| Barnes' Notes on the Bible See this narrative explained in the notes at Matthew 14:13-21. Mark 6:32 By ship - By a boat or a small vessel. Privately - Without making their plan known. They intended to go privately. It appears, however, that their intention became known, and multitudes followed them.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleAnd they departed into a desert place,.... Which belonged to the city of Bethsaida, Luke 9:10, by ship, privately; over some part of the sea of Tiberias, this place lying on a more remote side of it.
Geneva Study BibleAnd they departed into a desert place by ship privately.
People's New Testament 6:32 Departed into a desert place. An uninhabited place; in this case the small plain of Butaiha, just east of where the Jordan enters the lake of Galilee.
Wesley's Notes 6:32 They departed - Across a creek or corner of the lake.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary32. And they departed into a desert place by ship privately-"over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias," says John (Joh 6:1), the only one of the Evangelists who so fully describes it; the others having written when their readers were supposed to know something of it, while the last wrote for those at a greater distance of time and place. This "desert place" is more definitely described by Luke (Lu 9:10) as "belonging to the city called Bethsaida." This must not be confounded with the town so called on the western side of the lake (see on [1448]Mt 11:21). This town lay on its northeastern side, near where the Jordan empties itself into it: in Gaulonitis, out of the dominions of Herod Antipas, and within the dominions of Philip the Tetrarch (Lu 3:1), who raised it from a village to a city, and called it Julias, in honor of Julia, the daughter of Augustus [Josephus, Antiquities, 18.2,1].
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary6:30-44 Let not ministers do any thing or teach any thing, but what they are willing should be told to their Lord. Christ notices the frights of some, and the toils of others of his disciples, and provides rest for those that are tired, and refuge for those that are terrified. The people sought the spiritual food of Christ's word, and then he took care that they should not want bodily food. If Christ and his disciples put up with mean things, surely we may. And this miracle shows that Christ came into the world, not only to restore, but to preserve and nourish spiritual life; in him there is enough for all that come. None are sent empty away from Christ but those who come to him full of themselves. Though Christ had bread enough at command, he teaches us not to waste any of God's bounties, remembering how many are in want. We may, some time, need the fragments that we now throw away. | 
