What Old Testament events parallel Jesus' feeding of the multitude in Mark 8:6?

Mark 8:6: “And He instructed the crowd to sit down on the ground. Taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and He gave them to His disciples to set before the people, and they distributed them to the crowd.”

Old Testament events that echo and anticipate this scene:

– Exodus 16:4-5, 13-15

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you…’ … In the morning there was a layer of dew… and on the surface of the wilderness was a fine flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.”

• Israel, like the crowd in Mark 8, was in a wilderness with no food.

• God miraculously supplied bread each day, proving His care and sovereignty.

• Jesus’ provision recalls the same divine power, now present in flesh.

– Numbers 11:31-32

“A wind sent by the LORD came up and drove quail from the sea…”

• Another wilderness feeding: meat appears in abundance where none existed.

• The scale and suddenness foreshadow Jesus’ ability to meet overwhelming need instantly.

– Psalm 78:19-25

“They spoke against God: ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?’… He rained down manna for them to eat; He gave them grain from heaven.”

• The psalmist interprets Exodus as God “setting a table.”

• Mark 8 shows the answer to that rhetorical question—God still prepares a table.

– 1 Kings 17:8-16

The widow of Zarephath: “The jar of flour was not exhausted and the jug of oil did not run dry, according to the word the LORD had spoken through Elijah.”

• A small supply (handful of flour, little oil) feeds many days—multiplication from scarce resources.

• Jesus multiplies seven loaves to feed thousands with leftovers gathered (Mark 8:8).

– 2 Kings 4:42-44

“But Elijah’s disciple answered, ‘How can I set this before a hundred men?’ … They ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.”

• Closest direct parallel: bread multiplied, servants distribute, leftovers collected.

• Mark 8 repeats the pattern on a larger scale, presenting Jesus as the greater Elisha.

– Psalm 23:5

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.”

• God’s shepherding care includes feeding His people.

• In Mark 8 the Good Shepherd seats the crowd (“sit down”) and serves the meal Himself.

Taken together, these events form a prophetic backdrop: whenever the covenant God provided bread in impossible places—whether manna, quail, unending flour, or multiplied loaves—He was previewing the day He would stand on Galilean soil, break bread with thankful prayer, and satisfy a multitude through His own hands.