πεντακισχίλιοι (pentakischilioi)
pentakischilioi
five thousand
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 6 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The word pentakischilioi is a numerical adjective meaning "five thousand." It appears in the Gospels to describe the size of large crowds gathered to hear Jesus. Specifically, it records the number of men who ate from the loaves and fishes in two separate miracles, as noted in Matthew 14:21 and Mark 6:44.
This term combines roots for "five" and "thousand," emphasizing a substantial but countable group. Its use highlights the scale of Jesus' ministry, where vast numbers of people followed him to hear teaching or receive healing. The consistent application across Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John underscores the historical weight of these events in early Christian memory.
Translators render this word simply as "five thousand," preserving the precise quantity without adding interpretive flair. In context, it serves to quantify the miracle's impact, showing that a small amount of food was sufficient for a massive assembly. The adjective remains grammatically flexible, agreeing in gender with the noun it modifies, though typically referring to men in these accounts.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word pentakischilioi simply means five thousand. In the Gospels, it marks the size of crowds who followed Jesus to hear teaching or receive healing. This number is not just a statistic; it shows how many people found hope in his presence.
When you read about five thousand men eating from a small lunch, it reminds us that Jesus cares for large groups with limited resources. He multiplied bread and fish so no one went hungry. This detail invites you to trust that he provides enough for your needs too.
In daily life, this word points to God’s ability to meet big demands with simple gifts. Whether you face a small challenge or a large burden, remember that Jesus multiplies what you offer him. His care extends to every person in the crowd, and it extends to you as well.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 6 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- five thousand4×
- five thousand.2×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πεντακισχίλιοι2×
- πεντακισχίλιοι.¶1×
- πεντακισχίλιοι.1×
- πεντακισχιλίων1×
- πεντακισχιλίους1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 14:21
Those who ate were about five thousand men, in addition to women and children.
This verse specifies that the five thousand were men, excluding women and children from the count, which highlights the precise nature of the miracle's scale.
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Mark 6:44
Those who ate the loaves were five thousand men.
Here the term emphasizes the direct result of Jesus' action, linking the feeding of exactly five thousand men to the power of his blessing.
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John 6:10
Jesus said, “Have the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in that place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
John uses this number to ground the miracle in a physical setting, showing Jesus arranging the five thousand on grass to eat comfortably.