They sat down in ranks — The word properly signifies a parterre or bed in a garden; by a metaphor, a company of men ranged in order, by hundreds and by fifties — That is, fifty in rank, and a hundred in file. So a hundred multiplied by fifty, make just five thousand.
Related Commentaries of Mark 6:40
Mark 6:40
40 And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds, and by fifties.