Mark 8: Four thousand fed, and Peter says "You are the Christ"
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study
What happens?
Jesus feeds a crowd of about four thousand with seven loaves and a few small fish, and seven baskets of pieces are left over. The Pharisees ask him for a sign from heaven, and he warns his disciples about the yeast of the Pharisees and of Herod. He heals a blind man at Bethsaida in two stages. At Caesarea Philippi Peter says Jesus is the Christ, Jesus begins to teach that the Son of Man must suffer, be killed and rise, Peter rebukes him, and Jesus speaks to the crowd about taking up a cross.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. No verse is in gold: God speaks no words of his own in this chapter. Jesus speaks in most of it: to his disciples about the crowd (verses 2 and 3), asking how many loaves they have (verse 5), to the Pharisees (verse 12), about the yeast and the loaves (verses 15 to 21), to the blind man (verse 26), and to the disciples and the crowd about himself and about following him (verses 27 to 38). The disciples speak in verses 4, 5, 16, 19, 20 and 28, the blind man in verse 24, and Peter in verse 29. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1In those days, when there was a very great multitude, and they had nothing to eat, Jesus called his disciples to himself and said to them,
In plain English: In those days there was a very great crowd, and they had nothing to eat. Jesus called his disciples to himself and said to them,
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2“I have compassion on the multitude, because they have stayed with me now three days and have nothing to eat.
In plain English: Jesus said: "I feel compassion for the crowd, because they have stayed with me three days now and have nothing to eat.
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3If I send them away fasting to their home, they will faint on the way, for some of them have come a long way.”
In plain English: If I send them away hungry to their homes, they will faint on the way, because some of them have come from far away."
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4His disciples answered him, “From where could one satisfy these people with bread here in a deserted place?”
In plain English: His disciples answered him: "From where could anyone satisfy these people with bread here in an empty place?"
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5He asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven.”
In plain English: Jesus asked them, "How many loaves do you have?" They said, "Seven."
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6He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground, and he took the seven loaves. Having given thanks, he broke them and gave them to his disciples to serve, and they served the multitude.
In plain English: Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. He took the seven loaves, gave thanks, broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and they set them before the crowd.
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7They also had a few small fish. Having blessed them, he said to serve these also.
In plain English: They also had a few small fish. Jesus blessed them and said to set these before the people too.
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8They ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over.
In plain English: They ate and were filled. They took up seven baskets of the broken pieces that were left over.
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9Those who had eaten were about four thousand. Then he sent them away.
In plain English: About four thousand people had eaten. Then Jesus sent them away.
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10Immediately he entered into the boat with his disciples and came into the region of Dalmanutha.
In plain English: Right away he got into the boat with his disciples and came to the region of Dalmanutha.
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11The Pharisees came out and began to question him, seeking from him a sign from heaven and testing him.
In plain English: The Pharisees came out and began to argue with him. They asked him for a sign from heaven, and they were testing him.
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12He sighed deeply in his spirit and said, “Why does this generation seek a sign? Most certainly I tell you, no sign will be given to this generation.”
In plain English: Jesus sighed deeply in his spirit and said: "Why does this generation (or: this kind of people) ask for a sign? I tell you truly, no sign will be given to this generation."
The Greek word: "Generation" is genea. The dictionary gives "a generation; by implication, an age (the period or the persons)". The word can mean the people living in one time, or a kind of people. It is in 4 verses of Mark: here, , and .
How it is translated: This Bible has "generation" in all 4 of them.
What changes: Read as "this kind of people", the question and the answer would be about the sort of people who ask for a sign. Read as "this generation", they would be about the people alive at that time. The text does not choose.
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13He left them, and again entering into the boat, departed to the other side.
In plain English: He left them, got into the boat again, and went away to the other side.
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14They forgot to take bread; and they didn’t have more than one loaf in the boat with them.
In plain English: The disciples forgot to bring bread, and they had only one loaf with them in the boat.
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15He warned them, saying, “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
In plain English: Jesus warned them: "Watch out. Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod."
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16They reasoned with one another, saying, “It’s because we have no bread.”
In plain English: The disciples talked it over among themselves and said, "It is because we have no bread."
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17Jesus, perceiving it, said to them, “Why do you reason that it’s because you have no bread? Don’t you perceive yet or understand? Is your heart still hardened?
In plain English: Jesus knew it and said to them: "Why are you talking about having no bread? Do you not yet perceive or understand? Is your heart still hardened?
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18Having eyes, don’t you see? Having ears, don’t you hear? Don’t you remember?
In plain English: You have eyes: do you not see? You have ears: do you not hear? Do you not remember?
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19When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.”
In plain English: When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They told him, "Twelve."
The Greek words: The two answers use two different words for "baskets". Here the word is kophinos, which the dictionary gives as "a (small) basket". In it is spyris, which the dictionary gives as "a hamper or lunch-receptacle". Each word is in 2 verses of Mark. Kophinos is here and in (twelve baskets); spyris is in and in verse 20 (seven baskets).
How it is translated: This Bible has "baskets" for both words, in all 4 verses.
Good to know: The text gives the numbers twelve and seven and does not say why the two words differ.
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20“When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.”
In plain English: Jesus said: "And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?" They said, "Seven."
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21He asked them, “Don’t you understand yet?”
In plain English: Jesus said to them, "Do you still not understand?"
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22He came to Bethsaida. They brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch him.
In plain English: Jesus came to Bethsaida. People brought a blind man to him and begged him to touch the man.
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23He took hold of the blind man by the hand, and brought him out of the village. When he had spat on his eyes, and laid his hands on him, he asked him if he saw anything.
In plain English: Jesus took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village. He spat on the man's eyes, laid his hands on him, and asked him if he could see anything.
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24He looked up, and said, “I see men, but I see them like walking trees.”
In plain English: The man looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like trees walking around."
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25Then again he laid his hands on his eyes. He looked intently, and was restored, and saw everyone clearly.
In plain English: Then Jesus laid his hands on the man's eyes again. The man looked hard, his sight was restored, and he saw everyone clearly.
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26He sent him away to his house, saying, “Don’t enter into the village, nor tell anyone in the village.”
In plain English: Jesus sent him to his home and said: "Do not go into the village, and do not tell anyone in the village."
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27Jesus went out, with his disciples, into the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that I am?”
In plain English: Jesus and his disciples went out to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked his disciples: "Who do people say that I am?"
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28They told him, “John the Baptizer, and others say Elijah, but others, one of the prophets.”
In plain English: They answered him: "John the Baptist. Others say Elijah, and others say one of the prophets."
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29He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
In plain English: Jesus asked them: "But you, who do you say that I am?" Peter answered him: "You are the Christ (or: the Anointed One)."
The Greek word: "Christ" is Christos. The dictionary gives "anointed, i.e. the Messiah". It is in 7 verses of Mark, and this Bible prints "Christ" in all 7.
What changes: Read as "the Anointed One", Peter's words name a person set apart by anointing. Read as the title "Christ", they use the word as it came into English. Mark gives Jesus's answer in : he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
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30He commanded them that they should tell no one about him.
In plain English: Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.
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31He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.
In plain English: Jesus began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, be killed, and after three days rise again.
The Greek words: "The Son of Man" is ho huios tou anthropou, which word for word is "the son of the man". The word for "man" can mean a person. This Bible prints "Son of Man" in 13 of the 33 verses of Mark that have the Greek word for "son".
What changes: Read as "the son of the man" or "the human being", the phrase would speak of a person. Read as a title, it would name a particular figure. The text does not explain the phrase here.
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32He spoke to them openly. Peter took him and began to rebuke him.
In plain English: He said this openly. Peter took him and began to rebuke him.
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33But he, turning around and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.”
In plain English: Jesus turned around, looked at his disciples, and rebuked Peter. He said: "Get behind me, Satan. You are not thinking about the things of God, but the things of men."
The Greek word: "Satan" is Satanas. The dictionary gives "the accuser, i.e. the devil". It is in 5 verses of Mark: , , , and here.
Good to know: In this verse Jesus says the word to Peter. He gives his reason in the same sentence: Peter has in mind "not the things of God, but the things of men".
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34He called the multitude to himself with his disciples and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
In plain English: Jesus called the crowd to himself with his disciples and said to them: "Whoever wants to come after me must say no to himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
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35For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it.
In plain English: Whoever wants to save his life (or: soul) will lose it. Whoever loses his life for my sake and for the sake of the good news will save it.
The Greek word: "Life" is psyche. The dictionary gives "breath" and, by extension, "spirit". The word can mean a person's life, or the soul. It is in 8 verses of Mark.
How it is translated: In those 8 verses this Bible has "life" in 5 and "soul" in 3.
What changes: Read as "soul", verses 35 to 37 are about what a person is apart from the body. Read as "life", they are about living or dying. The same Greek word is in verses and , and the text does not choose.
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36For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?
In plain English: What good is it for a person to gain the whole world and lose his life (or: soul)?
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37For what will a man give in exchange for his life?
In plain English: What can a person give in exchange for his life (or: soul)?
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38For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
In plain English: Whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous (or: unfaithful) and sinful generation (or: kind of people), the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."
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