Mark 6:37

6:37 Jesus suggests that, just as the disciples were able to cast out demons and heal through his power (6:7, 13, 30), they should be able to feed the crowd. Their reply considered only what they themselves were capable of doing. They did not consider Jesus’ power.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Mar 6:37. Ἀγοράσωμεν, are we to buy) The disciples intimate, by this question, that there is on their part no want of the will, both to give their exertion in going away, and their money, as much as they had, in buying what was needed; but what is wanting is the ability to satisfy such a multitude. Therefore, in their question, they fix on the sum two hundred denarii,[48] not so much according to the supply which was in their purse at the time, as according to the number of the multitude. See what can be elicited from the data furnished to us: 5000 men is to 200 denarii, as one man is to 1/25th of a denarius, i.e. about half of a German kreuzer (halfpenny). We have, besides the argument of changing the old money [mintage] into new, that expression of Joh 6:7, “that every one of them may take a little” especially at that time of year, about the Passover, Joh 6:4, when the price of provisions is usually higher; we have also the rational computation of the disciples, whereby in contrast on the opposite side is illustrated the omnipotence of our Lord. The sum of 200 zuzœi, or denarii, was among the Hebrews very frequent in the case of a dowry or fine: but this does not oppose the analogy of the 200 denarii and 5000 men.

[48] Pence: though the denarius, originally so called from being = 10 asses, is really somewhat more than 71/2 pence; or, according to its earlier value, 81/2 pence.—ED. and TRANSL.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 6:37 . δηναρ . διακ . ἄρτους , loaves of (purchasable for) 200 denarii; the sum probably suggested by what the Twelve knew they were in possession of at the time = seven pounds in the purse of the Jesus-circle (Grotius, Holtz., H. C.).

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

This declareth that there is an horrible disorder among the people, where the true preaching of God’s word wanteth.

Which is about five pounds sterling.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

37. Shall we go and buy] With one mouth they seem to have reiterated what St Philip had said earlier in the day.

two hundred pennyworth] The specifying of this sum is peculiar to St Mark and St John. The word translated penny is the denarius, a silver coin of the value originally of 10 and afterwards of 16 ases. The denarius was first coined in b. c. 269, or 4 years before the first Punic war, and originally was of the value of 8½d. of our money, later it = 7½d. It was the day-wages of a labourer in Palestine (Mat_20:2; Mat_20:9; Mat_20:13). “It so happens that in almost every case where the word denarius occurs in the N. T. it is connected with the idea of a liberal or large amount; and yet in these passages the English rendering names a sum which is absurdly small.” Prof. Lightfoot on the Revision of the N. T. p. 166.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He answered and said unto them, give ye them to eat,.... This he said to try their faith, and make way for the following miracle:

and they say unto him, shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat? This might be just the sum of money they now had in the bag, as Grotius, and others conjecture; and the sense be, shall we lay out the two hundred pence, which is all we have in hand, to buy bread for this multitude? is it proper we should? is it thy will that so it should be? and if we should do so, as Philip suggests, Joh 6:7, it would not be enough to give every one a little: wherefore they say this, as amazed that he should propose such a thing unto them: or the reason of mentioning such a sum, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, might be, because that this was a noted and celebrated sum among the Jews, and frequently mentioned by them. A virgin's dowry, upon marriage, was "two hundred pence" (c); and so was a widow's; and one that was divorced (d), if she insisted on it, and could make good her claim: this was the fine of an adult man, that lay with one under age; and of a male under age, that lay with a female adult (e); and of one man that gave another a slap of the face (f). This sum answered to six pounds and five shillings of our money.

(c) Misn. Cetubot, c. 1. sect. 2. & 4. 7. & 5. 1. (d) Ib. c. 2. sect. 1. & 11. 4. (e) Ib. c. 1. sect. 3. (f) Misn. Bava Kama, c. 6. sect. 8.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

37 He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

Ver. 37. Shall we go and buy, &c.] q.d. Yes, a likely matter surely; where’s your money? have we 200 pence to cater for such a company? It is interrogatio cum admiratione, atque adeo cum ironia quadam coniuncta, saith Beza. A question not without a jeer.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For two hundred pence. See Matthew xviii. 28. The apostles seem to speak these words ironically, to signify that they had not so much money as could procure a mouthful for each of them. (Witham)

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

Two hundred pennyworth of bread. The penny, or "denarius," was the chief Roman silver coin, worth about eight-pence halfpenny. Upon the breaking up of the Roman empire, the states which arose upon its ruins imitated the coinage of the old imperial mints, and in general called their principal silver coin the "denarius." Thus the denarius found its way into this country through the Anglo-Saxons, and it was for a long period the only coin. Hence the introduction of the word into the Authorized Version. Two hundred pennyworth would be of the value of nearly seven pounds. But considering the constant fluctuation in the relation between money and the commodities purchased by money, it is in vain to require what number of loaves the same two hundred denarii would purchase at that time, although it was evidently the representation of a large supply of bread.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

But he answered and said to them

"But Jesus answered and said to his disciples"

Can we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?

The disciples ask this question to say that there is no way they could afford to buy enough food for this crowd. AT: "We could not buy enough bread to feed this crowd, even if we had two hundred denarii!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

two hundred denarii

"200 denarii." The singular form of the word "denarii" is "denarius." A denarius was a Roman silver coin worth one day's wages. (See: Biblical Money and Numbers)

loaves

lumps of bread dough that have been shaped and baked

translationWords

bread

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

37. Δότε αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖς. The very emphatic ὑμεῖς is in all three; “They are not to be sent away; you must feed them.”

Ἀπελθόντες ἀγοράσωμεν; Are we to go and buy? Cf. Mar 4:30, Mar 6:24, Mar 12:14. Jn here differs considerably and is more precise than the Synoptists, whose narrative seems to be partly a condensation of what Jn reports as having taken place between our Lord and Philip and Andrew.

δηναρίων διακοσίων. Mt. omits this, as he omits “about 2000” (Mar 5:13) and “300 denarii” (Mar 14:5). The retention in R.V. of “penny” for δηνάριον is as deplorable as that of “publican” for τελὼνης. In amount of silver a denarius was nearly a shilling, in purchasing power it was more than a florin (Mat 20:2 f.). To speak of 200 pennyworths to feed 5000 people is so incongruous as to be almost grotesque. The “two pence” of the Good Samaritan and the “penny a day” of the owner of the vineyard make them seem niggardly instead of generous. In Rev 6:6, maximum prices are turned into incredibly low prices by the translation “penny.” The meaning here is “A sum far greater than Judas carries for us would be quite insufficient.” Lk. inserts an emphatic ἡμεῖς answering to Christ’s ὑμεῖς. The question suggests that what Christ has ordered is impossible; οἱ δὲ καταμέμφονται αὐτὸν ὡς μὴ γνόντα (Theoph.).

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37.] This verse is to me rather a decisive proof that (see above) Mark had not seen John’s account; for how could he, having done so, and with his love for accurate detail, have so generalized the particular account of Philip’s question? That generalization was in the account which he used, and the circumstance was more exactly related by John, as also the following one concerning Andrew.

δώσομεν] I prefer placing the interrogation at the end of the sentence, as simpler and less harsh than the arrangement of Lachm. (interrog. . ἄρτους, full stop at end) or . (comma, full stop). The two verbs will then be rendered must we go and buy, &c …, and shall we (thus) give them to eat?

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. δηναρίων διακοσίων—two hundred shillings’ worth. The Revisers do a somewhat curious thing in translating this word penny, and then explaining in the margin that it means eight pence halfpenny (RV. Mat 18:28). The actual paying power was much greater than our shilling, as it represented a day’s wages. The sum is evidently suggested here as their hasty guess at the amount required to purchase a frugal supply for the crowd. It would also be a sum quite beyond their means, so that the question is meant to imply the absurdity of the whole thing. This question is not given in the other Synoptics, and in the fourth Gospel it takes the form of a statement that what is absolutely a large sum is quite inadequate for even a small supply of so big a crowd.

δώσωμεν αὐτοῖς—give them.

δώσωμεν, instead of δῶμεν, Tisch. א D 13, 33, 69, 124, 229**, 346. δώσομεν Treg. WH. RV. ABL Δ Latt. External evidence balanced between δώσωμεν and δώσομεν, internal slightly favors δώσομεν, owing to the change of mood, which makes subj. an apparent emendation.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Shall we go and buy, etc. This question and Christ 's answer are peculiar to Mark.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.