Mark 6:39

Mar 6:39 . συμπόσια συμ . Hebraistic for ἀνὰ συμ . ( cf. δύο δύο , Mar 6:7 ) = in dining companies. ἐπὶ τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ , on the green grass; a reedy, marshy place near the mouth of the Jordan at the north end of the lake. Vide Stanley’s description (Sinai and Palestine).

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

Word for word, by banquets, after the manner of the Hebrews, who have no distributives, as Mark 6:7. Now he calleth the rows of the sitters, banquets.

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

(39) By companies.—The Greek expresses the distributive force of the English by simple repetition, “companies and companies.” The “green grass” may be noted as an example of St. Mark’s vividness, and serves as an indirect note of time pointing to the same season as that specified by St. John, sc., a little before the Passover. (Comp. Joh_6:10.)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

39. by companies] Literally, drinking parties. The word alludes to an orderly social grouping, catervatim. The words are repeated by a Hebraism in the original, like the “two and two” of Mar_6:7.

upon the green grass] St Mark alone mentions the green grass, “still fresh in the spring of the year, before it had faded away in the summer sun.” It was the season of the Passover, corresponding to our March or April, hence there was “much grass in the place;” comp. Joh_6:10.

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.

And he commanded them to make all sit down,.... Christ ordered his disciples, without any more ado, to cause the whole multitude, men, women, and children, to sit, or lie down, as they used to do at table when about to take a meal: and as they had no table before them, nor beds, or couches to sit, or lie down upon, he directed them to place them

by companies upon the green grass; that there might be some order among them, as at a meal; and that their number might be the more easily known; and that all of them might more plainly see the miracle that was to be wrought: and the provision be more orderly distributed to them.

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

39 And he commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

Ver. 39. {See Trapp on "Mat 14:17"} {See Trapp on "Joh 6:8"} {See Trapp on "Joh 6:9"}

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.

All were to sit down by companies (sumposia sumposia) St. Luke (Luk_9:14) says that the companies were about fifty each (ana penthkonta)upon the green grass. St. John says (Joh_6:10) that "there was much grass in the place." This indicates the time of the year. The grass was growing, and it was green. It would not be green in that district after April. Thus St. Mark"s account of the state of the grass at that time (an account evidently repeated from an eye-witness) coincides with the account of St. John, who says that "the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was at hand". (Joh_6:4)

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

The feeding:

v. 39. And He commanded them to make all sit down by companies upon the green grass.

v 40. And they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties.

v. 41. And when He had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, He Looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to His disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided He among them all.

v. 42. And. they did. all eat and were filled.

v. 43. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.

v. 44. And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.

Nothing could be more expressive than the contrast afforded here between the helpless puttering of the disciples and the cool, majestic bearing of Christ in taking charge of the situation. He had the disciples give orders that all should recline on the grass in orderly groups, for just at this place there was a meadow near the shore of the lake. And they sat down in groups as in garden squares, as orderly as Rowers planted in rows a fine bit of vivid description. Then Jesus, taking the five loaves and the two fishes, and having looked up to heaven, spoke the blessing upon the food. Note: He broke the bread and passed it on for distribution; He divided the fishes and had them taken to all in a similar way; under His hands the amount of food grew. The miracle is mentioned by all four evangelists, and was one that could not be counterfeited, a secret supply being out of the question. It is a full proof for the divinity of Christ. All ate, and all had enough to eat. And not only that: when the fragments were gathered into the large carrying baskets used by the people of Palestine, twelve of these were filled. And the number of those that had eaten is expressly stated, it being so easy to count them as they sat in groups: five thousand men, without women and children.

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

green grass

Describe the grass with the color word used in your language for healthy grass, which may or may not be the color green.

groups of hundreds and fifties

This refers to the number of people in each of the groups. AT: "about fifty people in some groups and about a hundred people in other groups" (See: Numbers and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

looking up to heaven

This means that he looked up toward the sky, which is associated with the place where God lives.

he blessed

"he spoke a blessing" or "he gave thanks"

He also divided the two fish among them all

"he divided the two fish so that everyone could have some"

translationWords

command

heaven

disciple

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

39. ἀνακλῖναι πάντας. That all should recline. If the people had stood, they would have crowded round the distributors, and equal distribution would have been impossible. Arranging them in “messes” (τραπέζας διαφόρους, Theoph.) still further contributed to orderly and equal feeding.

συμπόσια. Lit. “drinking-parties,” and then any gatherings for taking refreshment. Hence the addition of οἴνου (Sir 31:31; Sir 32:5; Sir 49:1) when drinking is specially meant. Cicero has compotatio, but the usual words are commissatio and convivium. Vulg. has secundum contubernia here and in partes for πρασιαὶ πρασιαί. The reduplication (see on δύο δύο, Mar 6:7) should be similarly rendered in both verses; but A.V. and R.V. have “by companies” and “in ranks.” Company by company and rank by rank preserves the reduplication and the similarity of construction.

ἐπὶ τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ. The desert was not sand, but prairie, and the green grass confirms Jn’s mention of a Passover here. Contrast Clem. Recog. ii. 70, iii. 30.

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.

39. ἀνακλιθῆναι—to recline.1

ἀνακλιθῆναι, instead of ἀνακλίναι, WH. RV. א B* G 1, 13, 28, 69.

συμπόσια συμπόσια—by parties. The repetition of the noun to express the distributive idea is Hebraistic. The word itself means a drinking party, i.e. the entertainment, not the guests. This present use belongs to the later Greek. ἐπὶ τῷ χλωρῷ χόρτῳ—on the green grass. This is a characteristic touch given by Mk. alone, with his eye for pictorial details, but it is more important than that to us; for the grass is green in Palestine, especially in this hot Jordan valley, only at the time of the Passover. And so, here is one intimation in the Synoptics of more than one year’s ministry. And this is also the place where the fourth Gospel inserts a passover between the first and the last.

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

By companies [συμποσια συμποσια] . Peculiar to Mark. The Jewish dining - room was arranged like the Roman : three tables forming three sides of a square, and with divans or couches following the outside line of the tables. The open end of the square admitted the servants who waited at table. This explains the arrangement of the multitude here described by Mark. The people sat down, literally, in table - companies, arranged like guests at table; some companies of a hundred and some of fifty, in squares or oblongs open at one end, so that the disciples could pass along the inside and distribute the loaves.

Green. Mark only.

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