The Meaning of Mark 6:37 Explained

Mark 6:37

KJV: He answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth of bread, and give them to eat?

YLT: And he answering said to them, 'Give ye them to eat,' and they say to him, 'Having gone away, may we buy two hundred denaries' worth of loaves, and give to them to eat?'

Darby: And he answering said to them, Give ye them to eat. And they say to him, Shall we go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give them to eat?

ASV: But he answered and said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they say unto him, Shall we go and buy two hundred shillings worth of bread, and give them to eat?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He answered  and  said  unto them,  Give  ye  them  to eat.  And  they say  unto him,  Shall we go  and buy  two hundred  pennyworth  of bread,  and  give  them  to eat? 

What does Mark 6:37 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus suggested that the disciples feed the people because He wanted them to realize their inability to do so. The word "you" is emphatic in the Greek text. Having admitted their inability, Jesus" ability would make a greater impression on them. It would teach them that He was different from them. The disciples" response shows that they had not yet learned to look to Jesus for all their needs. Instead of asking Him to provide what the people needed, they calculated the cost of the food and concluded that they could not afford to pay for it. Two hundred denarii was the equivalent to an entire year"s wages for a day laborer.

Context Summary

Mark 6:30-56 - The Sympathy And Compassion Of Jesus
When the Apostles returned they had much to tell. Some were flushed with success, others radiant with victory over demons, others, perhaps, overstrained and weary, and all needing the quiet, holy influence of repose and silence in the Lord's company. And in those quiet hours or days, as the fever passed out of them, He taught them memorable lessons of how He would feed the world by His Church, and how His people would be safe amid the storms that swept the sea, for always he would watch them from the height, and come to them at the moment when His help was most needed. Christ sits as host at the great table of the Church, and the meager resources of His servants yield the starting point for His multiplication of bread. He bids us go and consider how little we have, that we may properly estimate the greatness of His help. Notice how the upward look precedes the breaking and giving. There is enough for each, not of bread alone, but of fish; and the disciples are refreshed by another kind of ministry. So the Lord recreates us by turning exhausted energies into new channels. What threatens to overpower us brings Christ to our side. But His footsteps must be arrested, if we would have His company. Where Jesus is, storms cease and the sick are made whole. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 6

1  Jesus is a prophet without honor in his own country
7  He gives the twelve power over unclean spirits
14  Various opinions of Jesus
16  John the Baptist is imprisoned, beheaded, and buried
30  The apostles return from preaching
34  The miracle of five loaves and two fishes
45  Jesus walks on the sea;
53  and heals all who touch him

Greek Commentary for Mark 6:37

Shall we go and buy, etc []
This question and Christ's answer are peculiar to Mark. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 6:37

Matthew 20:2 For a penny [ἐκ δηναρίον]
A denarius, the chief silver coin of the Romans at this time, and of the value of about seventeen cents. We must remember to reckon according to the rate of wages in that day. A denarius was regarded as good pay for a day's work. It was the pay of a Roman soldier in Christ's time. In almost every case where the word occurs in the New Testament it is connected with the idea of a liberal or large amount. Compare Matthew 18:28; Mark 6:37; Luke 7:41; John 12:5. For a penny is, literally, out of or on the strength of a penny; the payment being that on the strength of which the agreement was made. The agreement arose out of the demand on the one hand and the promise on the other. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

Mark 6:38 Go and see [υπαγετε ιδετε]
John says that Jesus asked Philip to find out what food they had (John 6:5.) probably after the disciples had suggested that Jesus send the crowd away as night was coming on (Mark 6:35.). On this protest to his command that they feed the crowds (Mark 6:37; Matthew 14:16; Luke 9:13) Jesus said “Go see” how many loaves you can get hold of. Then Andrew reports the fact of the lad with five barley loaves and two fishes (John 6:8.). They had suggested before that two hundred pennyworth (δηναριων διακοσιων — dēnariōn diakosiōn See note on Matthew 18:28) was wholly inadequate and even that (some thirty-five dollars) was probably all that or even more than they had with them. John‘s Gospel alone tells of the lad with his lunch which his mother had given him. [source]
Luke 9:13 Buy food []
Compare Mark 6:37. [source]
John 6:7 Two hundred pennyworth of bread [διακοσιων δηναριων αρτοι]
“Loaves of two hundred denarii.” The Roman coin originally for ten asses (afterwards sixteen), about 16-2/3 cents. The denarius was the usual pay for a day‘s labour (Matthew 20:2, Matthew 20:9, Matthew 20:13). This item in Mark 6:37, but not in Matthew or Luke. That every one may take a little Final clause with ινα — hina and second aorist active subjunctive of λαμβανω — lambanō This detail in John alone. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 6:37 mean?

- But answering He said to them Give you [something] to eat And they say to Him Having gone shall we buy denarii two hundred of bread give them to eat
δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν αὐτοῖς Δότε ὑμεῖς φαγεῖν Καὶ λέγουσιν αὐτῷ Ἀπελθόντες ἀγοράσωμεν δηναρίων διακοσίων ἄρτους δώσομεν αὐτοῖς φαγεῖν

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀποκριθεὶς  answering 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποκρίνομαι  
Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτοῖς  to  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Δότε  Give 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
φαγεῖν  [something]  to  eat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.
λέγουσιν  they  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
αὐτῷ  to  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Ἀπελθόντες  Having  gone 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ἀπέρχομαι  
Sense: to go away, depart.
ἀγοράσωμεν  shall  we  buy 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: ἀγοράζω  
Sense: to be in the market place, to attend it.
δηναρίων  denarii 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: δηνάριον  
Sense: A Roman silver coin in NT time.
διακοσίων  two  hundred 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: διακόσιοι  
Sense: two hundred.
ἄρτους  of  bread 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: ἄρτος  
Sense: food composed of flour mixed with water and baked.
δώσομεν  give 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 1st Person Plural
Root: διδῶ 
Sense: to give.
φαγεῖν  to  eat 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Infinitive Active
Root: ἐσθίω  
Sense: to eat.