Mark 8:4

4 His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"

Mark 8:4 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 8:4

And his disciples answered him
The Syriac version renders it, "say unto him"; and the Persic and Ethiopic, "said unto him"; forgetting the late miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, when they had now a less number, and more provisions:

from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the
wilderness?
from what place, and by what ways and means can it be thought, that such a quantity of bread can be got at any rate in a desert, as to satisfy so large a number of hungry men? (See Gill on Matthew 15:33).

Mark 8:4 In-Context

2 "This crowd is breaking my heart. They have stuck with me for three days, and now they have nothing to eat.

3 If I send them home hungry, they'll faint along the way - some of them have come a long distance."

4 His disciples responded, "What do you expect us to do about it? Buy food out here in the desert?"

5 He asked, "How much bread do you have?" "Seven loaves," they said.

6 So Jesus told the crowd to sit down on the ground. After giving thanks, he took the seven bread loaves, broke them into pieces, and gave them to his disciples so they could hand them out to the crowd.