Mark 6:40

Mar 6:40. Ἀνέπεσον, they sat down) A proof of faith on the part of the people.

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

Mar 6:40 . πρασιαὶ πρασιαὶ = ἀνὰ πρασίας , in garden flower plots, or squares, picturesque in fact and in description, bespeaking an eye-witness of an impressionable nature like Peter.

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

The word signifieth the beds in a garden, and it is word for word, by beds and beds, meaning thereby that they sat down in rows one by another, as beds in a garden.

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

Verse 40. By hundreds, and by fifties.] "That is," says Mr. Wesley, "fifty in a rank, and a hundred in file. So, a hundred multiplied by fifty, made just five thousand." But if they sat fifty deep, how could the disciples conveniently serve them with the bread and fish?

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(40) In ranks.—The primary meaning of the Greek word is “a bed of flowers or herbs,” and it comes in here effectively, with the same distributive reduplication as in the last verse, to paint the whole scene to the mind’s eye.

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

40. in ranks] Literally, they reclined in parterres (areolatim). “As they sat in these orderly groups upon the grass, the gay red and blue and yellow colours of the clothing, which the poorest Orientals wear, called up in the imagination of St Peter a multitude of flowerbeds in some well-cultivated garden.” Farrar’s Life of Christ, p. 402. “Our English ‘in ranks’ does not reproduce the picture to the eye, giving rather the notion of continuous lines. Wyclif was better, ‘by parties;’ perhaps in groups would be as near as we could get to it in English.” Trench, Miracles, p. 265. St Mark here, as elsewhere, doubtless reproduces the description of the scene by St Peter.

by hundreds, and by fifties] “Two long rows of 100, a shorter one of 50 persons. The fourth side remained, after the manner of the tables of the ancients, empty and open.” Gerlach.

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 they sat down in ranks,.... Or "beds": in such form as little beds are placed in a garden, or as rows of vines in a vineyard, in which form the scholars of the wise men sat in their schools: it is said (g),

"R. Eliezer ben Azariah expounded before the wise men in the vineyard (i.e. the university) of Jabneh: though was there a vineyard there? but these are the disciples of the wise men, who are made, or placed, , "rows, rows", or "in ranks", as a vineyard.''

By hundreds, and by fifties; that is, an hundred in "each" bed, or row, and fifty in "each" bed, or row, as the word signifies: each distinct bed, or row, had either a hundred, or fifty in it.

(g) T. Hieros. Beraeot, fol. 7. 4. Vid. Gloss. in T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 42. 2.

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

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

Ver. 40. Sat down in ranks] Gr. ranks, ranks, that is, rank by rank, {a} as rows or borders of beds in a garden. Ordinatim res in Ecclesia faciendae. Church work is to be done decently, and in order.

{a} πρασιαι πρασιαι, Hebraismus, ut Exo 8:14.

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.

And they sat down in ranks (anepeson prasiai prasiai); literally, they reclined. The Greek word prasia means "a garden plot" or "bed," literally, a bed of leeks. They were disposed symmetrically. Probably the English word "ranks" expresses the meaning as clearly as any could do. This arrangement was probably made, partly that the numbers might be better known, partly that all things might be done in an orderly manner, and that each might have his portion. St. Matthew"s account (Mat_14:21) seems to imply that the "men" were separated from the "women and children."

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

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.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

40. πρασιαί. Lit. “garden-beds” (Sir 24:31) or “plots.” The word indicates the shape of the “messes,” and perhaps implies that they were rectangular (Euthym.). See Wetstein for illustrations and cf. Exo 8:14.

κατὰ ἑκατὸν κ. κ. π. All four give the total as 5000 males, which would easily be estimated by counting the συμπόσια.

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.

40.] πρασιαί (ref. Sir.) λέγονται τὰ ἐν τοῖς κήποις διάφορα κόμματα, ἐν οἷς φυτεύονται διάφορα πολλάκις λάχανα. Theophylact. Similarly Suidas, who adds καὶ πράσιον λάχανον, viz. hore-hound: but the derivation is more probably from πράσον, a leek. The word occurs in Hom. Od. η. 127, ἔνθα δὲ κοσμηταὶ πρασιαὶ παρὰ νείατον ὄρχον | παντοῖαι πεφύασιν, where the Schol., αἱ λαχανεῖαι ἣ αἱ τῶν φυτειῶν τετράγωνοι σχέσεις, ὡς τὰ πλινθία. The distributive repetitions of these words are Hebraisms: see reff., and note on ver. 7.

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

40. καὶ ἀνέπεσαν πρασιαὶ πρασιαί, κατὰ ἑκατὸν καὶ κατὰ πεντήκοντα—and they reclined in (regular companies like) garden beds, by hundreds, and by fifties.

ἀνέπεσαν, instead of ἀνέπεσον, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BEFGHMV Δ 1, 28. κατὰ, instead of ἀνὰ, before ἑκατὸν and πεντήκοντα Tisch. Treg. WH. אBD Memph.

This descriptive word πρασιαί, garden beds, gives an admirable picturesque touch. The disposition of the people in orderly groups was for the more convenient distribution of the food.

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

In ranks [πρασιαι πρασιαι] . Lit., like beds in a garden. The former adverb, by companies, describes the arrangement; this the color. The red, blue, and yellow clothing of the poorest Orientals makes an Eastern crowd full of color; a fact which would appeal to Peter's eye, suggesting the appearance of flower beds in a garden.

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