John 6:9
New International Version
“Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?”

New Living Translation
“There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?”

English Standard Version
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are they for so many?”

Berean Standard Bible
“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”

Berean Literal Bible
"Here is a little boy who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these for so many?"

King James Bible
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

New King James Version
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”

New American Standard Bible
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?

NASB 1995
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

NASB 1977
“There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

Legacy Standard Bible
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?”

Amplified Bible
“There is a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what are these for so many people?”

Christian Standard Bible
“There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
There’s a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish—but what are they for so many?”

American Standard Version
There is a lad here, who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?

Contemporary English Version
"There is a boy here who has five small loaves of barley bread and two fish. But what good is that with all these people?"

English Revised Version
There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two fishes: but what are these among so many?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"A boy who has five loaves of barley bread and two small fish is here. But they won't go very far for so many people."

Good News Translation
"There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish. But they will certainly not be enough for all these people."

International Standard Version
"There's a little boy here who has five barley loaves and two small fish. But what are these among so many people?"

Majority Standard Bible
“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?”

NET Bible
"Here is a boy who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what good are these for so many people?"

New Heart English Bible
"There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?"

Webster's Bible Translation
There is a lad here, who hath five barley-loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Weymouth New Testament
"There is a boy here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish: but what is that among so many?"

World English Bible
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these among so many?”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
“There is one little boy here who has five barley loaves and two fishes, but these—what are they to so many?”

Berean Literal Bible
"Here is a little boy who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are these for so many?"

Young's Literal Translation
'There is one little lad here who hath five barley loaves, and two fishes, but these -- what are they to so many?'

Smith's Literal Translation
There is one little boy here, who has five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are these among so many?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
There is a boy here that hath five barley loaves, and two fishes; but what are these among so many?

Catholic Public Domain Version
“There is a certain boy here, who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are these among so many?”

New American Bible
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish; but what good are these for so many?”

New Revised Standard Version
“There is a boy here who has five barley loaves and two fish. But what are they among so many people?”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
There is a boy here, who has with him five barley loaves and two fishes; but what are these for all of them?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“There is a boy here who has five loaves of barley bread and two fish with him; but what are they to all of these?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
There is a lad here that has five barley loaves, and two little fishes; but what are these among so many?

Godbey New Testament
There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fishes: but what are these among so many?

Haweis New Testament
There is a little lad here, who hath five barley-loaves, and two small fishes: but these, what are they among so many?

Mace New Testament
there is a lad here, who hath five barley-loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

Weymouth New Testament
"There is a boy here with five barley loaves and a couple of fish: but what is that among so many?"

Worrell New Testament
"There is a lad here, who has five barley loaves and two small fishes; but what are these among so many?"

Worsley New Testament
saith unto Him, There is a lad here, that hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes; but what are they among so many?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Feeding of the Five Thousand
8One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9“Here is a boy with five barley loaves and two small fish. But what difference will these make among so many?” 10“Have the people sit down,” Jesus said. Now there was plenty of grass in that place, so the men sat down, about five thousand of them.…

Cross References
2 Kings 4:42-44
Now a man from Baal-shalishah came to the man of God with a sack of twenty loaves of barley bread from the first ripe grain. “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha. / But his servant asked, “How am I to set twenty loaves before a hundred men?” “Give it to the people to eat,” said Elisha, “for this is what the LORD says: ‘They will eat and have some left over.’” / So he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.

Matthew 14:17-21
“We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. / “Bring them here to Me,” Jesus said. / And 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. ...

Mark 6:38-44
“Go and see how many loaves you have,” He told them. And after checking, they said, “Five—and two fish.” / Then Jesus directed them to have the people sit in groups on the green grass. / So they sat down in groups of hundreds and fifties. ...

Luke 9:13-17
But Jesus told them, “You give them something to eat.” “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered, “unless we go and buy food for all these people.” / (There were about five thousand men.) He told His disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” / They did so, and everyone was seated. ...

John 2:1-11
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, / and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. / When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” ...

John 21:9-13
When they landed, they saw a charcoal fire there with fish on it, and some bread. / Jesus told them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” / So Simon Peter went aboard and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many, the net was not torn. ...

Exodus 16:4-15
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you. Each day the people are to go out and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test whether or not they will follow My instructions. / Then on the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather on the other days.” / So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “This evening you will know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt, ...

Numbers 11:7-9
Now the manna resembled coriander seed, and its appearance was like that of gum resin. / The people walked around and gathered it, ground it on a handmill or crushed it in a mortar, then boiled it in a cooking pot or shaped it into cakes. It tasted like pastry baked with fine oil. / When the dew fell on the camp at night, the manna would fall with it.

1 Kings 17:12-16
But she replied, “As surely as the LORD your God lives, I have no bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. Look, I am gathering a couple of sticks to take home and prepare a meal for myself and my son, so that we may eat it and die.” / “Do not be afraid,” Elijah said to her. “Go and do as you have said. But first make me a small cake of bread from what you have, and bring it out to me. Afterward, make some for yourself and your son, / for this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be exhausted and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the LORD sends rain upon the face of the earth.’” ...

Matthew 15:34-38
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied, “and a few small fish.” / And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. / Taking the seven loaves and the fish, He gave thanks and broke them. Then He gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ...

Mark 8:5-9
“How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked. “Seven,” they replied. / And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Then He took the seven loaves, gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before the people. And they distributed them to the crowd. / They also had a few small fish, and Jesus blessed them and ordered that these be set before them as well. ...

Luke 18:27
But Jesus said, “What is impossible with man is possible with God.”

John 1:45-46
Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the One Moses wrote about in the Law, the One the prophets foretold—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” / “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.

John 4:46-54
So once again He came to Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine. And there was a royal official whose son lay sick at Capernaum. / When he heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went and begged Him to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. / Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will never believe.” ...

John 11:43-44
After Jesus had said this, He called out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” / The man who had been dead came out with his hands and feet bound in strips of linen, and his face wrapped in a cloth. “Unwrap him and let him go,” Jesus told them.


Treasury of Scripture

There is a lad here, which has five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?

which.

Matthew 14:17
And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

Matthew 16:9
Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

Mark 6:38
He saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? go and see. And when they knew, they say, Five, and two fishes.

barley.

Deuteronomy 8:8
A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey;

Deuteronomy 32:14
Butter of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat; and thou didst drink the pure blood of the grape.

1 Kings 4:28
Barley also and straw for the horses and dromedaries brought they unto the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.

but.

John 6:7
Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little.

John 11:21,32
Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died…

2 Kings 4:42-44
And there came a man from Baalshalisha, and brought the man of God bread of the firstfruits, twenty loaves of barley, and full ears of corn in the husk thereof. And he said, Give unto the people, that they may eat…

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John 6
1. Jesus feeds five thousand men with five loaves and two fishes.
15. Thereupon the people would have made him king;
16. but withdrawing himself, he walks on the sea to his disciples;
26. reproves the people flocking after him, and all the fleshly hearers of his word;
32. declares himself to be the bread of life to believers.
66. Many disciples depart from him.
68. Peter confesses him.
70. Judas is a devil.














Here is a boy
The mention of a "boy" in this passage highlights the unexpected source of provision. In the Greek, the word used is "παιδάριον" (paidarion), which refers to a young child or lad. This detail emphasizes the humility and simplicity of the means God often uses to accomplish His purposes. In a cultural context where children were not typically seen as significant contributors, this boy becomes a pivotal figure in the miracle, reminding us that God values and uses those whom society might overlook.

with five barley loaves
Barley was considered the food of the poor, as it was less expensive than wheat. The Greek word "κριθίνους" (krithinous) indicates the type of bread, underscoring the modesty of the offering. This detail is significant because it shows that God can use even the simplest and most humble offerings to achieve His divine purposes. The five loaves symbolize grace (the number five often represents grace in biblical numerology), suggesting that God's grace is sufficient to meet all needs.

and two small fish
The phrase "two small fish" uses the Greek word "ὀψάρια" (opsaria), which refers to small, salted fish, likely used as a condiment with the bread. This further emphasizes the modesty of the resources available. Historically, fish was a staple in the diet of those living near the Sea of Galilee, yet the small size of these fish highlights the insufficiency of the resources from a human perspective. This sets the stage for the miraculous multiplication, demonstrating that God's power is made perfect in our weakness.

but what difference will these make among so many?
This rhetorical question captures the doubt and limited perspective of the disciples. The Greek phrase "τί ἐστιν τοῦτο εἰς τοσούτους" (ti estin touto eis tosoutous) reflects a common human tendency to focus on limitations rather than possibilities. The disciples see the vast crowd and the meager provisions and question the potential impact. This moment invites believers to trust in God's ability to transcend human limitations and to provide abundantly beyond what we can ask or imagine. It challenges us to offer what we have, no matter how small, trusting that God can multiply it for His glory.

(9) Again the account of the eye-witness is the more full and life-like. All tell of the five loaves and two fishes. John knows that they are barley loaves--the ordinary black bread of the Galilean peasant; and that the loaves and fishes are not the property of the disciples, but of a lad or slave who has followed the crowd, in the hope, it may be, of finding a purchaser for them.

The word for "lad" is a diminutive occurring only here (not in the best text of Matthew 11:16), and in many MSS. is accompanied by "one." The word may mean a servant, but it more probably means a child. One lad! What could he bear for so many?

Two small fishes.--Better, two fishes. This word, too, is rightly regarded as a diminutive, but it is not a diminutive of "fish." The original root means to boil; thus the substantive is used, as in Homer, of boiled meat, and then of anything eaten as a relish with bread, and specially of fish. This diminutive is used in the New Testament only here and in John 6:11, and in John 21:9-10; John 21:13. A comparison of the passages will make it clear that St. John means by the word the ordinary relish of fish, which formed, with bread, the staple food of the people.

The whole force of Andrew's remark, with its diminutive words, rests upon the smallness of their power to help, while Philip had dwelt on the greatness of the need. . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Here
ὧδε (hōde)
Adverb
Strong's 5602: From an adverb form of hode; in this same spot, i.e. Here or hither.

is
Ἔστιν (Estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a boy
παιδάριον (paidarion)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3808: A little boy, lad. Neuter of a presumed derivative of pais; a little boy.

[with]
ἔχει (echei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

five
πέντε (pente)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4002: Five. A primary number; 'five'.

barley
κριθίνους (krithinous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2916: Made of barley. From krithe; consisting of barley.

loaves
ἄρτους (artous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 740: Bread, a loaf, food. From airo; bread or a loaf.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

two
δύο (dyo)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1417: Two. A primary numeral; 'two'.

small fish.
ὀψάρια (opsaria)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3795: A little fish. Neuter of a presumed derivative of the base of optos; a relish to other food, i.e., fish.

But
ἀλλὰ (alla)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

what [ difference ]
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

will these make
ταῦτα (tauta)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

among
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

so many?”
τοσούτους (tosoutous)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 5118: So great, so large, so long, so many. From tosos and houtos; so vast as this, i.e. Such.


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