Mark 8:5
New International Version
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

New Living Translation
Jesus asked, “How much bread do you have?” “Seven loaves,” they replied.

English Standard Version
And he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

Berean Standard Bible
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

Berean Literal Bible
And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven."

King James Bible
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

New King James Version
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

New American Standard Bible
And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

NASB 1995
And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

NASB 1977
And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And He was asking them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

Amplified Bible
He asked them, “How many loaves [of bread] do you have?” They said, “Seven.”

Christian Standard Bible
“How many loaves do you have? ” he asked them. “Seven,” they said.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“How many loaves do you have?” He asked them.” Seven,” they said.

American Standard Version
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus asked them how much food they had. They replied, "Seven small loaves of bread."

English Revised Version
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Jesus asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" They answered, "Seven."

Good News Translation
"How much bread do you have?" Jesus asked. "Seven loaves," they answered.

International Standard Version
He asked them, "How many loaves of bread do you have?" "Seven," they said.

Majority Standard Bible
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied.

NET Bible
He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They replied, "Seven."

New Heart English Bible
He asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven."

Webster's Bible Translation
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

Weymouth New Testament
"How many loaves have you?" He asked. "Seven," they said.

World English Bible
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And He was questioning them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

Berean Literal Bible
And He was asking them, "How many loaves do you have?" And they said, "Seven."

Young's Literal Translation
And he was questioning them, 'How many loaves have ye?' and they said, 'Seven.'

Smith's Literal Translation
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he asked them: How many loaves have ye? Who said: Seven.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And he questioned them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven.”

New American Bible
Still he asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” “Seven,” they replied.

New Revised Standard Version
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And he asked them, How many loaves have you? They said to him, Seven.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?, and they said, “Seven.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And he asked them: How many loaves have you? And they said: Seven.

Godbey New Testament
And He asked them, How much bread have you? And they said, Seven loaves.

Haweis New Testament
And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.

Mace New Testament
he ask'd them, how many loaves have ye?

Weymouth New Testament
"How many loaves have you?" He asked. "Seven," they said.

Worrell New Testament
And He asked them, "how many loaves have ye?" And they said, "Seven."

Worsley New Testament
And He asked them, How many loaves have ye? and they said, Seven.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Feeding of the Four Thousand
4His disciples replied, “Where in this desolate place could anyone find enough bread to feed all these people?” 5“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. 6And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd.…

Cross References
Matthew 15:34
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.”

Matthew 14:17-21
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. / “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. / And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ...

John 6:9-13
“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?” / “Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them. / Then Jesus took the loaves and the fish, gave thanks, and distributed to those who were seated as much as they wanted. ...

2 Kings 4:42-44
Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha. / But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” / So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

Matthew 16:9-10
Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered? / Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

John 6:5-7
When Jesus looked up and saw a large crowd coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread for these people to eat?” / But He was asking this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do. / Philip answered, “Two hundred denarii would not buy enough bread for each of them to have a small piece.”

Luke 9:13-17
But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” / (There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” / They did so, and everyone was seated. ...

Exodus 16:4-15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. / Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” / So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ...

Numbers 11:7-9
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. / The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. / When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

1 Kings 17:12-16
But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.” / “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, / for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’” ...

John 21:9-13
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread. / Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” / So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. ...

Matthew 6:11
Give us this day our daily bread.

Psalm 78:19-25
They spoke against God, saying, “Can God really prepare a table in the wilderness? / When He struck the rock, water gushed out and torrents raged. But can He also give bread or supply His people with meat?” / Therefore the LORD heard and was filled with wrath; so a fire was kindled against Jacob, and His anger flared against Israel, ...

Deuteronomy 8:3
He humbled you, and in your hunger He gave you manna to eat, which neither you nor your fathers had known, so that you might understand that man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

Isaiah 55:1-2
“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you without money, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost! / Why spend money on that which is not bread, and your labor on that which does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of foods.


Treasury of Scripture

And he asked them, How many loaves have you? And they said, Seven.

How.

Mark 6:38
He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

Matthew 14:15-17
And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals…

Matthew 15:34
And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.

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Mark 8
1. Jesus feeds the people miraculously;
10. refuses to give a sign to the Pharisees;
14. admonishes his disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod;
22. gives a blind man his sight;
27. acknowledges that he is the Jesus who should suffer and rise again;
34. and exhorts to patience in persecution for the profession of the gospel.














How many loaves do you have?
In this phrase, Jesus initiates a dialogue with His disciples, prompting them to assess their resources. The Greek word for "loaves" is "ἄρτους" (artous), which refers to bread, a staple food in ancient times. Bread symbolizes sustenance and life, echoing Jesus' role as the "bread of life" (John 6:35). This question is not merely about physical provision but invites the disciples to recognize the potential for divine multiplication. Historically, bread was a common element in Jewish meals, often made from barley or wheat, and its presence in this miracle underscores God's provision in the wilderness, reminiscent of manna provided to the Israelites.

Jesus asked
The act of Jesus asking highlights His role as a teacher and leader who involves His followers in the process of faith and understanding. The Greek verb "ἐπηρώτησεν" (epērōtēsen) implies a question that seeks to engage and challenge. Jesus often used questions to provoke thought and reveal deeper truths. In this context, His inquiry is a prelude to a miraculous demonstration of God's power, encouraging the disciples to look beyond the immediate scarcity to the abundance that faith can unlock.

Seven, they replied
The disciples' response, "Seven," is significant both numerically and symbolically. In biblical numerology, the number seven often represents completeness or perfection, as seen in the seven days of creation. The Greek word "ἑπτά" (hepta) underscores this sense of divine completeness. This number suggests that what they have, though seemingly insufficient, is perfectly adequate in the hands of Jesus. The disciples' acknowledgment of their limited resources sets the stage for Jesus to demonstrate that God's provision transcends human limitations. This moment foreshadows the miraculous feeding that follows, illustrating that when offered to God, even the smallest resources can achieve great things.

Verse 5. - The seven loaves and the few small fishes appear to have been the modest provision for our Lord and his disciples. As he often retired into the desert, they were no doubt accustomed to carry small supplies about with them, though poor and scanty. In the former miracle of the multiplying of the loaves (Mark 6:35), we find that their stock consisted of five loaves and two fishes. It was, of course, just as easy for our Lord to multiply the smaller quantity as the larger. But he chose so to order it that the original quantity of food, as well as the number requiring to be fed, should in each case be different, in order that it might be evident that they were different occasions, although the miracles were of the same kind.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“How many
Πόσους (Posous)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4214: How much, how great, how many. From an absolute pos and hos; interrogative pronoun how much (plural) many).

loaves
ἄρτους (artous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

do you have?”
ἔχετε (echete)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

[Jesus] asked.
ἠρώτα (ērōta)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2065: Apparently from ereo; to interrogate; by implication, to request.

“Seven,”
Ἑπτά (Hepta)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

they replied.
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.


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