Luke Chapter 9 · Verse 13
But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.
Original Language Analysis
πρὸς
unto
G4314
πρὸς
unto
Strong's:
G4314
Word #:
3 of 32
a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e., toward (with the genitive case, the side of, i.e., pertaining to; with the dative case, by the side of,
αὐτοῖς
them
G846
αὐτοῖς
them
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
4 of 32
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
Δότε
Give
G1325
Δότε
Give
Strong's:
G1325
Word #:
5 of 32
to give (used in a very wide application, properly, or by implication, literally or figuratively; greatly modified by the connection)
αὐτοῖς
them
G846
αὐτοῖς
them
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
6 of 32
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
οἱ
G3588
οἱ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 32
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
Οὐκ
have no
G3756
Οὐκ
have no
Strong's:
G3756
Word #:
12 of 32
the absolute negative (compare g3361) adverb; no or not
πλεῖον
more
G4119
πλεῖον
more
Strong's:
G4119
Word #:
15 of 32
more in quantity, number, or quality; also (in plural) the major portion
καὶ
and
G2532
καὶ
and
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
19 of 32
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
πορευθέντες
should go
G4198
πορευθέντες
should go
Strong's:
G4198
Word #:
24 of 32
to traverse, i.e., travel (literally or figuratively; especially to remove (figuratively, die), live, etc.)
ἀγοράσωμεν
and buy
G59
ἀγοράσωμεν
and buy
Strong's:
G59
Word #:
26 of 32
properly, to go to market, i.e., (by implication) to purchase; specially, to redeem
εἰς
for
G1519
εἰς
for
Strong's:
G1519
Word #:
27 of 32
to or into (indicating the point reached or entered), of place, time, or (figuratively) purpose (result, etc.); also in adverbial phrases
τὸν
G3588
τὸν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
29 of 32
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
λαὸν
people
G2992
λαὸν
people
Strong's:
G2992
Word #:
30 of 32
a people (in general; thus differing from g1218, which denotes one's own populace)
Historical Context
Barley bread was the food of the poor; wheat bread was preferred by those who could afford it. The loaves were small, flat rounds, not large modern loaves. The fish were probably sardine-like fish from Galilee, commonly preserved by salting or pickling for travel food. A denarius was a day's wage for a laborer; 200 denarii represented most of a year's income for a working man. The crowd's size (5,000 men, v. 14) made feeding them humanly impossible, setting the stage for a miracle that would recall God's provision of manna in the wilderness (Exodus 16).
Questions for Reflection
- Why does Jesus command the disciples to do the impossible ("Give ye them to eat") before revealing His provision?
- How does bringing our inadequate resources to Jesus (five loaves, two fish) demonstrate faith even when the need seems overwhelming?
- What does this passage teach about God's use of insufficient human resources for His supernatural purposes?
Analysis & Commentary
But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat (εἴπεν δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· Δότε αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖς φαγεῖν, eipen de pros autous: Dote autois hymeis phagein)—Jesus's command seems impossible. The emphatic pronoun hymeis ("you yourselves") places responsibility squarely on the disciples. This tests their faith and reveals their inadequacy apart from His power.
And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes (οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Οὐκ εἰσὶν ἡμῖν πλεῖον ἢ ἄρτοι πέντε καὶ ἰχθύες δύο, hoi de eipan: Ouk eisin hēmin pleion ē artoi pente kai ichthyes dyo)—The disciples inventory their meager resources. Five barley loaves (John 6:9 specifies barley—poor man's bread) and two small fish (probably dried or pickled, not fresh). This was likely one person's lunch (John 6:9: "a lad"), utterly insufficient for thousands. Except we should go and buy meat for all this people—The Greek brōmata (food, not specifically meat) indicates their only alternative: purchase provisions. But Philip had already calculated this was financially impossible—200 denarii (8 months' wages) wouldn't be enough (John 6:7). The disciples face absolute impossibility, which is precisely where Christ's power operates most clearly.