Luke 9:10-17 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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Bible Comments

The Feeding of the Multitude (Mark 6:31-44 *, Matthew 14:13-21 *). Lk., like Mt., abbreviates Mk He fixes the scene at Bethsaida; in Mk. Jesus crosses the lake to that town afterwards, but perhaps Mk. is wrong and means Capernaum.

Lk. omits the walking of Jesus on the water, and other material found in Mark 6:45 to Mark 8:26, e.g. (a) the feeding of the 4000, (b) the debate on the washing of hands and the traditions of the elders, and (c) the healing of the Greek woman's daughter. He may have deemed (a) needless repetition, (b) uninteresting to Gentile readers, (c) offensive to the same circle, or at any rate because it was distinctly an exceptional case for Jesus. A few small pieces of this Marcan block are used later. It is possible, of course, that Lk. did not deliberately omit all this material; it may have been accidentally omitted by him, or it may not have been contained in the copy of Mk. used by him. See Oxford Studies in the Synoptic Problem, pp. 61ff., 389ff.

Related Commentaries of Luke 9:10

Luke 9:10-17

10 And the apostles, when they were returned, told him all that they had done. And he took them, and went aside privately into a desert place belonging to the city called Bethsaida.

11 And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that had need of healing.

12 And when the day began to wear away, then came the twelve, and said unto him, Send the multitude away, that they may go into the towns and country round about, and lodge, and get victuals: for we are here in a desert place.

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.

14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples,Make them sit down by fifties in a company.

15 And they did so, and made them all sit down.

16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.

17 And they did eat, and were all filled: and there was taken up of fragments that remained to them twelve baskets.