Matthew 15:38Those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
The setting
Decapolis, eastern Sea of Galilee, ~29 AD. Matthew carefully records the count: 4,000 men, plus women and children. In Jewish culture, only men were typically counted...
The emotion here: careful attention to detail, ensuring everyone was remembered
The original word
chōris (χωρίς) — besides, separate from, showing women and children were additional to the count
Why it matters
In ancient censuses, women and children weren't counted, making this crowd possibly 12,000-15,000 people
Read with care
What most readers miss in Matthew 15:38
Matthew mentions women and children specifically — unusual for his time, showing everyone mattered to Jesus
Common misconceptionPeople assume this is just a headcount, but Matthew is making a radical statement — in a culture that didn't count women and children, Jesus made sure they were included.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Matthew 15:38
Bible Genome reading
Matthew 15:38 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Matthew 15:38 comes from the book of Matthew, written during the gospel period. The setting is wilderness. These words are attributed to Matthew. The dominant emotion in this verse is grateful, with a comfort power of 30% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include numbers, magnitude. Notable phrases: four thousand men; besides women and children.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same grateful
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.”
— John 3:16
“I have fought the good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.”
— 2 Timothy 4:7
“It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.'”
— Acts 2:21
“for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,”
— Ephesians 2:8
“So now it wasn't you who sent me here, but God, and he has made me a father to Pharaoh, lord of all his house, and ruler over all the land o…”
— Genesis 45:8
Your reflection
What does Matthew 15:38 mean to you, today?
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