Gathering Stones at Tabgha
When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
(Mark 8:19-20)
Isn't it amazing how accurate the Word of God is? When one reads the two verses above in the English language, one gets the impression that Christ is comparing the two miracles of multiplication. But somehow, the effectiveness of the passage has been lost in the translation from Greek to English.
And here's why.
Mar 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many ** baskets** full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many **baskets** full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
In verse 19, the word for baskets is "kophinos", and in verse 20, the word for baskets is "spuris." And what is the difference? That's the significant point that is lost in the translation.
"Kophinos" is a small type of basket that was used by Jews when they traveled, something of a knapsack that could be carried on their back and which held a specific amount of measurement. In the 1871 commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, the authors note: “The 'kophinos' was part of the luggage taken by Jews on a journey--to carry, it is said, both their provisions and hay to sleep on, that they might not have to depend on Gentiles, and so run the risk of ceremonial pollution.” It was a wicker basket made of twigs or branches particularly used by the Jews for carrying kosher food, and the capacity was equivalent to about two gallons or two-thirds bushel of food. (Vine's Expository Dictionary)
And the significance to the reference of "kophinos"? The passage in verse 19 took place on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee.
Now, in looking at verse 20, the word for basket is "spuris" which is a reed basket, which could be a lunch basket, but which can be much larger such as a hamper. In Gentile Damascus, Paul was lowered from the city wall in a "spuris" (Acts 9:25)
A "spuris" was the type basket that was favored by the Gentiles. A "spuris" signifies "something round, twisted or folded together" (connected with speira, "anything rolled into a circle;" Eng., "sphere"); hence a reed basket, plaited, a capacious kind of hamper, sometimes large enough to hold a man. Matt. 15:37; 16:10; Mark 8:8, 20 (Vine's Expository Dictionary)
A "spuris" was measurable to six and one-fourth bushels, significantly larger than the measurement of a "kophinos". And the significance of the "spuris"? The feeding of the four thousand was on the "other side" of the Galilee, the Gentile side of the Sea where the use of "spuris" was the preferred basket over the Jewish "kophinos".
When Jesus spoke the words in Mark, He identified the difference in the miracles of the multiplications, but man's simplification of the text took away the location (Jewish or Gentile side of the Galilee) and the difference of the abundance. For considering the size of the baskets, the abundance was greater in the Gentile miracle of multiplication (7 baskets x 6..25 = 43.75 bushels) than in the Jewish miracle of multiplication (12 baskets x .66 = 8 bushels).
God's Word is so accurate if we allow it to stand alone.
And when the seven among four thousand, how many baskets full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
(Mark 8:19-20)
Isn't it amazing how accurate the Word of God is? When one reads the two verses above in the English language, one gets the impression that Christ is comparing the two miracles of multiplication. But somehow, the effectiveness of the passage has been lost in the translation from Greek to English.
And here's why.
Mar 8:19 When I brake the five loaves among five thousand, how many ** baskets** full of fragments took ye up? They say unto him, Twelve.
Mar 8:20 And when the seven among four thousand, how many **baskets** full of fragments took ye up? And they said, Seven.
In verse 19, the word for baskets is "kophinos", and in verse 20, the word for baskets is "spuris." And what is the difference? That's the significant point that is lost in the translation.
"Kophinos" is a small type of basket that was used by Jews when they traveled, something of a knapsack that could be carried on their back and which held a specific amount of measurement. In the 1871 commentary by Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown, the authors note: “The 'kophinos' was part of the luggage taken by Jews on a journey--to carry, it is said, both their provisions and hay to sleep on, that they might not have to depend on Gentiles, and so run the risk of ceremonial pollution.” It was a wicker basket made of twigs or branches particularly used by the Jews for carrying kosher food, and the capacity was equivalent to about two gallons or two-thirds bushel of food. (Vine's Expository Dictionary)
And the significance to the reference of "kophinos"? The passage in verse 19 took place on the Jewish side of the Sea of Galilee.
Now, in looking at verse 20, the word for basket is "spuris" which is a reed basket, which could be a lunch basket, but which can be much larger such as a hamper. In Gentile Damascus, Paul was lowered from the city wall in a "spuris" (Acts 9:25)
A "spuris" was the type basket that was favored by the Gentiles. A "spuris" signifies "something round, twisted or folded together" (connected with speira, "anything rolled into a circle;" Eng., "sphere"); hence a reed basket, plaited, a capacious kind of hamper, sometimes large enough to hold a man. Matt. 15:37; 16:10; Mark 8:8, 20 (Vine's Expository Dictionary)
A "spuris" was measurable to six and one-fourth bushels, significantly larger than the measurement of a "kophinos". And the significance of the "spuris"? The feeding of the four thousand was on the "other side" of the Galilee, the Gentile side of the Sea where the use of "spuris" was the preferred basket over the Jewish "kophinos".
When Jesus spoke the words in Mark, He identified the difference in the miracles of the multiplications, but man's simplification of the text took away the location (Jewish or Gentile side of the Galilee) and the difference of the abundance. For considering the size of the baskets, the abundance was greater in the Gentile miracle of multiplication (7 baskets x 6..25 = 43.75 bushels) than in the Jewish miracle of multiplication (12 baskets x .66 = 8 bushels).
God's Word is so accurate if we allow it to stand alone.
posted by ~serapha~ at 9:36 PM
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