8:7a

They also had a few small fish: The word also indicates that the fish were another item of food that the disciples had, in addition to the loaves of bread mentioned in 8:6.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

They had a few small fish as well. (New International Version)
-or-
And they had a few small fish (Revised Standard Version)

fish: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fish refers here to fresh-water fish that have been salted, dried or cooked so that they are ready to eat. See how you translated this word in 6:38c.

8:7b

and Jesus blessed them: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blessed means “to give thanks.” If blessed does not have this meaning in your language, then you should use an expression that has the meaning “give thanks,” as in 8:6b.

them: The pronoun them refers here to the fish. (There is a textual issue in this verse: (1) Some Greek manuscripts have “having blessed them,” in which “them” refers to the fish (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Bible, Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation, NET Bible, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English). (2) Other Greek manuscripts have “having blessed,” without including “them” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1), since the majority of manuscripts, including the oldest and most reliable, follow it. Also, most English versions follow this option.)

8:7c

and ordered that these be set before them as well: Jesus gave his disciples instructions about what to do with the fish. There is implied information here. Jesus probably broke the fish into pieces, as he had broken the bread, so that the disciples could give it to the crowd. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate this in some way. For example:

he broke them in pieces and told the disciples to distribute them
-or-
and told the disciples to distribute pieces of the fish

In some languages you may need to make explicit to whom the disciples were distributing the fish. For example:

and told the disciples to distribute them to the crowd/people

that these be set before them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be set before is another form of the word that is translated as “set before” in 8:6d. You can use a similar expression here. It indicates that the disciples were to give portions of fish to people throughout the crowd.

as well: The phrase as well refers back to Jesus giving thanks for the bread and having the disciples distribute it in 8:6b–d.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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