3 Some ancient authorities omit and Sidon.

4 Or, Gentile.

a It used to be questioned whether he actually left the land of Israel. Matthew's expression ought to have settled the question, and the corrected text of [Mark 7:31] leaves no doubt.

§ 79. THE THIRD WITHDRAWAL NORTH THROUGH PHOENICIA AND EAST TOWARDS HERMON AND SOUTH INTO DECAPOLIS (KEEPING OUT OF THE TERRITORY OF HEROD ANTIPAS) WITH THE HEALING OF THE DEAF AND DUMB MAN AND THE FEEDING OF THE FOUR THOUSAND

Mark 7:31-8:9Matt. 15:29-38
31 And again he went out from
the borders of Tyre, and came
through Sidon unto the sea of
Galilee, through the midst of the
borders of Decapolis.a 32 And they
bring unto him one that was deaf,
and had an impediment in his
speech; and they beseech him to
lay his hand upon him. 33 And he
took him aside from the multitude
privately, and put his fingers into
his ears, and he spat, and touched
his tongue; 34 and looking up to
heaven, he sighed, and saith unto
him, Ephphatha, that is, Be opened.
35 And his ears were opened,
and the bond of his tongue was
loosed, and he spake plain. 36 And
he charged them that they should
tell no man: but the more he
charged them, so much the more a
great deal they published it. 37 And
they were beyond measure
astonished, saying, He hath done
all things well: he maketh even
the deaf to hear, and the dumb
to speak.
1 In those days, when there was
againb a great multitude, and
they had nothing to eat, he called
unto him his disciples, and saith
unto them, 2 I have compassion
on the multitude, because they
continue with me now three days,
and have nothing to eat: 3 and
if I send them away fasting to
their home, they will faint in
the way; and some of them are
come from far. 4 And his disciples
answered him, Whence shall
one be able to fill these men
with 1bread here in a desert place?
5 And he asked them, How many
loaves have ye? And they said,
Seven. 6 And he commandeth the
multitude to sit down on the
ground: and he took the seven
loaves, and having given thanks,
he brake, and gave to his disciples,
to set before them; and they set
them before the multitude. 7 And
they had a few small fishes: and
having blessed them, he
commanded to set these also before
them. 8 And they did eat, and
were filled: and they took up, of
broken pieces that remained over,
seven baskets. 9 And they were
about four thousand: and he sent
them away. 		29 And Jesus departed thence,
and came nigh unto the sea of
Galilee; and he went up into the
mountain, and sat there.

30 And there came unto him
great multitudes, having with them
the lame, blind, dumb, maimed,
and many others, and they cast
them down at his feet; and he
healed them: 31 insomuch that the
multitude wondered, when they
saw the dumb speaking, the
maimed whole, and the lame
walking, and the blind seeing: and
they glorified the God of Israel.
32 And Jesus called unto him his
disciples, and said, I have
compassion on the multitude,
because they continue with me now
three days and have nothing to eat:
and I would not send them away
fasting, lest haply they faint in
the way.
33 And the disciples say
unto him, Whence should we
have so many loaves in a desert
place, as to fill so great a multitude?
34 And Jesus saith unto them,
How many loaves have ye? And
they said, Seven, and a few small
fishes. 35 And he commanded the
multitude to sit down on the
ground; 36 and he took the seven
loaves and the fishes; and he
gave thanks and brake, and gave
to the disciples, and the disciples
to the multitudes.
37 And
they did all eat, and were filled:
and they took up that which
remained over of the broken pieces,
seven baskets full. 38 And they
that did eat were four thousand
men, beside women and children.

1 Gr. loaves.

a Observe how carefully he keeps away from the territory ruled by Herod Antipas. The tetrarch Philip, who governed the districts east of the Lake of Galilee and of the upper Jordan, was a better man than Antipas, and moreover had no cause to feel uneasy about Jesus.

b It is to be noted that Mark and Matthew give the feeding of the five thousand and of the four thousand. Mark and Matthew likewise report Jesus as referring to both incidents ([Mark 8:19-20 = Matt. 16:9-10]). Hence, it is hard to think of a mere confusion in the use of the data. There is no real reason why both incidents could not be true.