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Perhaps it would be helpful to start with some texts from the time of Jesus' ministry. There are quite a few that talk about the size of the crowds that gathered around him.
Matt 4:25 NKJV Great multitudes followed Him—from Galilee, and from Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
There are many texts that talk about the "multitudes" that followed Jesus. Here is a NKJV concordance of the Gospel texts that use these words. (Some of these texts may be about something other than the crowd following Jesus.)
multitude: Matt 13:2, 34, 36; 14:5, 14; 15:10, 31–33, 35–36, 39; 17:14; 20:29, 31; 21:8, 26; 26:47; 27:15, 24; Mark 2:13; 3:7–9, 20, 32; 4:1, 36; 5:21, 24, 31; 6:34, 45; 7:14, 33; 8:1–2, 6; 9:14; 10:46; 12:12; 14:43; 15:8; Luke 1:10; 2:13; 5:1; 6:17, 19; 8:4, 37, 40; 9:12, 16, 37–38; 12:1; 13:17; 18:36; 19:37; 22:6, 47; 23:1, 27; John 5:3, 13; 6:2, 5; 12:12; 21:6
multitudes: Matt 4:25–5:1; 8:1, 18; 9:8, 33, 36; 11:7; 12:15, 23, 46; 13:2; 14:13, 15, 19, 22–23; 15:30; 19:2; 21:9, 11, 46; 22:33; 23:1; 26:55; 27:20; Mark 6:33; 10:1; Luke 3:7; 5:3, 15; 7:24; 8:42, 45; 9:11; 11:14; 12:54; 14:25
There are also many texts that mention that "many" of the people believed. John 11:48 and John 12:42 are especially helpful. The chief rulers considered Jesus the head of a popular movement that threatened their hold on power; a handful of followers would not have been a threat to them.
Mark 11:18 NKJV And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.
Luke 1:16 NKJV And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
John 2:23 NKJV Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did.
John 4:39 NKJV And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”... 41 And many more believed because of His own word.
John 7:31 NKJV And many of the people believed in Him, and said, “When the Christ comes, will He do more signs than these which this Man has done?”
John 7:40 NKJV Therefore many from the crowd, when they heard this saying, said, “Truly this is the Prophet.”
John 8:30 NKJV As He spoke these words, many believed in Him.
John 10:41 NKJV Then many came to Him and said, “John performed no sign, but all the things that John spoke about this Man were true.” 42 And many believed in Him there.
John 11:45 NKJV Then many of the Jews who had come to Mary, and had seen the things Jesus did, believed in Him.
John 11:48 NKJV If we let Him alone like this, everyone will believe in Him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation.”
John 12:10 NKJV But the chief priests plotted to put Lazarus to death also, 11 because on account of him many of the Jews went away and believed in Jesus.
John 12:42 NKJV Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;...
There are several texts that give specific numbers about the size of the crowd following Jesus.
Matt 14:21 NKJV Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children.
Matt 15:38 NKJV Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Here is a NKJV concordance of Gospel texts that use the word "thousand" to talk about the size of the crowd:
Matt 14:21; 15:38; 16:9–10; Mark 6:44; 8:9, 19–20; Luke 9:14; John 6:10
The words of Cleopas on the walk to emmaus gives us a clue about the scale of the popular movement around Jesus. He expected that everyone in Jerusalem would know about it.
Luke 24:18 Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him, “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?”
Early in the book of Acts we are already seeing that there were a group of 5,000 believers; and 3,000 were being added in one day. Even among the priests (see also John 12:42), there were many believers.
Acts 2:41 NKJV Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them.
Acts 4:4 NKJV However, many of those who heard the word believed; and the number of the men came to be about five thousand (χιλιαδες πεντε - chiliades pente - G5505 G4002).
Acts 5:14 NKJV And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women,... 16 Also a multitude gathered from the surrounding cities to Jerusalem, bringing sick people and those who were tormented by unclean spirits, and they were all healed.
Acts 6:7 NKJV Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.
The last text in Acts that gives us information about the size of the early Christian community in Jerusalem is Acts 21:20. Unfortunately, this text is translated inconsistently and probably inaccurately in many English translations.
Acts 21:17 NKJV And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 On the following day Paul went in with us to James, and all the elders were present. 19 When he had greeted them, he told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord. And they said to him, “You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews (ποσαι μυριαδες εισιν Ιουδαιων - posai muriades eisin Ioudaion - G4214 G3461 G1526 G2453) there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law;....
The NKJV isn't inaccurate, but the word "myriads" is simply a transliteration of the Greek word. The English word myriads means:
1 a countless or extremely great number
2 (chiefly in classical history) a unit of ten thousand
The average reader may not be aware of the "classical" meaning of myriad as 10,00 and is possibly reading one of the many English versions that simply translate this this word as thousands.
- NASB - how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed
- KJV - how many thousands of Jews there are which believe
- Douay-Rheims - how many thousands there are among the Jews that have believed
- GOD's WORD Translation - how many thousands of Jews are now believers
- NIV - how many thousands of Jews have believed
- AMP - how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews
- NLT - how many thousands of Jews have also believed
- ESV - how many thousands there are among the Jews of those who have believed
- NCV - many thousands of our people have become believers
- HCSB - how many thousands of Jews there are who have believed
What is the smallest number that a reader might think "many thousands" to mean? It is certainly more than 2,000 and very unlikely to be less than 4,000 to 5,000. Given the texts from earlier in the chapter, the reader might think that this means 10,000 or maybe 20,000. If we say "many tens of thousands", that creates quite a different picture. That probably means at least 50,000 and maybe 100,000 or more. Why do so many translations translate this text using thousands rather than tens of thousands. Is there a translation bias? Did the translators disbelieve the literal words of the text? Here are a few examples of translations that give the reader a clearer picture of the underlying Greek text.
- CEV - how many tens of thousands of the Jewish people have become followers
- Weymouth New Testament - how many tens of thousands of Jews there are among those who have accepted the faith
- NKJV - how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed
- Young's Literal Translation - how many myriads there are of Jews who have believed
- Darby Translation - how many myriads there are of the Jews who have believed
Here is a list of New Testament texts that use the word the Greek word myrias.
Luke 12:1; Acts 19:19; Acts 21:20; Heb 12:22; Jude 14; Rev 5:11; Rev 9:16
The primary meaning of the word myrias in Thayer's Lexicon is defined as "ten thousand" with additional meanings of "an innumerable multitude, an unlimited number" and "innumerable hosts." This word is used in the Septuagint Greek translation of the Old Testament. Here are some texts from the Old Testament that use this word in the Greek. Given the Septuagint as a guide for understanding the language of the New Testament, how should we interpret muriades in Acts 21:20?
In most of the following texts, myrias translates the Hebrew word r'vavah which has the primary definition of "ten thousand" in Gesenius's Lexicon.
Gen 24:60 NKJV And they blessed Rebekah and said to her: “Our sister, may you become the mother of thousands of ten thousands (μυριαδων - muriadon - G3461 / רבבה - r'vavah - H7233); and may your descendants possess the gates of those who hate them.”
Lev 26:8 NKJV Five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand (μυριαδας - muriadas - G3461 / רבבה - r'vavah - H7233) to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you.
Deut 32:30 NKJV How could one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand (μυριαδας - muriadas - G3461 / רבבה - r'vavah - H7233) to flight, unless their Rock had sold them, and the LORD had surrendered them?
1 Sam 18:8 NKJV Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands (μυριαδας - muriadas - G3461 / רבבות - r'vavot - H7233), and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
Psalm 3:6 NKJV I will not be afraid of ten thousands (μυριαδων - muriadon - G3461 / מרבבות - me-riv'vot - H7233) of people who have set themselves against me all around.
Song 5:10 NKJV My beloved is white and ruddy, chief among ten thousand (μυριαδων - muriadon - G3641 / מֵרְבָבָה - me-r'vavah - H7233).
Jonah 4:11 NKJV And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons (δωδεκα μυριαδες - dodeka muriades - G1427 G3461 / משתים־עשרה רבו - mishtem esre ribo - H8147 H6240 H7239) who cannot discern between their right hand and their left—and much livestock?”
In Jonah 4:11 above, both the Hebrew and Greek texts represent the number 120,000 as twelve myriads (12 X 10,000).
In the following text from the Apocrypha (only in Greek), the number 120,000 is represented as twelve myriads (12 X 10,000) and the number 100,000 as ten myriads (10 X 10,000).
1 Maccabees 1:45 NRSV Then the people of the city assembled within the city, to the number of a hundred and twenty thousand (δωδεκα μυριαδας - dodeka muriades - G1427 G3461), and they wanted to kill the king.... 47 So the king called the Jews to his aid, and they all rallied around him and then spread out through the city; and they killed on that day about one hundred thousand (μυριαδας δεκα - muriadas deka - G3461 G1176).
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