Matthew 14:21

“And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, etc.] The word “about”, is omitted in the Vulgate Latin, in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel, and in the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, which expressly say there were so many. A large number indeed, to be fed with five loaves and two fishes! besides women and children; who were not taken into the account, though they all ate, and were filled, it not being usual with the Jews to number their women; and who might be near as large a number as the men: for generally there is a very great concourse of the female sex, and of children, where anything extraordinary, or out of the way, is to be seen or heard; and of this sort was a large number of…”

“A full narrative of the feeding the five thousand is given in each of the other evangelists: in Mark 6:32-44; in Luke 9:10-17; in John 6:1-14. Matthew 14:13 And when Jesus heard of it, he departed - He went to a place of safety. He never threw himself unnecessarily into danger. It was proper that he should secure his life until the appointed time had come for him to die. By a ship into a desert place - That is, he crossed the Sea of Galilee. He went to the country east of the sea, into a place little inhabited. Luke says Luke 9:10 he went to a place called Bethsaida. See the notes at Matthew 11:21. “A desert place” means a place little cultivated, where there were few or no inhabitants. On…”

“14:21 5,000 men . . . in addition to all the women and children: The count was of families, denoted by heads of households, rather than individuals.”

“about: Joh 6:10; Act 4:4, Act 4:34; Co2 9:8-11; Phi 4:19 Matthew 14:22”