John Gill Commentary Mark 8

In those days
The Ethiopic version reads, on that day; as if it was on the same day that the deaf man was healed; and so it might be; and on the third day from Christ's coming into those parts; and so is very properly expressed, "in those days"; see (Mark 7:31) , compared with the following verse:

the multitude being very great :
for the number of men that ate, when the following miracle was wrought, were about four thousand; see (Mark 8:9) . The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions add, "again"; referring to the former miracle of the five thousand, who were fed with five loaves, and two fishes, (Mark 6:44) .

And having nothing to eat ;
what they might have brought with them being expended, and they in a desert, where nothing was to be had, nor bought for money:

Jesus called his disciples to him, and saith unto them ;
(See Gill on Matthew 15:32).

I have compassion on the multitude
Christ is a compassionate Saviour both of the bodies and souls of men. He had compassion on the souls of this multitude, and therefore had been teaching them sound doctrine. He had compassion on the bodies of many of them, and had healed them of their diseases; and his bowels yearned towards them all.

because, says he, they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat. For if they brought any food with them, it was all spent, and they were in a wilderness, where nothing was to be got; where they had no house to go into, nor bed to lie upon, and no provisions to be bought. In this case they had been two nights and three days, which showed great affection and zeal in these people, and a close attachment to Christ, in exposing themselves to all these difficulties and hardships, which they seemed to bear with much patience and unconcernedness.

The Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions prefix the word "behold" to this clause, as expressing admiration at their stay with him so long in such a place.

And if I send them away fasting to their own houses
Greek, "to their own house", or home; but all the Oriental versions render it as we do, in the plural, "their own houses", or habitations; and it seems from hence that they were now tasting, and at least had had no food all that day, whatever they might have the day before, which it not certain.

They will faint by the way ;
for want of food their strength will be exhausted, their animal spirits will fail, their nerves will be loosened, they will not be able to perform their journey, or get to the end of it:

for divers of them came from far ;
perhaps some had followed him from the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, from whence he came last; and others from Decapolis, through the midst of the borders of which he passed hither; and others from different parts, who had heard of his coming; (See Gill on Matthew 15:32).

And his disciples answered him
The Syriac version renders it, "say unto him"; and the Persic and Ethiopic, "said unto him"; forgetting the late miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves and two fishes, when they had now a less number, and more provisions:

from whence can a man satisfy these men with bread here in the
wilderness ?
from what place, and by what ways and means can it be thought, that such a quantity of bread can be got at any rate in a desert, as to satisfy so large a number of hungry men? (See Gill on Matthew 15:33).

And he asked them, how many loaves have you ?
&c.] (See Gill on Matthew 15:34);

and they said, seven .
Matthew adds, "and a few little fishes", which are here afterwards mentioned.