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

MARK 6:38KJV
Know the Bible

Mark 6:38 (KJV)

What does Mark 6:38 mean?

Mark 6:38 shows Jesus asking his disciples how many loaves of bread they have, telling them to check, and then hearing their answer: five loaves and two fish. This sets the stage for the miracle where Jesus feeds a large crowd with a small amount of food.

In this verse, Jesus is speaking to his disciples during a moment when a huge crowd has gathered and there is little food available. He directs them to take stock of their resources, which highlights the smallness of what they have compared to the need. This moment leads directly into the well-known story where Jesus multiplies the food to feed thousands.

The Greek behind Mark 6:38

  • "ἄρτους" (artous, G740): This word means "loaves" or "bread." The use of the plural shows that the disciples had several small loaves, not just one, but still not nearly enough for the crowd.
  • "ὑπάγετε" (hupagete, G5217): Translated as "go," this is a command from Jesus, urging the disciples to take action and see for themselves what resources they actually have.
  • "ἴδετε" (idete, G1492): Meaning "see" or "look," this word emphasizes that Jesus wants the disciples to observe and report back, not just guess or assume.
  • "ἰχθύας" (ichthuas, G2486): This word means "fish." The mention of only two fish, alongside five loaves, underlines how little food was available for such a large group.

Why Mark 6:38 matters

  • Mark 6:38 makes it clear that Jesus wanted the disciples to be aware of their limited resources before anything miraculous happened, which highlights the contrast between human limitation and divine provision.
  • This verse helps the reader see that the miracle was not about abundance from the start, but about trust and obedience even when resources seem insufficient.
  • Mark 6:38 connects directly to the larger story of the feeding of the five thousand, showing the careful steps Jesus took before performing the miracle, which underscores his intentionality and the disciples’ involvement.

Where else these words appear

“fishes” Greek G2486 · used in 18 verses

  • Matthew 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
  • Mark 6:41 And when he had taken the five loaves and the two fishes, he looked up to heaven, and blessed, and brake the loaves, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and the two fishes divided he among them all.
  • Luke 11:11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?

“many” Greek G4214 · used in 27 verses

  • Matthew 6:23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
  • Mark 8:5 And he asked them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven.
  • Luke 16:5 So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord?

“Five” Greek G4002 · used in 33 verses

  • Matthew 14:17 And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
  • Luke 9:13 But he said unto them, Give ye them to eat. And they said, We have no more but five loaves and two fishes; except we should go and buy meat for all this people.
  • John 6:13 Therefore they gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves, which remained over and above unto them that had eaten.

“go” Greek G5217 · used in 77 verses

  • Matthew 4:10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
  • Mark 7:29 And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter.
  • John 11:8 His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?