Luke 9:14

πεντακισχίλιοι. “Besides women and children,” Matthew 14:21. These would probably not be numerous, and would not (in accordance with Eastern usage) sit down with the men, but would stand apart.

κλισίας�. ‘In companies about fifty each.’ The accusative is attributive, in apposition with the meaning of the verb, Winer, p. 286. The vivid details of Mark shew the eyewitness of St Peter. He compares them to parterres of flowers (πρασιαί πρασιαί, ‘by garden beds’) as they sat on the green grass in their bright Oriental robes of red and blue and yellow. St Luke’s word, κλισίας, means literally in dining-parties, from κλισία, ‘a couch.’ It therefore resembles the συμπόσια συμπόσια of St Mark. St Luke passes over the χόρτος πολύς (John), χλωρὸς χ. (Mk.), χόρτοι (Matt.). The details would be more striking to Jews. This systematic arrangement made it easy to tell the number of the multitude.