No Pitiful Sized Hand Baskets

It is evident that the multiplication of the loaves and fish by Jesus was a great miracle. This miracle was evidence by the enormous amount of left-over food that was present after the entire crowd had eaten to the full and were satisfied. But the bible translation below inserts an erroneous idea into the scripture to say that the baskets that held the left-over food were only small hand-baskets (possibly as minuscular as a saucer that holds a coffee cup)! However, if the left-over food was so small in quantity then most people would not have even realized that a miracle had occurred. But if the baskets were man-sized (large enough to hold a full-grown man) then this would have been a notable miracle and people would have realized that the food had been “supernaturally” multiplied by God! If a bible translator attaches their own human ideas to the scripture they can degrade the meaning. It is a degradation the “miracle of multiplication” by saying that what was left-over could be contained within only a few “small” handbaskets. This a poor bible translation then robs the bible readers of the “full-truth” of what that scripture is actually saying. The point here is that notable miracle had occurred and it is evidenced by the great amount of food left-over (which was contained in huge baskets which were needed to contain the large surplus of food). Details of how a bible verse is translated can have a “big effect” upon the overall meaning of each verse. Again, bible readers have to be aware of the context of the scriptures and not fall for the error which is inserted into the scriptures by incorrect bible translations.

Mark 6:43 (AMP)

⁴³ And they took up twelve [small hand] baskets full of broken pieces [from the loaves] and of the fish.

The Amplified Bible woman translator inserted her own assumption here that the baskets used to pick up the fragments were only small hand baskets (possibly the size of a dinner plate). But if this was the case then this miracle would not have made such a great impression on the people.

Acts 9:25 (NASB)

²⁵ but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket.

It is likely that the basket size was more like the baskets used by produce or fish-dealers who grasp the basket by a handle behind their neck and carry a big load on their backs. Apostle Paul was placed inside a large basket of this size and lowered down from an opening in the wall to escape a murder plot in Damascus. Having fragments gathered in twelve man-sized baskets also complies with the biblical principle that God is more than enough [rather than a God who is barely enough]!

John 6:13-15 (NASB)

¹³ So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten.

¹⁴ Therefore when the people saw the sign which He had performed, they said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”

¹⁵ So Jesus, perceiving that they were intending to come and take Him by force to make Him king, withdrew again to the mountain by Himself alone.

When Jesus fed this multitude, the scripture says that the people saw this sign which Jesus preformed! They were amazed and said truly this is the prophet who has come into the world. They even wanted to take Him by force and make Him their king so they would have a free supply of food for the rest of their lives! If the disciples had gathered only twelve small pitiful-sized hand baskets of left-overs, it would not even be evident that a miracle had occurred! But the fact that these people were amazed was because the twelve baskets were man-sized (big enough to put a man inside of them) and this great amount of left-over food provided big physical evidence that a miracle had occurred.

It is better if a translator does not try to insert their own assumptions into the scriptures and just use the word “basket” without trying to attach their own ideas in parentheses giving an impression that it refers to a small pitiful-sized hand basket. This idea came from a word study on the word “basket” in this verse and the Amplified Bible translator woman inserted this idea into her translation using parenthesis.

Word studies however are the greatest source of error because the meaning of scripture is not found in a single word but in the context of the words that make up sentences and the sentences that make up the paragraphs and the paragraphs that make up the chapters and the chapters that make up the books and the books that make up the whole bible. Taken in context it is obvious to see that God is more than enough and having large man-sized baskets of left-overs complies with this overall biblical principle found in the entire bible!

See the link “7K-Bible” for more details.

See also the link “7K-Bible Translation Mistakes” for more details.