The events recorded in John chapter 6 took place after those recorded in John chapter 5 and after many other events recorded in Matthew, Mark, and Luke which included the death of John the baptizer (refer to Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:9).
John 6:1-3:
6:1After these-things Jesus went-away (on the) other-side of the Sea of Galilee - Tiberias. .2But a big crowd followed him because they viewed-with-attention the signs which he did on the (people) being weak. .3But Jesus went-up into the mountain and there he sat-down with his learning-disciples.
After the previous events, Jesus went from where he was in the area of Galilee to the other side of (across, beyond) the Sea of Galilee, which was also known as the Sea of Tiberias because a town with that name was built on the west side of the sea in honor of Tiberius Caesar in 22 A.D. In this record Jesus crossed to the north-east side of the sea near the city of Bethsaida.
However, a throng of many people were continuing to come after him because during that past time they were viewing with attention (attentively viewing, contemplating in/with their minds)...
Jesus came up into the mountain (mount, hill) and in that location he sat down in company and association with his learning-disciples (students, those who were learning from Jesus).
Verses 4-10:
.4But it was near the feast of the Judeans. .5Therefore Jesus, having lifted-up the eyes and having gazed-upon that a big crowd comes towards him, says towards Philip, "From-where may we buy breads in order that these-people may eat?" - .6but he said this making-trial-of him, for he had known what he was about to do. .7Philip answered him, "Breads of two-hundred denarius are not sufficient for them in order that each-person may take a short (amount)." .8One from his learning-disciples says to him, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter, .9"There is a little-child here who has five barley breads and two little-fishes - but what are these into so-many?" .10Jesus said, "You must make the men to fall-up." And there was much grass in the place, therefore the adult-males fell-up - the number as five-thousand.
The time of this event was close to the feast of the Judeans (before, prior to the celebration of a certain festival). The Greek texts vary as to including the entire verse or the word "Passover" - however, as we read on we will see that this was not a feast for which all the Judean adult-males were required to go to Jerusalem to celebrate it, and therefore it was not the Passover. This feast may refer to the Blowing of Trumpets or to the Feast of Tabernacles, both within 2 weeks of each other during September and October (1 Tishri and 15-21 Tishri in the Judean calendar) in the year 27 A.D.
Following-on logically from verse 3 above, Jesus...
...says towards Philip...
...but Jesus said this making trial of him (trying him, in the good sense of putting him to the test as part of his training in order to ascertain what Philip would suggest following Jesus' teaching regarding the kingdom of God and healing some people, plus Philip was from the town of Bethsaida near their location), for emphatically he had known (in Greek there is a definite word for “he” plus the verb meaning “he had known” giving emphasis – Jesus himself already perceived) and continued to know what he was on the point of doing (performing, making, producing).
Philip replied to him, "Loaves of bread worth 200 denarius are not sufficient for them (adequate, satisfying with enough) for the purpose and result that each one of them would take a short amount (receive a little bit, a small piece of food to eat)." Evidently Jesus and his learning-disciples had this amount of money available to them to use at that time but buying that much bread was not an option so as to provide enough food for everyone present.
The Book of Mark records in 6:38 that Jesus instructed his learning-disciples to check among the people as to how much bread they had, and here in the Book of John it records that one from among them, Andrew the brother of Simon Peter (refer to John 1:40), says to him...
Jesus said, "You must make the men to fall-up (bring it about for the people to set themselves on the ground in the usual position to eat a meal)."
There was a lot of grass (that-which grows in a field, as an enclosed area where animals may graze/feed upon it) in that location and therefore the adult-males (grown men) fell-up - specifically the count was as 5,000. This number does not include the women and children also present, as indicated by the generic word used by Jesus translated “men” which does not necessarily specify gender and refers to male or female when taken as a particular group of people (also refer to Matthew 14:21).
[Reference: Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 1:40 and 44; James 1:13. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
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