And they that did eat of the loaves were about five thousand men.
All Commentaries on Mark 6:44 Go To Mark 6
Bede
AD 735
The number one thousand, beyond which no calculation of ours extends, ordinarily indicates the fullness of the things which are being treated. By the number five the wellknown senses of our body are represented, namely, sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. The spiritual meaning of the five thousand: Those who act boldly and take courage by living soberly, righteously, and piously, that they may deserve to be renewed by the sweetness of heavenly wisdom, are those implied by the five thousand whom our Lord satisfied by this mystical banquet.
