John 6:10
And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
Original Language Analysis
ὁ
G3588
ὁ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
3 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Ἰησοῦς
Jesus
G2424
Ἰησοῦς
Jesus
Strong's:
G2424
Word #:
4 of 23
jesus (i.e., jehoshua), the name of our lord and two (three) other israelites
Ποιήσατε
Make
G4160
Ποιήσατε
Make
Strong's:
G4160
Word #:
5 of 23
to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)
τοὺς
G3588
τοὺς
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
6 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
χόρτος
grass
G5528
χόρτος
grass
Strong's:
G5528
Word #:
11 of 23
a "court" or "garden", i.e., (by implication, of pasture) herbage or vegetation
πολὺς
much
G4183
πολὺς
much
Strong's:
G4183
Word #:
12 of 23
(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many; neuter (singular) as adverbial, largely; neuter (plural) as adverb or noun often, mostly, largely
τῷ
G3588
τῷ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
14 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
τόπῳ
the place
G5117
τόπῳ
the place
Strong's:
G5117
Word #:
15 of 23
a spot (general in space, but limited by occupancy; whereas g5561 is a large but participle locality), i.e., location (as a position, home, tract, etc
οἱ
G3588
οἱ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
18 of 23
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Historical Context
The Greek word for 'men' (aner) specifically means adult males. Counting only men follows ancient census practice. The organization into groups (Mark 6:40 specifies fifties and hundreds) facilitated orderly distribution. Jesus' methodical approach shows that miracles don't exclude organization.
Questions for Reflection
- Why does Jesus organize the crowd before performing the miracle?
- What does the specific detail about 'much grass' suggest about John's account?
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Analysis & Commentary
'And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.' Jesus takes charge, organizing the crowd. Sitting down indicates expectation—they're preparing to receive. The detail 'much grass' places this in spring (Passover time) and confirms John's eyewitness memory. Five thousand men, plus women and children, could mean 15,000-20,000 total. The scale emphasizes the miracle's magnitude.