4000. pentakischilioi
Lexical Summary
pentakischilioi: Five thousand

Original Word: πεντακισχίλιοι
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: pentakischilioi
Pronunciation: pen-tak-is-KHEE-lee-oy
Phonetic Spelling: (pen-tak-is-khil'-ee-oy)
KJV: five thousand
NASB: five thousand, five
Word Origin: [from G3999 (πεντακίς - five times) and G5507 (χίλιοι - thousand)]

1. five times a thousand

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
five thousand.

From pentakis and chilioi; five times a thousand -- five thousand.

see GREEK pentakis

see GREEK chilioi

HELPS Word-studies

4000 pentakisxílioi – 5,000. This term is also used with double entendre (i.e. with added symbolic significance). For discussion on this see: 4002 /pénte ("five"), 5507 /xílioi ("thousand"), and 5070 /tetrakisxílioi ("4,000").

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
a cardinal number from pentakis and chilioi
Definition
five thousand
NASB Translation
five (1), five thousand (6).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon
STRONGS NT 4000: πεντακισχίλιοι

πεντακισχίλιοι, πεντακισχίλιαι, πεντακισχίλια, five times a thousand, five thousand: Matthew 14:21; Matthew 16:9; Mark 6:44; Mark 8:19; Luke 9:14; John 6:10. (Herodotus, Plato, others.)

Topical Lexicon
Scope of the Term

Strong’s Greek 4000 designates the number “five thousand,” used six times of the men present at the miraculous feeding recorded in all four Gospels and twice recalled by Jesus in later discussion with His disciples. In every occurrence it points to a specific historical crowd that witnessed Jesus multiply five barley loaves and two fish.

Narrative Setting

The feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-14) takes place in a deserted area near the Sea of Galilee soon after the death of John the Baptist. The disciples, weary from ministry, are invited to rest, yet the multitude follows. Compassion moves Jesus to minister first to their souls (healing and teaching) and then to their bodies by providing food.

Textual Witnesses

Matthew 14:21 – “About five thousand men were fed, besides women and children.”

Mark 6:44 – “And there were five thousand men who had eaten the loaves.”

Luke 9:14 – “About five thousand men were there.”

John 6:10 – “So the men sat down, about five thousand in number.”

Matthew 16:9 – “Do you still not understand? Do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you gathered?”

Mark 8:19 – “When I broke the five loaves for the five thousand, how many baskets of pieces did you collect?” They answered, “Twelve.”

Historical Reliability

The uniform testimony of all four Evangelists confirms the factual nature of the event. Independent yet harmonious accounts testify to early, widespread knowledge of the miracle. The repeated references by Jesus Himself (Matthew 16:9; Mark 8:19) further anchor the feeding as a literal occurrence, not a later legend.

Ministry Significance

1. Compassionate Provision: Jesus meets physical need without neglecting spiritual instruction, modeling holistic ministry.
2. Messianic Identity: Multiplying bread in the wilderness echoes Moses and anticipates the messianic banquet promised by the prophets (Isaiah 25:6).
3. Discipleship Training: The disciples distribute the food and later collect twelve baskets, teaching dependence upon Christ and stewardship of His provision.
4. Prelude to the Bread of Life Discourse: John places the sign immediately before Jesus’ revelation, “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35), linking the number directly to Christ’s self-revelation.

Symbolic Observations

• Five loaves and five thousand men accentuate divine sufficiency over human limitation.
• Twelve baskets gathered correspond to the twelve apostles, indicating adequate provision for the future mission to Israel and beyond.
• The specific enumeration underscores order, accuracy, and the public nature of the miracle; thousands could attest to its authenticity.

Contrast with the Four Thousand

The Gospel writers carefully distinguish this miracle from the later feeding of four thousand (Matthew 15:32-39; Mark 8:1-10). Different numbers, settings, and word choices preclude conflation and highlight Jesus’ repeated compassion toward both Jewish and Gentile crowds.

Doctrinal Implications

• Christ as Creator: Only the One who called the universe into being can multiply matter instantaneously.
• Dependence on Divine Provision: Believers are reminded that scarcity in human hands becomes abundance in the Savior’s.
• Witness and Evangelism: The eyewitnesses formed the nucleus for later Galilean belief and for the growing messianic expectation that culminated in Peter’s confession (Matthew 16:16).

Reception in Early Church History

Second-century writers such as Irenaeus cited the feeding of the five thousand as evidence of Jesus’ deity and the trustworthy transmission of the apostolic tradition. The miracle became a standard catechetical example of Christ’s power and benevolence.

Liturgical and Devotional Use

Hymns, art, and lectionaries of the ancient church commemorated the event, often pairing it with the Eucharist to emphasize that the same Lord who fed the multitude continues to nourish His people through Word and sacrament.

Practical Application

The “five thousand” invites modern disciples to offer limited resources to Christ’s service, trust Him for multiplication, and remember His past faithfulness when facing new challenges—precisely the lesson Jesus pressed upon the Twelve in Matthew 16:9 and Mark 8:19.

Related Topics

Bread of Life – John 6:22-59

Twelve Baskets – Symbolism of Remnant and Mission

Miracles of Provision – Old Testament Precedent (Exodus 16; 2 Kings 4:42-44)

Forms and Transliterations
πεντακισχίλια πεντακισχίλιαι πεντακισχιλίας πεντακισχιλιοι πεντακισχίλιοι πεντακισχιλιους πεντακισχιλίους πεντακισχιλιων πεντακισχιλίων pentakischilioi pentakischílioi pentakischilion pentakischiliōn pentakischilíon pentakischilíōn pentakischilious pentakischilíous
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 14:21 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἄνδρες ὡσεὶ πεντακισχίλιοι χωρὶς γυναικῶν
NAS: There were about five thousand men
KJV: were about five thousand men, beside
INT: men about five thousand besides women

Matthew 16:9 Adj-GMP
GRK: ἄρτους τῶν πεντακισχιλίων καὶ πόσους
NAS: loaves of the five thousand, and how many
KJV: loaves of the five thousand, and
INT: loaves for the five thousand and how many

Mark 6:44 Adj-NMP
GRK: τοὺς ἄρτους πεντακισχίλιοι ἄνδρες
NAS: There were five thousand men who ate
KJV: were about five thousand men.
INT: the loaves five thousand men

Mark 8:19 Adj-AMP
GRK: εἰς τοὺς πεντακισχιλίους πόσους κοφίνους
NAS: I broke the five loaves
KJV: among five thousand, how many
INT: for the five thousand how many hand-baskets

Luke 9:14 Adj-NMP
GRK: ὡσεὶ ἄνδρες πεντακισχίλιοι εἶπεν δὲ
NAS: (For there were about five thousand men.)
KJV: they were about five thousand men. And
INT: about men five thousand he said moreover

John 6:10 Adj-NMP
GRK: ἀριθμὸν ὡς πεντακισχίλιοι
NAS: in number about five thousand.
KJV: in number about five thousand.
INT: number about five thousand

Strong's Greek 4000
6 Occurrences


πεντακισχιλίων — 1 Occ.
πεντακισχίλιοι — 4 Occ.
πεντακισχιλίους — 1 Occ.

3999
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