And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

And the disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so many loaves in a desert place as to fill so great a multitude?

And his disciples say to him, Whence should we have so many loaves in the wilderness as to satisfy so great a crowd?

And his disciples say to him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to satisfy so great a multitude?

And his disciples say to him, 'Whence to us, in a wilderness, so many loaves, as to fill so great a multitude?'

And his disciples say to him, From where should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?

"Where can we," asked the disciples, "get bread enough in this remote place to satisfy so vast a multitude?"

And the disciples say to him, How may we get enough bread in a waste place, to give food to such a number of people?

Then the disciples said to him, 'Where should we get so many loaves in a deserted place as to satisfy so great a crowd?'

And the disciples said to him: "From where, then, in the desert, would we obtain enough bread to satisfy so a great multitude?"

"Where can we," his disciples asked, "in a lonely place find enough bread for such a crowd as this?"

Whence shall we obtain so many loaves in a solitary place? The disciples manifest excessive stupidity in not remembering, at least, that earlier proof of the power and grace of Christ, which they might have applied to the case in hand. As if they had never seen any thing of the same sort, they forget to apply to him for relief. There is not a day on which a similar indifference does not steal upon us; and we ought to be the more careful not to allow our minds to be drawn away from the contemplation of divine benefits, that the experience of the past may lead us to expect for the future the same assistance which God has already on one or more occasions bestowed upon us.

Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, etc. - Human foresight, even in the followers of Christ, is very short. In a thousand instances, if we supply not its deficiency by faith, we shall be always embarrassed, and often miserable. This world is a desert, where nothing can be found to satisfy the soul of man, but the salvation which Christ has procured.

And his disciples said unto him,.... The former miracle of feeding five thousand men, besides women and children, with five loaves and two fishes, being quite out of their thoughts, they reply,
whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude? The question is big with objections, and is put with some vehemency and astonishment: the people to be led were a multitude, a great multitude, a very great multitude, and these too had had but little, or no food, for a great while; and therefore would require the more to fill and satisfy them; and besides, it was a wilderness where they were, and where no provisions were to be had; and if they could have been got for money, they had not stock enough to purchase such a large number of loaves, as were necessary to feed so great a company with.

Whence should we have so many loaves? This was not said in ignorance of the Lord's creative power, but probably to suggest the need of its exercise. They could not have forgotten the events narrated in Matthew 14:15-21.