Matthew 15:33

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Matthew 15:33 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?
Matthew 15:33 — American Standard Version

Context — Matthew 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
33And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And his disciples said unto him, etc.] The former miracle of feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, being quite out of their thoughts, they reply, whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? The question is big with objections, and is put with some vehemency and astonishment: the people to be led were a multitude, a great multitude, a very great multitude, and these too had had but little, or no food, for a great while; and therefore would require the more to fill and satisfy them; and besides, it was a wilderness where they were, and where no provisions were to be had; and if they could have been…”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“The miracle recorded here - the feeding of the four thousand - took place on a mountain near the Sea of Galilee. The same account is recorded in Mark 8:1-10. The circumstances of the miracle are so similar to the one recorded in Matthew 14:14-21, as to need little additional explanation. Matthew 15:32 Three days, and have nothing to eat - This is not, perhaps, to be taken literally, but only that during that time they had been deprived of their ordinary or regular food. They had had only a very scanty supply, and on the third day even that began to fail. Matthew 15:39 Coasts of Magdala - Mark says, “The parts of Dalmanutha.” Magdala was probably the same place which was formerly called…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Whence: Num 11:21, Num 11:22; Kg2 4:42-44; Mar 6:37, Mar 8:4, Mar 8:5; Joh 6:5-7 to fill: Mat 14:15; Luk 9:13; Joh 6:8, Joh 6:9 Matthew 15:34”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification