Matthew 15:38

Simplified Cowboy Version

There were four thousand cowboys who ate, not counting the womenfolk and little ones.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Now there were four thousand men who had eaten, besides women and children.

King James Version (1611)
And they that did eat, were foure thousand men, beside women and children.

King James Version
And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

English Standard Version
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

New American Standard Bible
And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

New Century Version
There were about four thousand men there who ate, besides women and children.

Amplified Bible
[Among] those who ate were 4,000 men, not counting women and children.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And they that had eaten, were foure thousand men, beside women, and litle children.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Legacy Standard Bible
And those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Berean Standard Bible
A total of four thousand men were fed, in addition to women and children.

Contemporary English Version
There were four thousand men who ate, not counting the women and children.

Complete Jewish Bible
Those eating numbered four thousand men, plus women and children.

Darby Translation
but they that ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Easy-to-Read Version
There were about 4000 men there who ate. There were also some women and children.

George Lamsa Translation
And those who did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Good News Translation
The number of men who ate was four thousand, not counting the women and children.

Lexham English Bible
Now those who ate were four thousand men, in addition to women and children.

Literal Translation
And the ones eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children.

American Standard Version
And they that did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Bible in Basic English
And there were four thousand men who took food, together with women and children.

Hebrew Names Version
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

International Standard Version
Now those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Etheridge Translation
And they who had eaten, were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Murdock Translation
And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And yet they that did eate, were foure thousande men, besyde women and chyldren.

English Revised Version
And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.

World English Bible
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Weymouth's New Testament
Those who ate were 4,000 adult men, without reckoning women and children.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei that eten weren foure thousynde of men, with outen litle children and wymmen.

Update Bible Version
And those that ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they that had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

New English Translation
Not counting children and women, there were four thousand men who ate.

New King James Version
Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

New Living Translation
There were 4,000 men who were fed that day, in addition to all the women and children.

New Life Bible
Four thousand men ate. Women and children ate also.

New Revised Standard
Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, they who did eat, were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And they that did eat, were four thousand men, beside children and women.

Revised Standard Version
Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And yet they that ate were .iiii.M. men besyde wemen and chyldren.

Young's Literal Translation
and those eating were four thousand men, apart from women and children.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they yt ate, were foure thousande me, besyde wemen and children.

Mace New Testament (1729)
though the guests were to the number of four thousand men, beside women and children.

Contextual Overview

²⁹When he left there, Jesus rode along the shore of Lake Galilee. He rode his horse up on top of a hill and sat there. ³⁰A whole mess of folks came up there where he was and brought with them people who were in bad shape. Some were blind. Some were deaf. Some were paralyzed and others couldn't talk. They brought 'em before Jesus and he fixed 'em all. ³¹Everyone was shocked by what Jesus was able to do. The paralyzed were walkin' and the mutes were talkin'. Everyone was shoutin' and shootin' up in the air in honor of the Boss. ³²Jesus called his cowboys over to him and said, "I feel sorry for all these people. They have been here with us for three days and some of 'em haven't had anything to eat. If some of 'em leave, they might pass out before they get home." ³³His cowboys said, "Man, this place is like a barren desert. We could butcher one hundred cows and not have enough food for all these people." ³⁴Jesus asked 'em what kind of food they had and they showed him seven small biscuits and some sardines. ³⁵Jesus hollered for everyone to sit down and then ³⁶he took the seven biscuits and the can of sardines and gave thanks for them. He then broke them and handed 'em to his cowboys so they could pass 'em out to everybody. ³⁷Everyone ate as much as they wanted and there was enough leftovers to fill seven large Dutch ovens. ³⁸There were four thousand cowboys who ate, not counting the womenfolk and little ones.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Matthew 14:20 - and they took Matthew 16:10 - General Mark 6:42 - General Luke 9:17 - eat John 6:12 - they

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they that did eat, were four thousand men,.... This number of men, as well as of the baskets of fragments, clearly shows this to be a distinct miracle from the former of this kind, recorded in Matthew 14:15. There the number of men were five thousand, here four thousand; there the quantity of food was five loaves and two fishes, here seven loaves and a few fishes; there the number of the baskets of fragments was twelve, here seven; though the quantity might be as large; since the word here used for a basket is not the same as there, and designs one of a larger size:

besides women and children; who were not taken into the account, though they ate as well as the men, and whose number might be very large.

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.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 15:38. Four thousand — Let the poor learn from these miracles to trust in God for support. Whatever his ordinary providence denies, his miraculous power will supply.