Matthew 15:33
in Matthew 15The disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?
KJV
And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
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This verse in Matthew 15
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd his disciples said unto him,.... The former miracle of feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, being quite out of their thoughts, they reply, whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?
This site's exposition
I have compassion on the multitude
on Matthew 15:32-34
Jesus names the reason himself, compassion, before naming the problem, three days without food, and the exposition notes the deliberate parallel this scene draws to the feeding of the five thousand only two chapters earlier. The disciples' question, whence should we have so much bread, reads almost as though the earlier miracle had left no lasting mark on their expectations, and Henry treats their forgetfulness as ordinary human weakness rather than a fault singled out for rebuke here. Seven loaves and a few small fishes are named before the miracle, the same pattern of meager supply that opens every feeding account in this Gospel.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
(Verse 33 and following) And His disciples said to Him, "Where would we get so many loaves in this desolate place to satisfy such a large crowd?" And Jesus said to them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven, and a few small fish." And He directed the people to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them, and He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied.
This was in response to everything that had happened before. So we must probe the corresponding reason for this entire situation and especially of the relation of Jews and Gentiles. We will then see that the promises that had earlier applied to the Jewish people were to be received by the Gentile people.There is an order, then, in the Lord's words that holds true in the receiving of grace. Those who approach baptism declare first that they believe in the Son of God and in his Passion and resurrection; a commitment is then made to this sign of profession. In this way a certain truth about the things themselves may result from this verbal promise. Those who devote the entire time in fasting to commemorate the Lord's Passion are joined to the Lord in a sort of fellowship of compassion. Therefore both by the sign of their promise and by their fasting, they spend all the time involved in the Lord's Passion with the Lord. Do you see the mystery? The Lord has compassion on this hopeful following of believers and says they have been with him for three days! Lest they weaken in the course of their worldly lives, in their workaday world, he wants now to feed them with his food and fortify them with his bread. In this way they can complete the formidable task of the entire journey, for the disciples were complaining that there was no bread in the desert. Indeed, they had previously imbibed the lesson that nothing is impossible with God. But what is signified by certain events can exceed the measure of our understanding. Indeed, how greatly favored the apostles were in saving Israel is told in the epistles of blessed Paul. And so, with the same devotion but now in the gathering of Gentiles, both the multiplying of bread and the silence of fasting are introduced.
(Sup. c. 14:15.) As we have spoken of this above, it would be tedious to repeat what has been already said; we shall therefore only dwell on those particulars in which this differs from the former. For these are not five, but four thousand; the number four being one always used in a good sense, and a four-sided stone is firm and rocks not, for which reason the Gospels also have been sacredly bestowed in this number. Also in the former miracle, because the people were neighbours unto the five senseso, it is the disciples, and not the Lord, that calls to mind their condition; but here the Lord Himself says, that He has compassion upon them, because they continue now three days with Him, that is, they believed on the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 53 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
Wherefore also they say to Him, "Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness?" Both before this, and now, they make mention of the wilderness; themselves in a weak way of argument so speaking, yet even hereby putting the miracle above suspicion. That is, lest any should affirm (as I have indeed already said), that they obtained it from some neighboring village, the place is acknowledged, that the miracle may be believed. With this view, both the former miracle and this He works in a wilderness, at a great distance from the villages. The disciples, considering none of all this, said, "Whence should we have so many loaves in a wilderness?" For they thought verily He had said it as purposing next to enjoin them to feed the people; most foolishly; since with this intent He had said, and that lately, "Give ye them to eat," that He might bring them to an urgent need of entreating Him. But now He saith not this, "Give ye them to eat," but what? "I have compassion on them, and will not send them away fasting;" bringing the disciples nearer, and provoking them more, and granting them clearer sight, to ask these things of Him. For in truth they were the words of one signifying that He hath power not to send them away fasting; of one manifesting His authority. For the expression, "I will not," implies such a purpose in Him.
The Medieval Church1 voice
And the disciples say to him etc. Here the material is set forth. And first, how he gave; second, how much material was at hand. Hence it says and they say: whence then should we have so many loaves in the desert? Here the slowness …
4 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church1 voice
They should have understood that on the previous occasion even a greater number had been fed in the desert. But they are senseless here, so that later when you see them filled with such great wisdom, you may marvel at the grace of Christ.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, etc. - Human foresight, even in the followers of Christ, is very short. In a thousand instances, if we supply not its deficiency by faith, we shall be always embarrassed, and often miserable. This world is a desert, where nothing can be found to satisfy the soul of man, but the salvation which Christ has procured.
The beginning of this passage contains three points which deserve our special attention. For the present let us dwell exclusively on them. In the first place, let us remark how much more pains people take about the relief of their bodily diseases than about their souls. We read that “ great multitudes came to Jesus having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed and many others.” Many of them, no doubt, had journeyed many miles, andgone through great fatigues. Nothing is so difficult and troublesome as to move sick people.
The beginning of this passage contains three points which deserve our special attention. For the present let us dwell exclusively on them. In the first place, let us remark how much more pains people take about the relief of their bodily diseases than about their souls. We read that “ great multitudes came to Jesus having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed and many others.” Many of them, no doubt, had journeyed many miles, andgone through great fatigues. Nothing is so difficult and troublesome as to move sick people. But the hope of being healed was in sight: such hope is everything to a sick man. We know little of human nature if we wonder at the conduct of these people. We need not wonder at all. They felt that health was the greatest of earthly blessings; they felt that pain was the hardest of all trials to bear. There is no arguing against sense. A man feels his strength failing; he sees his body wasting and his face becoming pale; he is sensible that his appetite is leaving him: he knows, in short, that he is ill, and needs a physician. Show him a physician within reach, who is said never to fail in working cures, and he will go to him without delay. Let us, however, not forget that our souls are far more diseased than our bodies, and let us learn a lesson from the conduct of these people. Our souls are afflicted with a malady far more deep-seated, far more complicated, far more hard to cure than any ailment that flesh is heir to. They are in fact plague-stricken by sin. They must be healed, and healed effectually, or perish everlastingly. Do we really know this? Do we feel it? Are we alive to our spiritual disease? Alas, there is but one answer to these questions! The bulk of mankind do not feel it at all. Their eyes are blinded. They are utterly insensible to their danger.
The words behind it
15 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| λέγουσιν | legousin | say | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| αὐτῷ | auto | to Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μαθηταί | mathetai | disciples | G3101 → | 260 times |
| πόθεν | pothen | From where | G4159 → | 29 times |
| ἡμῖν | hemin | to us | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἐρημίᾳ | eremia | a secluded place | G2047 → | |
| ἄρτοι | artoi | loaves | G740 → | 97 times |
| τοσοῦτοι | tosoutoi | so many | G5118 → | 20 times |
| ὥστε | hoste | as | G5620 → | 83 times |
| χορτάσαι | chortasai | to satisfy | G5526 → | 16 times |
| ὄχλον | ochlon | a crowd | G3793 → | 175 times |
| τοσοῦτον;¶ | tosouton | so great? | G5118 → | 20 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
λέγουσινsay
legousinG3004 →1325 times
αὐτῷto Him
autoG846 →5565 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
μαθηταίdisciples
mathetaiG3101 →260 times
πόθενFrom where
pothenG4159 →29 times
ἡμῖνto us
heminG3165 →1936 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἐρημίᾳa secluded place
eremiaG2047 →
ἄρτοιloaves
artoiG740 →97 times
τοσοῦτοιso many
tosoutoiG5118 →20 times
ὥστεas
hosteG5620 →83 times
χορτάσαιto satisfy
chortasaiG5526 →16 times
ὄχλονa crowd
ochlonG3793 →175 times
τοσοῦτον;¶so great?
tosoutonG5118 →20 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Mark 6:37But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” They asked Him, “Should we go out and spend two hundred denarii to give all of them bread to eat?”
it leads to
- 2 Kings 4:42–44
Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.
- Matthew 15:32–33
Then Jesus called His disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. I do not want to…
- Numbers 11:13
Where can I get meat for all these people? For they keep crying out to me, ‘Give us meat to eat!’
- Mark 8:2–3
“I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat.
- 2 Kings 4:42–44
Through
Luke 9:13But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.”
it leads to
- Proverbs 11:24–25
One gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds what is right, only to become poor.
- John 6:5–9
When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?”
- 2 Kings 4:42–43
Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha.
- Proverbs 11:24–25
Through
Matthew 14:15When evening came, the disciples came to Him and said, “This is a desolate place, and the hour is already late. Dismiss the crowds so they can go to the villages and buy themselves…
it leads to
- Matthew 15:23
But Jesus did not answer a word. So His disciples came and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”
- Matthew 15:23
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew
This page draws on 11 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Hilary of Poitiers, Commentary on Matthew 15.7-9; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew; Jerome, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 53; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.