Marcos 6:37

37 Respondiendo él, les dijo: Dadles de comer vosotros. Y le dijeron: ¿Qué vayamos y compremos pan por doscientos denarios, y les demos de comer

Marcos 6:37 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 6:37

He answered and said unto them, give ye them to eat
This he said to try their faith, and make way for the following miracle:

and they say unto him, shall we go and buy two hundred pennyworth
of bread, and give them to eat?
This might be just the sum of money they now had in the bag, as Grotius, and others conjecture; and the sense be, shall we lay out the two hundred pence, which is all we have in hand, to buy bread for this multitude? is it proper we should? is it thy will that so it should be? and if we should do so, as Philip suggests, ( John 6:7 ) , it would not be enough to give every one a little: wherefore they say this, as amazed that he should propose such a thing unto them: or the reason of mentioning such a sum, as Dr. Lightfoot observes, might be, because that this was a noted and celebrated sum among the Jews, and frequently mentioned by them. A virgin's dowry, upon marriage, was "two hundred pence" ^F3; and so was a widow's; and one that was divorced ^F4, if she insisted on it, and could make good her claim: this was the fine of an adult man, that lay with one under age; and of a male under age, that lay with a female adult ^F5; and of one man that gave another a slap of the face ^F6. This sum answered to six pounds and five shillings of our money.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 Misn. Cetubot, c. 1. sect. 2. & 4. 7. & 5. 1.
F4 Ib. c. 2. sect. 1. & 11. 4.
F5 Ib. c. 1. sect. 3.
F6 Misn. Bava Kama, c. 6. sect. 8.

Marcos 6:37 In-Context

35 Cuando ya era el día muy entrado, sus discípulos llegaron a él, diciendo: El lugar es desierto, y el día ya muy entrado

36 envíalos para que vayan a los cortijos y aldeas de alrededor, y compren para sí pan; porque no tienen qué comer

37 Respondiendo él, les dijo: Dadles de comer vosotros. Y le dijeron: ¿Qué vayamos y compremos pan por doscientos denarios, y les demos de comer

38 El les dice: ¿Cuántos panes tenéis? Id, y vedlo. Y sabiéndolo, dijeron: Cinco, y dos peces

39 Y les mandó que hicieran recostar a todos por partidas sobre la hierba verde