Matthew 15:35

King James Version

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,

King James Version (1611)
And hee commaunded the multitude to sit downe on the ground.

English Standard Version
And directing the crowd to sit down on the ground,

New American Standard Bible
And He directed the people to sit down on the ground;

New Century Version
Jesus told the people to sit on the ground.

Amplified Bible
He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground,

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then he commanded the multitude to sit downe on the ground,

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He directed the people to sit down on the ground;

Legacy Standard Bible
And He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground;

Berean Standard Bible
And He directed the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Contemporary English Version
After Jesus had told the people to sit down,

Complete Jewish Bible
After telling the crowd to sit down on the ground,

Darby Translation
And he commanded the crowds to lie down on the ground;

Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus told the people to sit on the ground.

George Lamsa Translation
So he ordered the people to sit on the ground.

Good News Translation
So Jesus ordered the crowd to sit down on the ground.

Lexham English Bible
And commanding the crowd to recline for a meal on the ground,

Literal Translation
And He ordered the crowds to recline on the ground.

American Standard Version
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

Bible in Basic English
Then he gave an order to the people to be seated on the earth,

Hebrew Names Version
He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

International Standard Version
Ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground,

Etheridge Translation
And he directed that the multitudes should recline upon the ground.

Murdock Translation
And he commanded the multitudes to recline on the ground.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And he commaunded the people to sit downe on the grounde:

English Revised Version
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

World English Bible
He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
They said, Seven, and a few small fishes. And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass.

Weymouth's New Testament
So He bade all the people sit down on the ground,

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he comaundide to the puple, to sitte to mete on the erthe.

Update Bible Version
And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground;

Webster's Bible Translation
And he commanded the multitude to sit on the ground.

New English Translation
After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground,

New King James Version
So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.

New Living Translation
So Jesus told all the people to sit down on the ground.

New Life Bible
He told the people to sit down on the ground.

New Revised Standard
Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, sending word to the multitude to recline upon the ground,

Douay-Rheims Bible
And he commanded the multitude to sit down upon the ground.

Revised Standard Version
And commanding the crowd to sit down on the ground,

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And he comaunded ye people to syt doune on ye grounde:

Young's Literal Translation
And he commanded the multitudes to sit down upon the ground,

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And he comaunded ye people to syt downe vpo the grounde,

Mace New Testament (1729)
and he bid the people sit down on the ground.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus hollered for everyone to sit down and then

Contextual Overview

²⁹ And Jesus departed from thence, and came nigh unto the sea of Galilee; and went up into a mountain, and sat down there. ³⁰ And great multitudes came unto him, having with them those that were lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others, and cast them down at Jesus' feet; and he healed them: ³¹ Insomuch that the multitude wondered, when they saw the dumb to speak, the maimed to be whole, the lame to walk, and the blind to see: and they glorified the God of Israel. ³² Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way. ³³ And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? ³⁴ And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes. ³⁵ And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. ³⁶ And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude. ³⁷ And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full. ³⁸ And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

to sit: Matthew 14:19-21, Mark 6:39, Mark 6:40, Luke 9:14-16, John 6:10

Reciprocal: Mark 8:6 - to sit

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground. Not regarding the smallness of the provisions, nor any further consulting with his disciples; but knowing his own power to increase this food, and determining to feed the multitude before he dismissed them, in an authoritative way ordered them to sit down upon the ground in rows, that they might be the better seen, and served.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 Migdol, Joshua 19:38. It is now called Mejdel, and is situated a few miles north of the city of Tiberias, in the land of Gennesaret, on the western side of the Sea of Tiberias, and directly east of Cana of Galilee. “It is a wretched hamlet of a dozen low huts huddled into one, and the whole ready to tumble into a dismal heap of black basaltic rubbish.” - The Land and the Book (Thomson), vol. ii. p. 108. This was the birthplace of Mary Magdalene, out of whom the Saviour cast seven devils, Mark 16:9. Dalmanutha was probably a small village near to Magdala, of which no remains have been discovered. There is no contradiction in the statements of the two evangelists here, for they do not say that Jesus went to either of these towns, but only to the coasts or parts where they were situated.

Remarks On Matthew 15:0

We learn from this chapter:

1. That people are often far more attached to traditions and the commandments of human beings than to the Law of God, Matthew 15:1-6.
2. That people are strongly disposed to explain away the law of God, if possible. It is too strict for them, and too spiritual. They dare not often attack it directly, but they will explain it and dilute it so as to make it mean nothing. Wicked people do not love God’s law, Matthew 15:4-6.
3. People are prone to introduce foolish rites into religion. They do not love what God has commanded, and they attempt to compensate for not loving his doctrines by being great sticklers for their own, Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:3-4.
4. All addition to the law of God is evil, Matthew 15:3. All ceremonies in religion which are not authorized by the New Testament are wrong. Man has no right to ordain rites to bind the conscience where God has commanded none, Colossians 2:23. People come the nearest to that which is right when they live nearest to just what God has commanded in the Bible.
5. Hypocrites should be unmasked and detected, Matthew 15:7. He does a great service to people who detects their hypocrisy. That close and faithful preaching which lays open the heart, and shows people what they are, is that which comes nearest to the example of Christ. It may pain them, but the wounds of a friend are faithful Proverbs 27:6; and we should honor and love the man that, by the grace of God, can show us our own hearts. We always honor most the physician of the body that is most skilled in detecting and curing disease, and so should we the physician of the soul.
6. We should be exceedingly cautious in avoiding formality in worship, Matthew 15:8-9. It is hypocrisy. God requires the heart. To render to him only the service of the lips is to mock him. Nothing can be acceptable but true piety, genuine love, and hearty obedience; nothing more hateful than an appearance of worshipping God, while the heart is in sin and the world.
7. The duty of honoring parents, Matthew 15:4-6. Nothing can explain away this duty. It is binding on all. Parents should be obeyed, loved, respected. God requires it and we cannot be free from the duty. Under age, a child is bound always to obey a parent where the parent does not command anything contrary to the Bible; but when the parent commands anything contrary to the Bible, the child is not bound to obey, Acts 5:29. After the child is of age, he is to respect, love, and honor the parent; and, if poor and needy, to provide for his wants until he dies. It is certainly proper that we should do all that we can to comfort those in old age who did so much for us in childhood. A child can never repay a parent for his kindness to him.
8. We are not at liberty to give to anything else not even to religious uses - what is necessary to render our parents comfortable, Matthew 15:4-6. They have the first claim on us. And though it is our duty to do much in the cause of benevolence, yet our first duty should be to see that our parents do not suffer.
9. People easily take offence when they are faithfully reproved, and especially when their hypocrisy is exposed; and especially if this exposure is about some small matter on which they have greatly set their hearts some ceremony in worship or some foolish rite, Matthew 15:12.
10. Every false doctrine is to be opposed and should be rooted up, Matthew 15:13. It is to be opposed by arguments and candid investigation, and not by abuse and misrepresentation. Christ never misrepresented any man’s doctrine. He always stated it just as it was - just as they held it; and then, by argument and the word of God, he showed it was wrong. This is the proper way to manage all controversies.
11. It is of great importance to search the heart, Matthew 15:19-20. It is a fountain of evil. It is the source of all crime. External conduct is comparatively of little importance. In the sight of God, the heart is of more importance; and if that were pure, all would be well.
12. The doctrine of man’s depravity is true, Matthew 15:19. If the heart produces those things which are specified by the Saviour it cannot be pure. And yet who is there from whose heart, at some time, these things have not proceeded? Alas, the world is full of instances that prove that the human heart may produce all these things.
13. In our distress, and the distress of our children and friends, we should go to Jesus. We should, indeed, use all proper means to restore our friends when they are sick; but we should feel that God only can grant returning health and life, Matthew 15:22.
14. We should not be discouraged that our prayers are not immediately answered. God knows the proper time to answer them, and it may be of great importance to us that the answer should be deferred, Matthew 15:23.
15. We should still persevere, Matthew 15:24-27. We should not be discouraged. We should not be disheartened even by the appearance of neglect or unkind treatment.
16. Our prayers will be answered if we persevere, Matthew 15:28. They that seek shall find. In due time - in the best and most proper time - a gracious God will lend an ear to our request, and grant the thing we need.
17. We should come with humility and faith, Matthew 15:27. We can never think too little of ourselves, or too much of the mercy and faithfulness of Christ. Prayers of humility and faith only are answered.
18. Christ will take care of his poor and needy followers. We may be assured that he has power to give us all we need, and that in times of necessity he will supply our wants, Matthew 15:32-38.
19. The great number of poor in the world is no reason why he should not supply them, Matthew 15:38. He daily supplies the wants of nine hundred millions of human beings, besides countless numbers of the beasts of the field, of the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea. It is a small thing to supply the needs of the few poor people on the earth, and He who feeds the world will take care of us in the time of need.
20. We should be grateful to God for our daily food. We should render to him proper thanksgiving, Matthew 15:36.