Berean Bible

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Matthew

16

:

9

Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets you gathered?

Lexicon

Verse part Definition: Part of speech: Strong's: Greek: Transliteration:
vvv Not yet. Adv H3768 οὔπω oupō
Do you not yet understand, To understand, think, consider, conceive, apprehend; aor. possibly: realize. V-PIA-2P H3539 νοεῖτε noeite
nor Neither, nor, not even, and not. Conj H3761 οὐδὲ oude
remember To remember, hold in remembrance, make mention of. V-PIA-2P H3421 μνημονεύετε mnēmoneuete
five Five. Adj-AMP H4002 πέντε pente
the The, the definite article. N-AMP H740 ἄρτους artous
five thousand, Five thousand. Adj-GMP H4000 πεντακισχιλίων pentakischiliōn
Analysis:

Five: Incompletion or lacking

For a person to understand the meaning of the number “five”, one must first realize that the meaning of the number ten is completion or wholeness. Since five is half of ten, the idea is that the number five represents incompletion or that which is lacking. A Scripture that expresses this idea is found in the book of John. At a place called Beit Chesed (Bethesda), there was a pool whose waters healed the sick. The reader is told that around the pool there were five porches. It is stated that on these five porches laid individuals who were not whole. Some were paralyzed and the rest of them had a variety of health problems. It is not a chance happening that these people who were lacking their health were on five porches. Another well-known passage that contains the number five is found in I Samuel 17. In the account of David and Goliath, David picks up five stones (see I Samuel 17:40). Why is the reader told the specific number and not simply that David had gathered a few stones? The answer is to assist the reader in understanding that the stone, which David hurled at Goliath, was not the source of victory. Rather, this was only the means that God used to accomplish His victory. In other words, the stone and even David, who hurled this stone at Goliath, were insufficient to bring about this victory.

One of the first places where the idea of "lacking" or "incompleteness" is seen regarding the number five is in the book of Genesis. In chapter 18, two angels are sent to Sodom to destroy the city. God tells Abraham that if 50 righteous people are found in the city, then the city will be free of this punishment (We will learn that the number 50 is related to freedom when this number is studied). This is revealed to Abraham and he responds saying, perhaps the city will lack 50 righteous people by five. It is significant that Abraham uses the number five when referring to the city lacking enough righteous people. 

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how many How much, how great, how many. IPro-AMP H4214 πόσους posous
hand-baskets A large basket. N-AMP H2894 κοφίνους kophinous
you gathered? (a) to receive, get, (b) to take, lay hold of. V-AIA-2P H2983 ἐλάβετε elabete

Parallel Verses

Removed text
Added text
Berean Bible Do you not yet understand, nor remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets you gathered?
King James Bible Do you ye not yet understand, nor neither remember the five loaves for of the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets you gathered?baskets ye took up?
Hebrew Greek English Do "Do you not yet understand, nor understand or remember the five loaves for of the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets baskets full you gathered?picked up?
New American Standard Bible 1995 Do "Do you not yet understand, nor understand or remember the five loaves for of the five thousand, and how many hand-baskets baskets full you gathered?picked up?