Mark 8:3

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(3) For divers of them.—Better, and some of them are (or, are come) from afar. The words are given as spoken by our Lord, and are in the perfect tense.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

8:1-10 Our Lord Jesus encouraged the meanest to come to him for life and grace. Christ knows and considers our frames. The bounty of Christ is always ready; to show that, he repeated this miracle. His favours are renewed, as our wants and necessities are. And those need not fear want, who have Christ to live upon by faith, and do so with thanksgiving.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I have compassions - I pity their condition. I am disposed to relieve them.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

3. And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will faint by the way—In their eagerness they seem not to have thought of the need of provisions for such a length of time; but the Lord thought of it. In Matthew (Mt 15:32) it is, "I will not send them away fasting"—or rather, "To send them away fasting I am unwilling."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

See Poole on "Mark 8:1"

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses,.... Greek, "to their own house", or home; but all the Oriental versions render it as we do, in the plural, "their own houses", or habitations; and it seems from hence that they were now tasting, and at least had had no food all that day, whatever they might have the day before, which it not certain.

They will faint by the way; for want of food their strength will be exhausted, their animal spirits will fail, their nerves will be loosened, they will not be able to perform their journey, or get to the end of it:

for divers of them came from far; perhaps some had followed him from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, from whence he came last; and others from Decapolis, through the midst of the borders of which he passed hither; and others from different parts, who had heard of his coming; See Gill on Matthew 15:32.

Geneva Study Bible

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses, they will {a} faint by the way: for divers of them came from far.

(a) Literally, they will fall apart, or be dissolved, for when men faint they tear their muscles.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

Mark 8:3. ἐκλυθήσονται, they will faint. This verb is used in N. T. in middle or passive in the sense of being faint or weary in body or mind (Galatians 6:9, Hebrews 12:3).—καί τινες … εἰσίν, and some of them are from a distance, peculiar to Mark. The meaning is that such, even if in vigour at starting, would be exhausted before reaching their destination. But could they not get food by the way?

Bengel's Gnomen

Mark 8:3. Τινὲς, some of them) Those who had come a greater distance were more in want; and it is on account of these that even the rest are supplied with food. [This clause is also a portion of Jesus’ words.—V. g.] [μακρὀθεν, from far) impelled by a remarkable zeal.—V. g.]—ἥκουσι, they are come) The verb ἥκω signifies, in the present time [tense], I am already come, and I am here, rather than I am coming. They who have substituted ἥκασι in this passage, do not seem to have considered this force of the verb; see on Revelation 2:25.[55]

[55] Tisch. reads εἰσίν instead of ἥκουσιν, with BLΔ Memph.; but Lachm. ἥκασι with AD; ‘venerunt,’ abc Vulg.—ED. and TRANSL.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 3. - For divers of them came from far. These words, as they stand in the Authorized Version, might be supposed to be an observation thrown in by the evangelist himself. But the correct rendering of ἥκασι, is not "came," but have come, or rather, are come and instead of τινὲς γὰρ at the beginning of the clause, the more correct reading is καὶ τινὲς. This change makes the clause almost of necessity to be a part of our Lord's own words going before. It was not until the third day that our Lord interposed with a miracle, when the people were absolutely without food, and would therefore feel more sensibly the blessing as well as the greatness of the miracle. Their extremity was his opportunity. Mark 8:3

Vincent's Word Studies

Faint

See on Matthew 15:32. Wyc., fail.

Some of them came from far

Peculiar to Mark.