How do you explain the five thousand sitting in groups of fifty and hundred in the feeding of five thousand?

Answer 1

This was a simplified echelon structure whereby the Israelites were organized and trained from the time they emerged from Egyptian slavery to handle large groups of people: "...So shall it be easier for thyself, and they shall bear [the burden] with thee.... And Moses chose able men out of all Israel, and made them heads over the people, rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens." (Ex.18:22-25 WEB Webster's Bible) "Take ye wise men, and understanding, and known among your tribes, and I will make them rulers over you... So I took the chief of your tribes, wise men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thousands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens..." (Deut.1:13-15 WEB) So, when the people were commanded by Jesus to sit in "groups" or "companies" or "ranks" -- ranks of hundreds and fifties was the "natural" and appropriate grouping to the people for the number of people present.

A lot of consideration needs to be given by the reader concerning what ever Christ is observed doing and this account deserves no less of our attention. It is written, "study to show your self approved unto God..." (2nd Timothy 2:15. That said its equally important in questions of this type to understand what was asked, who asked it, and what was said, in order to break down the subject and object and related information.

The reference to this specific question appears in both the book of Mark and the book of Luke. The setting of people is centered around the subject of the day being nearly nighttime, a multitude has followed Christ for 3 days (3 is not insignificant - Denotes divine perfection), They were located in a desert place (not insignificant - a barren wilderness near the city Bethsaida - not insignificant, port city on the North and East side of the sea of Galilee where the river enters the sea, Bethsaida is also the city of Philip, Andrew, and Peter - John 1:44, Then there is the warning "Woe" of Christ concerning Bethsaida - Matthew 11:21), and the people had nothing to eat (not insignificant - remember what Christ said to the lady at the well). Does being guided by the good Shepherd into the wilderness remind you of the Exodus?

Mark's account in the KJV Chapter 6 - "and he commanded (Christ) them to make all sit down by comapnies upon the green grass... and they sat down in ranks, by hundreds and by fifties."

Lukes account in the KJV Chapter - " for they were about five thousand men. And He said to his disciples, Make them sid down by fifties in a company. And they did so, and made them all sit down"

This was not and unruly crowd as many of the film makers portray it to be, there was order established by Christ, immediately. These people were hungry and needed to be fed, and Christ himself was about to feed them. But pay attention to how he rebukes his disciples later concerning this incident which is defined starting in the book of Mark, chapter 8 vs 14. After Christ taught the people truth, there were scraps gathered up by the disciples themselves (Christ is the bread of life, the people had started weaving the leaven of the Pharisees and Herod into Chris's bread (truth) which he fed them), the disciples missed the occurrence of the entry of the Leaven of the Pharisees and Herod. Today philosophia doctrine does the same to Christs message as warned by Paul in Colossians chapter 2, as the philosophia attempt to lock the entire world into their doctrine.

There is reference as indicated prior which was charged to Moses to allow the people to be managed (Exodus 18:22-25). This reference settles the people into manageable groups of 100 - 50 - and 10.

Christ however never stated 100 or 10, he stated in the book of Luke "Make them sit down by fifties in a company". Note: Only the disciples knew of the limitation of the food, the people never knew the initial number of the fish and bread (five loaves and two fishes). 5 is the biblical number of Grace and 2 is the biblical number for division or difference (often being associated with opposition, enmity, oppression)

Therefore what does fifty denote and what is a company?

Fifty is the biblical number of the Jubile (Leviticus 25) 'And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family... (now pay attention)... A jubile shall that fifieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed. For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: Ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field...." (did you get that?)

Jublie in the Hebrew is Strong's word 3104, pronounced yowbel its from word 2986 and it means; the blast of a horn (from its continual sound); specifically the signal of the silver trumpets; hence the instrument itself and the festival thus introduced.2986 is pronounced yabal and it is a primary root which means; to flow, causatively to bring (especially with pomp): bring (forth) carry, lead (forth).

The word company used in Luke, is Greek word 2828, pronounced Klee-see-ah its a derivative of word 2827 and it means: properly, reclination, i.e. (concretely and specifically), a party at a meal2827 is pronounced klee-no, its a primary verb which means slant or slope i.e. incline or recline (literally or figuratively).

Answer 2

Dennis R. MacDonald (The Homeric Epics and the Gospel of Mark) explains this in a way that has excited some interest among scholars. He sees many parallels between Homer's epics, the Iliad and The Odyssey, and Mark's Gospel. The stories of feeding the five thousand first appeared in Mark and was then copied in Matthew and Luke. MacDonald describes quite a few parallels between Homer's and Mark's accounts.
In Homer's epic, the crowd that met Telemachus sat in groups of 500 each. In Mark's Gospel, they sat in groups of 50 and 100.