Tag Archives: John 6:5

Introduction: Bread for the Multitude

John 6:5 introduces the setting for the feeding of the 5,000. Jesus looks up and sees the crowd approaching:

Ἐπάρας οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς, καὶ θεασάμενος ὅτι πολὺς ὄχλος ἔρχεται πρὸς αὐτὸν, λέγει πρὸς τὸν Φίλιππον· πόθεν ἀγοράσομεν ἄρτους, ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι;

This verse, John 6:5, is full of rich Greek grammar, but let’s focus on the subjunctive purpose clause introduced by ἵνα:

πόθεν ἀγοράσομεν ἄρτους, ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι;

“From where shall we buy bread, so that these may eat?”

The clause ἵνα φάγωσιν οὗτοι contains a classic purpose clause formed with ἵνα plus the aorist subjunctive verb φάγωσιν, with the subject οὗτοι (“these”) in an emphatic position at the end.… Learn Koine Greek