Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 9:16
Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and broke, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
16. brake, and gave ] The ‘brake’ is in the aorist, and the ‘gave’ in the imperfect, and although it is a useless presumption to enquire into the mode of this most remarkable miracle, these two words give us this detail only, that it took place between the act of breaking and the continuous distribution. But “Falleret momento visum…Est quod non erat; videtur quod non intelligitur” (Hilary). The marvel lay in the Doer, not in the deed. Aug.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 16. Then he took the five loaves] A minister of the Gospel, who is employed to feed souls, should imitate this conduct of Christ:
1. He ought to exhort the people to hear with sedate and humble reverence.
2. He should first take the bread of life himself, that he may be strengthened to feed others.
3. He ought frequently to lift his soul to God, in order to draw down the Divine blessing on himself and his hearers.
4. He should break the loaves – divide rightly the word of truth, and give to all such portions as are suited to their capacities and states.
5. What he cannot perform himself, he should endeavour to effect by the ministry of others; employing every promising talent, for the edification of the whole, which he finds among the members of the Church of God. Under such a pastor, the flock of Christ will increase and multiply. See Quesnel.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes,…. Into his hands, being brought him by the disciples from the lad that had them:
and looking up to heaven: to his Father there, from whom all the mercies and blessings of life come;
he blessed them; either asked, or commanded a blessing on them, that they might multiply and increase, that there might be a sufficiency for all the people, and that, they might be nourishing to them. Beza observes, that in his most ancient copy, it is read, “he blessed upon them”; which perfectly agrees with the Jewish way of speaking, “he that blesseth upon the bread”; “he that blesseth upon the wine”; and so upon the fruits of trees, and upon the fruits of the earth, and upon other things s;
and brake; the loaves, and divided the fishes into parts:
and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude; as they sat in ranks, and in their distinct companies.
s Misn. Beracot, c. 6. sect. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The five … the two ( … ). Pointing back to verse 13, fine example of the Greek article.
And gave ( ). Imperfect active of , kept on giving. This picturesque imperfect is preceded by the aorist (brake), a single act. This latter verb in the N.T. only here and the parallel in Mr 6:41, though common enough in ancient Greek. We say “break off” where here the Greek has “break down” (or thoroughly), perfective use of .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Brake and gave [] . Note the two tenses, as in Mr 6:41, and see note there.
To set before [] . Lit., to set beside, since the table was at the side of the guest. A common word for serving up a meal. Compare Luk 10:8; Act 16:34. From the sense of placing beside, comes that of putting in charge, committing (Luk 12:48; Luk 23:46; 1Ti 1:18). Hence the kindred noun paraqhkh (2Ti 1:12), a deposit : that which I have committed.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes,” (labon de tous pente artous kai tous duo ichthuas) “Then taking the five loaves and two fishes,” just what they had, Mat 14:17. These five loaves and two little fishes were in the hands of only a lad, Joh 6:9.
2) “And looking up to heaven, he blessed them,” (kai kateklasen kai edidou tois mathetais) “And he broke (them) and doled out to the disciples,” Mat 14:19; Mar 6:41; Joh 6:11.
3) “To set before the multitude.” (parthenai to ochlo) “To set before the crowd,” for them to eat, Mat 14:19; Joh 6:11.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
16. Blessed them It was customary with the Jews at every meal to offer a prayer commencing with the thankful words “Blessed be God.” Hence the Hebrew to bless, which originally had for its object God as the author of the meal, took as its objective case the food itself, and thence arose the phrase to bless the food, or to ask a blessing on the food.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and broke, and gave to the disciples to set before the great crowd.’
Then Jesus, as though He was sat at the head of the table, took the bread and the fish, and looking up to Heaven blessed them and broke them and gave them to the disciples indicating that they distribute them to the crowds.
This was an indication to all that this provision came from the Father, to Whom they should be grateful. It was an action of supreme confidence and authority. The Creator was making provision for His own. The looking up to Heaven went beyond the normal giving of thanks (compare Joh 17:1; Mar 7:34). Jesus was indicating His source of supply and His dependence on His Father. By ‘blessing them’ Luke probably mean that He said over them a blessing. It was normal at such times to say something like, ‘Blessed are you, Oh Father, Lord of Heaven and earth —-’ followed by a prayer He then proceeded to hand bread and fish to the disciples, and to their astonishment it kept on coming. And this continued until all were satisfied. We may probably assume that other disciples helped with the distribution.
This whole process would later be seen, although not at the time, as an act of self-revelation of His Messiahship, for Luke later gives other examples of the same action with bread when Jesus is revealing Himself to disciples (Luk 24:30-31; Luk 24:35; Luk 24:42-43 – note here both the bread and the fish, compare Joh 21:13). As with many other of His actions Jesus had in mind the future understanding of His disciples.
(We should note that Luke has carefully avoided using forms of words specifically identifying it with the Lord’s supper).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
Ver. 16. See Trapp on “ Luk 9:13 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
16. ] On the symbolic import of the miracle, see notes on Joh 6 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Luk 9:16 . , He blessed them (the loaves), and by the blessing made them sufficient for the wants of all. In Mt. and Mk. has no object. This is the only trait added by Lk. to enhance the greatness of the miracle, unless the position of after be another = they ate and were filled, all ; not merely a matter of each getting a morsel.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
to. Greek. eis. App-104. Not the same word as in verses: Luk 9:14, Luk 9:40, Luk 9:52, Luk 14:62.
heaven = the heaven (Singular.) See notes on Mat 6:9, Mat 6:10.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
16.] On the symbolic import of the miracle, see notes on John 6.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
and looking: Psa 121:1, Psa 121:2, Mat 14:19, Mar 7:34
he blessed: Luk 22:19, Luk 24:30, Mat 15:36, Joh 6:11, Joh 6:23, Act 27:35, Rom 14:6, 1Co 10:30, 1Co 11:24, 1Ti 4:4, 1Ti 4:5
Reciprocal: Mar 6:41 – looked Luk 22:17 – gave
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
6
Looking up to heaven was in recognition of the source of all blessings. (See Jas 1:17.) The breaking was necessary because more than one person was going to partake, which was the only reason that Jesus broke the bread in Mat 26:26.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
3 d. Luk 9:16-17. The Repast.
The pronouncing of a blessing by Jesus is an incident preserved in all four narratives. It must have produced a special impression on all the four witnesses. Each felt that this act contained the secret of the marvellous power displayed on this occasion. To bless God for a little is the way to obtain much. In Matthew and Mark, , He blessed, is absolute; the object understood is God. Luke adds , them (the food), a word which the Sinaticus erases (wrongly, it is clear), in accordance with the two other Syn. It is a kind of sacramental consecration. John uses the word , which is chosen, perhaps, not without reference to the name of the later paschal feast (eucharist). The imperfect in Luke and Mark is graphic: He gave, and kept on giving.
The mention of the fragments indicates the complete satisfaction of their hunger. In John it is Jesus who orders them to be gathered up. This act must therefore be regarded as an expression of filial respect for the gift of the Father.
The twelve baskets are mentioned in all the four narratives. The baskets belonged to the furniture of a caravan. Probably they were what the apostles had provided themselves with when they set out. The number of the persons fed is given by Matthew and Mark here. Luke had mentioned it already in the 14th verse, after the reply of the disciples; John a little later (Luk 9:10), at the moment when the companies were being seated. What unaccountable caprice, if these narratives were taken from each other, or even from the same written source!
The criticism which sets out with the denial of the supernatural is compelled to erase this fact from the history of Jesus; and this miracle cannot, in fact, be explained by the hidden forces of spontaneity, by the charm which a person of fine organization exercises over weak nerves. It is not possible either to fall back, with some commentators, on the process of vegetation, by supposing here an unusual acceleration of it; we have to deal with bread, not with corn; with cooked fish, not with living creatures. The fact is miraculous, or it is nothing. M. Renan has returned to the ancient interpretation of Paulus: Every one took his little store of provisions from his wallet; they lived on very little. Keim combines with this explanation the mythical interpretation in two ways,imitation of the O. T. (the manna; Elisha, 2Ki 4:42), and the Christian idea of the multiplication of the Word, the food of the soul. With the explanation of Paulus, it is difficult to conceive what could have excited the enthusiasm of the people to the point of making them instantly resolve to proclaim Jesus as their King! The mythical interpretation has to contend with special difficulties. Four parallel and yet original narratives wonderfully supplementing each other, a number of minute precise details quite incompatible with the nebulous character of a myth (the five loaves and the two fishes, the 5000 persons, the ranks of fifty, and the companies of a hundred, the twelve baskets),all these details, preserved in four independent and yet harmonious accounts, indicate either a real event or a deliberate invention. But the hypothesis of invention, which Baur so freely applies to the miracles recorded in the fourth Gospel, finds an insurmountable obstacle here in the accounts of the three other evangelists. How is criticism to get out of this network of difficulties? When it has exhausted its ingenuity, it will end by laying down its arms before the holy simplicity of this narrative.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
9:16 Then he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, {e} he blessed them, and brake, and gave to the disciples to set before the multitude.
(e) He gave God thanks for these loaves and fishes, and prayed at the same time that God would feed this multitude which was so great with such a small quantity, and to put it briefly, that this whole banquet might be to the glory of God.