Mar 8:1-10 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 8:1-10: 8:1-10 The stories about feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000 are similar. All four Gospels report the earlier feeding of the 5,000 (6:35-44 ; Matt 14:13-21 ; Luke 9:10-17 ; John 6:1-15 ), but only Mark and Matthew (Matt 15:32-39 ) also record the feeding of the 4,000 as a separate miracle (Mark 8:19-21 ; Matt 16:9-10 ). The details of the events are different. Summary for Mark 8:1-3: 8:1-3 The last reference to a large crowd was at the feeding of the 5,000 (6:34 ). Jesus showed compassion in 6:34 because the people “were like sheep without a shepherd.” These stories reflect Jesus’ concern for the total person—this time especially for the people’s hunger. They were in the wilderness (8:4 ) and had no food (8:1 ). They had been with Jesus for three days and had nothing to eat (8:2 ), and they had come a long way and needed to eat before returning home (8:3 ).

Summary for Mark 8:1-10: 8:1-10 ^a The stories about feeding the 4,000 and the 5,000 are similar. All four Gospels report the earlier feeding of the 5,000 (6:35-44 ^b; Matt 14:13-21 ^c; Luke 9:10-17 ^d; John 6:1-15 ^e), but only Mark and Matthew (Matt 15:32-39 ^f) also record the feeding of the 4,000 as a separate miracle (Mark 8:19-21 ^g; Matt 16:9-10 ^h). The details of the events are different.
Summary for Mark 8:1-3: 8:1-3 ⁱ The last reference to a large crowd was at the feeding of the 5,000 (6:34 ^j). Jesus showed compassion in 6:34 ^k because the people “were like sheep without a shepherd.” These stories reflect Jesus’ concern for the total person—this time especially for the people’s hunger. They were in the wilderness (8:4 ^l) and had no food (8:1 ^m). They had been with Jesus for three days and had nothing to eat (8:2 ⁿ), and they had come a long way and needed to eat before returning home (8:3 ^o).
8:4 ^p The disciples’ frustration at the situation reveals their dullness. They knew how God provided manna in the wilderness for his people in Moses’ time (Exod 16 ^q). They were now in the presence of one far greater than Moses (see Mark 9:5-7 ^r) and had recently seen him feed a greater number of people in a similar situation (6:30-44 ^s). However, they still did not understand (cp. 6:52 ^t). Even so, Jesus worked through them to bring physical and spiritual food to the hungry (8:6-8 ^u). What they could not do by themselves, the mighty Son of God would do through them.
8:5 ^v Seven loaves: Numerous attempts have been made to allegorize the numbers in the two feeding miracles, but the lack of consensus among these interpretations, and the reference to “a few fish” in the present story, suggest that the numbers are not symbolic. None of the Gospel writers associate any clear significance with these numbers, and this should warn us against doing so. As with the feeding of the 5,000, the purpose of the numbers is to magnify the greatness of the miracle and of Jesus.
Summary for Mark 8:6-7: 8:6-7 ^w took, thanked God, distributed: These terms foreshadow the Last Supper (cp. 14:22-25 ^x).
8:8 ^y They ate as much as they wanted: The superabundance of food shows the all-surpassing nature of God’s Kingdom and of the one who brought it.
Summary for Mark 8:10-13: 8:10-13 ^z As in the earlier feeding miracle (6:30-44 ^aa), the feeding of the 4,000 is followed by Jesus’ crossing the Sea of Galilee by boat (cp. 6:45 ^ab) and the Pharisees’ initiating a dispute demanding that Jesus perform some miraculous sign (cp. 7:1-23 ^ac).

• The location of Dalmanutha is unknown. Matthew 15:39 ^ad has Magadan instead of Dalmanutha.