Mark 6:37

37. Δότε αὐτοῖς ὑμεῖς. The very emphatic ὑμεῖς is in all three; “They are not to be sent away; you must feed them.”

Ἀπελθόντες�; Are we to go and buy? Cf. Mark 4:30; Mark 6:24; Mark 12:14. Jn here differs considerably and is more precise than the Synoptists, whose narrative seems to be partly a condensation of what Jn reports as having taken place between our Lord and Philip and Andrew.

δηναρίων διακοσίων. Mt. omits this, as he omits “about 2000” (Mark 5:13) and “300 denarii” (Mark 14:5). The retention in R.V. of “penny” for δηνάριον is as deplorable as that of “publican” for τελὼνης. In amount of silver a denarius was nearly a shilling, in purchasing power it was more than a florin (Matthew 20:2 f.). To speak of 200 pennyworths to feed 5000 people is so incongruous as to be almost grotesque. The “two pence” of the Good Samaritan and the “penny a day” of the owner of the vineyard make them seem niggardly instead of generous. In Revelation 6:6, maximum prices are turned into incredibly low prices by the translation “penny.” The meaning here is “A sum far greater than Judas carries for us would be quite insufficient.” Lk. inserts an emphatic ἡμεῖς answering to Christ’s ὑμεῖς. The question suggests that what Christ has ordered is impossible; οἱ δὲ καταμέμφονται αὐτὸν ὡς μὴ γνόντα (Theoph.).