John 6:10
Make the men sit down
Upon seeing a large crowd gathered to hear him, Andrew said someone had loaves and fishes.
John 6:10 Make the men sit down
John 6:10 “Have the people sit down.”
Make these people recline.
Greek
Greek Word Order
Did people normally stand to listen to Jesus?
Lost in Translation
The "make" here is the word that is usually translated in the gospels as "do”. However, its primary meaning is "make", and here it functions very like our word "make”. The NIV translation of it as "have" doesn't work well because it is not related to our "have”.
The word translated as "men" and "people" is the plural word for "man", but it clearly means "people" here since it refers to both sexes.
The word translated as "sit down" here is not the common word for "sit down”, but a word that describes reclining at a meal. It literally means "fall up" a little like the military says "fall out" and "fall in”. Jesus only uses it three times. This word is an infinitive "to recline", but the "to" isn't needed in English with "make”.
Vocabulary (Greek word by word)
Ποιήσατε [168 verses](verb 2nd pl aor imper act) "Make" is poieo, which means "to make”, "to produce”, "to create", "to bring into existence", "to bring about", "to cause”, "to perform", "to render”, "to consider”, "to prepare”, "to make ready” and "to do”.
τοὺς [821 verses](article pl masc dat) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
ἀνθρώπους [209 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Men" is anthropos, which is "man” and, in plural, "mankind”, It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.
ἀναπεσεῖν. [3 verses](verb aor inf act) "Sit down" is anapipto, which means to "fall back", "give ground", "lifeless" of style, of a plan "to be given up" and "recline" at meals.
KJV — word by word
Make -- The Greek word translated as "make" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. Here it is used very much like our "make”.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one". The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that", "these”, "those") than the English "the’. See this article for more.
men -- The Greek word for "men" means "man”, "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men", "people" and "peoples". Here it is plural.
sit -- (CW) The active verb translated as "sit down" means to "fall back", "give ground", "lifeless", of style, of a plan "to be given up", and "recline" at meals. It is a play on words, meaning both "recline" at the mean and "retreat".
down - The verb prefix here actually means "up”.
NIV — word by word
Have -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "have" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. Here it is used very much like our "make”. It is not the verb "have”.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one”. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this”, "that”, "these”, "those") than the English "the”. See this article for more.
people -- The Greek word for "people " means "man”, "person" and "humanity" in the singular. In the plural, it means "men”, "people" and "peoples”. Here it is plural.
sit -- (CW) The active verb translated as "sit down" means to "fall back", "give ground", "lifeless" of style, of a plan "to be given up" and "recline" at meals. It is a play on words, meaning both "recline" at the mean and "retreat".
down - The verb prefix here actually means "up”.