Matthew 15:38

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Matthew 15:38 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Matthew 15:38 — American Standard Version

Context — Matthew 15

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
38And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.

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 they that did eat, were four thousand men, etc.] This number of men, as well as of the baskets of fragments, clearly shows this to be a distinct miracle from the former of this kind, recorded in (<401415>Matthew 14:15-21). There the number of men were five thousand, here four thousand; there the quantity of food was five loaves and two fishes, here seven loaves and a few fishes; there the number of the baskets of fragments was twelve, here seven; though the quantity might be as large; since the word here used for a basket is not the same as there, and designs one of a larger size: besides women and children; who were not taken into the account, though they ate as well as the men, and…”
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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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Related study paths

Sources and verification