8:9a

And about four thousand men were present: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as four thousand men is literally “four thousand.” Here the phrase refers to people in general, not only to males.

General Comment on 8:8–9a

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the information in verses 8:8a–b and 8:9a. For example:

Everybody ate and had enough—there were about four thousand people. Then the disciples took up seven baskets full of pieces left over. (Good News Bible)
-or-
The crowd of about four thousand people ate all they wanted, and the leftovers filled seven large baskets. (Contemporary English Version)

8:9b

As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as As soon as Jesus had dismissed the crowd indicates that after the people had eaten as much as they wanted, Jesus told them to return to their homes. Your translation should not imply that Jesus was being rude or hostile toward the people. This is similar to the expression “send them home” in 8:3. Also, see how you translated “dismissed the crowd” in 6:45.

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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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