Matthew 14:21

Matthew 14:21, in plain English

About five thousand men were fed, plus women and children. The actual crowd could have been well over ten thousand people. All from five loaves and two fish.

Why it's here

The scale of this miracle reminds you that no need is too big for God. What seems impossible by your math is simple for Him.

Who's speaking

Matthew gives the final count, underscoring the magnitude of what happened.

Where it sits in the story

The numbers make the miracle undeniable. This wasn't a small gathering; it was a massive crowd, and every single person was satisfied.

The scholarly reading

Matthew specifies andres pentakischilioi ('about five thousand men') chōris gynaikōn kai paidiōn ('besides women and children'), suggesting the total crowd may have been 15,000-20,000. This counting convention reflects ancient patriarchal enumeration practices.

Language and setting

The specific number serves as historical testimony to the scale of the miracle. The mention of women and children, though secondary in the count, indicates Matthew's awareness of a much larger crowd.

Voice

The narrator provides the statistical summary.

Significance

This closing detail emphasizes the sheer scale of the miracle. What Jesus did with five loaves and two fish fed a small city's worth of people.

19And He directed the crowds to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, He spoke a blessing. Then He broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.

20They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

21About five thousand men were fed, besides women and children.

22Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of Him to the other side, while He dismissed the crowds.

23After He had dismissed them, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone,

Read all of Matthew 14 — A king's guilty banquet ends with a prophet's head on a platter. Hours later, Jesus feeds thousands and walks on water through the night.