In response to the Apostles realizing they forgot to bring bread, a comedic misunderstanding takes place.
Matthew 16:9 Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
Matthew 16:9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many basketfuls you gathered?
Not at all do you understand? Neither do you remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you got...
People forget or ignore that which does not fit their preconceptions.
The last part of this verse is an incomplete structure, began by an "either" statement without its finishing "or." This emphasis in this verse is different than the one in Matthew 16:8 where Christ makes a similar point but emphasizing what he did. Here, the focus is on what the apostles are seeing and remembering. Again, the subject is bread, Jesus's symbol for the nourishment and the temporary resources of the physical world. Jesus here points out his recurring theme that physical needs can be taken care of by God. The apostles saw proof of this with their own eyes but the lesson doesn't seem to have stuck with them.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "understand" is not the common word usually translated as "understand."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "up" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "understand" is not the common word usually translated as "understand."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "not" should be something more like "nor."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "gathered" is not the common word usually translated as "gathered."
Do -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English, but the Greek could be either a question or a statement.
ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
not yet -- "Not yet" is an adverb that means "not yet" and a strong form of "not" and "not at all."
understand, - (CW) "Understand" is from a verb that means "to perceive with the eyes," "to perceive with the mind," and "to observe." We use the word "see" to have the same sense of physical seeing and perceiving with the mind, but hear are a number of other words that are also translated as understand.
neither - The Greek word for "neither" is an adverb that means "not at all" or "no even." As a conjunction, it works as both parts of the "neither/nor" constructions.
remember - "Remember" is from a verb that means to "call to mind," "to remember," and "to think of." Jesus only uses this word six times.
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
five -- This is the Greek word for the number five
loaves - The word translated as "bread" means "small loaf or cake of bread." It is more like a slice of bread today. It describes a thin 1/2 inch thick round or an oblong loaf of wheat bread, meant to be torn into pieces and not cut. It was closer to a flour tortilla or a piece of naan bread than a loaf of bread. "Bread" is one of Christ's most basic symbols, representing temporary physical nourishment as contrasted with permanent spiritual nourishment.
of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
five thousand, -- This Greek word means five thousand.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
how many -- The adjective translated as "how much" means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."
baskets "Baskets" is from a Greek word that means "basket" and infers a measure.
ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
took -- The word translated as "take" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing."
up? -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "up" in the Greek source.
Do -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English, but the Greek could be either a question or a statement.
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
still not -- "Still not " is an adverb that means "not yet" and a strong form of "not" and "not at all."
understand, - (CW) "Understand" is from a verb that means "to perceive with the eyes," "to perceive with the mind," and "to observe." We use the word "see" to have the same sense of physical seeing and perceiving with the mind, but hear are a number of other words that are also translated as understand.
Do- -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English, but the Greek could be either a question or a statement.
-n’t - (WW) The Greek word for "not" is an adverb that means "not at all" or "no even." As a conjunction, it works as both parts of the "neither/nor" constructions.
remember - "Remember" is from a verb that means to "call to mind," "to remember," and "to think of." Jesus only uses this word six times.
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
five -- This is the Greek word for the number five
loaves - The word translated as "bread" means "small loaf or cake of bread." It is more like a slice of bread today. It describes a thin 1/2 inch thick round or an oblong loaf of wheat bread, meant to be torn into pieces and not cut. It was closer to a flour tortilla or a piece of naan bread than a loaf of bread. "Bread" is one of Christ's most basic symbols, representing temporary physical nourishment as contrasted with permanent spiritual nourishment.
for - -- This word "for" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession. However, it can also mean "belonging to," "part of," "which is," "than" (in comparisons), or "for," "concerning" or "about" with transitive verbs.
the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.
five thousand, -- This Greek word means five thousand.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
how many -- The adjective translated as "how much" means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."
basketfuls -- "Basketfuls" is from a Greek word that means "basket" and infers a measure.
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
gathered-- (CW) The word translated as "gathered" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing."
οὔπω [8 verses](adv) "Not..yet" is oupo, which means "not yet" and a strong form of "not" and "not at all."
νοεῖτε, [8 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Do ye...understand" is noeo, means specifically "perceive by the eyes," "observe," "to perceive with the mind," "apprehend," "think out, "devise," "consider," (of words) "bear a certain sense," and "reflect."
οὐδὲ (partic)"Neither" is from oude , which means "but not," "neither," "nor,"and "not even." -- "Neither" is from a Greek negative meaning "but not" and as both parts of "neither...nor."
μνημονεύετε [6 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind/imperat act) "Remember" is mnemoneuo, which means to "call to mind," "to remember," and "to think of."
τοὺς (article pl masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, "the," which usually precedes a noun but here is separated by the number below.
πέντε [12 verses](numeral) "Five" is from pente, the number five.
ἄρτους [32 verses](noun pl masc acc) "Loaves" is from artos, which means specifically a "cake of whole wheat bread," and generally "loaf," and "bread."
τῶν (article pl masc gen) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
πεντακισχιλίων [2 verses](adj pl masc gen) "Of the five thousand" is pentakischilioi, which means "five thousand."
καὶ (conj.adv)"And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
πόσους [19 verses](adj pl masc acc) "How many" is posos, which means "of what quantity," [in distance] "how far." [of number] how far," [of time] "how long," [of value] "how much," "how great," "how many," and "how much."
κοφίνους [2 verses](noun pl masc acc) "Baskets" is kophinos, which means "basket" and infers a measure.
ἐλάβετε; [53 verses](verb 2nd pl aor ind act) "Ye took up" is lambano means to "take," "take hold of," "grasp," "seize," "catch," "overtake," "find out," "detect," "take as," "take [food or drugs]," "understand," "take in hand," "undertake," "take in," "hold," "get," "receive [things]," "receive hospitably," "receive in marriage," "receive as produce," "profit," "admit," "initiate," "take hold of," "lay hold on," "seize and keep hold of," "obtain possession of," "lay hands upon," "find fault with," "censure," "to apprehend with the senses," "to take hold of," and "to seize." It is also specifically used to mean "seized with emotion."
The word translated as "took up" is also used like we use the phrase "took in" to mean perceiving with your senses. Here, it plays off the earlier word meaning "perceived with the eyes and mind," translated in the KJV as "understand."