennesaret; See Gill on Mat 14:34; to Capernaum, as appears from Joh 6:17 for Capernaum was in the land of Gennesaret; to which agrees what…”

and ran through that whole region, carrying the sick on mats to wherever they heard He was.

“And ran through that whole region round about,.... That is, the inhabitants of that part of the country where Christ landed, ran many of them themselves, and others sent messengers into all parts of it, on every side: and began to carry about in beds…”

Now in holding to the tradition of the elders, the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat until they wash their hands ceremonially.

“For the Pharisees, and all the Jews,.... The far greater part of them; all, excepting the Sadducees; and especially the Pharisees, were very tenacious of this tradition of washing hands before eating: hence Pharisees are described as such, אוכלי חוליהן בטהרה, "that eat their common…”

So the Pharisees and scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders? Instead, they eat with defiled hands.”

“Then the Pharisees and Scribes asked him,.... Not the disciples, but Christ himself; for their chief view was to find fault, and quarrel with him: why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashen hands?”

They worship Me in vain; they teach as doctrine the precepts of men.’

“Howbeit, in vain do they worship me,.... This is the continuation of the citation out of Isaiah, as is also what follows: teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”

You have disregarded the commandment of God to keep the tradition of men.”

“For laying aside the commandment of God,.... Meaning not any particular commandment, but all the commandments of God, the whole written law; to which they preferred the oral law, or the traditions of the elders, and the decisions of their doctors.”

He went on to say, “You neatly set aside the command of God to maintain your own tradition.

“And he said unto them,.... He continued his discourse, saying, full well, or "fairly", ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition: these words may be considered, as spoken ironically, thus; as pious and excellently good men, you in a…”

For Moses said, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ and ‘Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.’

“For Moses said,.... That is, God by Moses; for the following precept was spoken by God, and written by him on one of the tables of stone, and delivered into the hands of Moses, to be given to the children of Israel: honour thy father…”

“Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,

“And he saith unto them,.... With some warmth of spirit and resentment, at their stupidity: are ye so without understanding also?”

He continued: “What comes out of a man, that is what defiles him.

“And he said,.... Continued to say in his discourse; though this is left but in the Syriac version; that which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man; meaning, not his excrements, which were unclean by the law, Deu 23:13 but what comes out…”

All these evils come from within, and these are what defile a man.”

“All these evil things come from within,.... All evil thoughts, words, and actions, take their rise from the inward parts of man; from his heart; which is sadly corrupted, and is the fountain from whence all these impure streams flow.”

Jesus left that place and went to the region of Tyre. Not wanting anyone to know He was there, He entered a house, but was unable to escape their notice.

“And from thence he arose,.... From the land of Gennesaret, or from Capernaum, which was in it: and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon; two cities of Phoenicia: not into them, but into the borders of them; into those parts of Galilee, which…”

Now she was a Greek woman of Syrophoenician origin, and she kept asking Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

“The woman was a Greek,.... Or Gentile, an Heathen woman, which made her faith the more remarkable.”

“First let the children have their fill,” He said. “For it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

“But Jesus said unto her,.... Not directly and immediately, upon her first request; for he answered not a word to that; but after his, disciples had desired she might be sent away, her cries being so troublesome to them; and after she had renewed her…”

“Yes, Lord,” she replied, “even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.”

“And she answered and said unto him, yes, Lord,.... Agreeing to, and acquiescing in, what he said; which she seemed to have understood, though delivered in a proverbial way; and very appropriately replies, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs; which…”

So Jesus took him aside privately, away from the crowd, and put His fingers into the man’s ears. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue.

“And he took him aside from the multitude,.... To shun all appearance of ostentation and vain glory: and put his fingers into his ears; the finger of his right hand into his left ear, and the finger of his left hand into his right ear…”

In those days the crowd once again became very large, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said,

“In those days,.... The Ethiopic version reads, on that day; as if it was on the same day that the deaf man was healed; and so it might be; and on the third day from Christ's coming into those parts; and so is very properly…”

If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”

“And if I send them away fasting to their own houses,.... Greek, "to their own house", or home; but all the Oriental versions render it as we do, in the plural, "their own houses", or habitations; and it seems from hence that they were now…”

His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?”

“And his disciples answered him,.... The Syriac version renders it, "say unto him"; and the Persic and Ethiopic, "said unto him"; forgetting the late miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, when they had now a less number, and more provisions…”

And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set…

“And he commanded the people to sit down on the ground,.... See Gill on Mat 15:35; and he took the seven loaves, and gave thanks, and brake them; See Gill on Mat 15:36; and gave to his disciples to set before them, the multitude, and…”

The people ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up seven basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

“So they did eat, and were filled,.... Christ and his disciples, and the whole multitude: they not only had some, but they had all enough, a full meal.”