Matthew 16 10

Matthew 16:10 kjv

Neither the seven loaves of the four thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?

Matthew 16:10 nkjv

Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many large baskets you took up?

Matthew 16:10 niv

Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?

Matthew 16:10 esv

Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?

Matthew 16:10 nlt

Or the 4,000 I fed with seven loaves, and the large baskets of leftovers you picked up?

Matthew 16 verses

Matthew 16 10 Meaning

Matthew 16:10 is a rhetorical question posed by Jesus to His disciples, serving as a reminder of His miraculous provision and power, thereby challenging their spiritual obtuseness and lack of understanding concerning His warning about the "leaven" of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus highlights their direct experience of His divine ability to multiply food and collect ample leftovers, indicating their irrational worry about a lack of physical bread when He speaks of spiritual matters.

Matthew 16 10 Context

This verse is part of a direct confrontation between Jesus and His disciples concerning their lack of spiritual insight. Immediately preceding this, Jesus had warned them to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees" (Matt 16:6). The disciples, fixated on a worldly concern, literally interpreted "leaven" as a shortage of physical bread, which they had forgotten to bring (Matt 16:7). Jesus, knowing their thoughts, chastises their "little faith" (Matt 16:8) and reminds them of two previous, large-scale feeding miracles He performed – the feeding of the five thousand (referenced in Matt 16:9) and then the feeding of the four thousand (referenced in Matt 16:10). This entire exchange underscores the disciples' slow spiritual comprehension despite direct miraculous evidence, highlighting Jesus' frustration with their materialistic worldview and inability to grasp spiritual truths. The historical context for the disciples' dulled understanding might include their preoccupation with a physical Messiah who would liberate Israel from Roman rule, making it difficult for them to see Jesus' spiritual kingdom and power.

Matthew 16 10 Word analysis

• Nor (οὐδὲ - oude): A conjunction emphasizing a continued negation, reinforcing the preceding question in Matt 16:9 ("Do you not yet understand, nor remember...?"). It connects the lack of understanding with the specific acts of divine provision, indicating a cumulative failure of comprehension.
• the seven loaves (ἑπτὰ ἄρτους - hepta artous): Specifically refers to the second large-scale feeding miracle, recorded in Matt 15:32-39. The number 'seven' distinguishes this miracle from the 'five' loaves used in the earlier feeding of the five thousand, emphasizing a distinct yet equally powerful event. The Greek word artos typically refers to ordinary bread, but in this context, it was miraculously multiplied by Jesus.
• of the four thousand (τῶν τετρακισχιλίων - ton tetrakischilion): The numerical specification precisely identifies the second miracle (Matt 15:32-39) where approximately four thousand men, besides women and children, were fed. Jesus uses precise details to jog the disciples' memories.
• and how many (καὶ πόσων - kai poson): A direct, interrogative pronoun highlighting the disciples' active involvement in collecting the leftovers, which should have etched the scale of the miracle into their minds.
• baskets (σπυρίδας - spuridas): This Greek term denotes a large, wicker basket, typically larger than the kophinos (κοφίνους) mentioned in Matt 16:9 for the feeding of the five thousand. This distinct detail underscores Jesus' meticulous recollection of the events and further challenges the disciples' memory. The spyris was so large it could even hold a person, as used when Paul escaped Damascus (Acts 9:25). The abundant leftover demonstrates super-abundance far beyond the initial meager provision.
• you took up? (ἠράτε - ērate): From the verb airō (αἴρω), meaning to take up, lift, or carry away. This stresses the disciples' direct participation in gathering the fragments, implying a first-hand, undeniable experience of the abundant leftovers and thus Jesus' incredible power to provide.

Words-group analysis

• "Nor the seven loaves of the four thousand...": This phrase connects directly to a specific past miracle performed by Jesus. The detailed numerical reference ("seven loaves," "four thousand") points to a clear, undeniable demonstration of Jesus' power to provide, making the disciples' forgetfulness or misapprehension even more striking. It contrasts sharply with their present anxiety over "no bread."
• "...and how many baskets you took up?": This second part highlights not just the initial feeding but the miraculous abundance of leftovers. The collection of these "baskets" (specifically spuridas, large ones) indicates a clear, undeniable quantity of food that far exceeded what was needed and even what was started with. The inclusion of "you took up" directly involves the disciples, recalling their personal, physical handling of the immense proof of Jesus' divine ability. This questions why they still doubted His capacity to provide and their inability to see His deeper, spiritual teaching.

Matthew 16 10 Bonus section

The distinct types of baskets mentioned (κοφίνους - kophinous for the 5,000, and σπυρίδας - spuridas for the 4,000) are an important detail that showcases Jesus' precise memory and distinguishes the two events for the disciples, forcing them to acknowledge each miracle individually. The kophinos was a standard Jewish provision basket, whereas the spyris was a much larger container. Jesus uses these specific details to underscore that these were not identical events, but two separate, verifiable instances of His boundless provision. His rhetorical questions emphasize not only the miraculous supply but also the abundant surplus, teaching that God provides not merely sufficiently but super-abundantly. This super-abundance (seven spuridas for 4,000 people and twelve kophinous for 5,000 people) further demonstrates the limitless nature of Jesus' power, contrasting sharply with the disciples' limited, earthly perspective of scarcity. The spiritual blindness displayed here by the disciples, even after being privileged witnesses to such profound miracles, serves as a timeless caution for believers to constantly seek deeper spiritual understanding of God's Word and works.

Matthew 16 10 Commentary

Matthew 16:10 encapsulates Jesus' frustration with His disciples' spiritual dullness despite repeatedly witnessing His divine power. After directly asking about the miracle of the five thousand in verse 9, Jesus probes their memory of the distinct second feeding of the four thousand. His rhetorical question serves not just as a reminder of specific facts (the number of loaves and the abundant baskets collected by them), but as a stark rebuke for their carnal understanding. Their immediate worry about physical bread, even after experiencing two mass feedings, indicates their limited spiritual perception. The true "leaven" Jesus warned them against was the corrupt, superficial teaching and hypocrisy of the religious leaders, not a literal absence of bread. This verse powerfully illustrates that direct witness to God's mighty works does not automatically translate into spiritual comprehension or enduring faith. It underscores the ongoing need for disciples to shift their focus from the material to the spiritual and to trust in Christ's complete sufficiency, rather than dwelling on temporal concerns or literal interpretations of spiritual warnings. It teaches us the importance of truly perceiving God's provisions, past and present, as evidence for future trust and deeper spiritual discernment.