<p>8:9 <i>And they were about four thousand; and he sent them away</i>- The way the number of eaters is presented at the end of the meal might suggest that this is the equivalent of a bill being presented at the conclusion of a meal. If this is the case, then the hint would be towards Is. 55:1,2, where again we have the theme of free provision of food, and being utterly filled / satisfied: &quot;Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which doesn&rsquo;t satisfy? Listen diligently to Me, and eat you that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness&quot;.&nbsp;</p><p>The Greek of this verse is identical to the conclusion concerning the feeding of the 5000. The similarity between the two feeding miracles is very pointed and extensive. The point may simply be that the Lord was consciously repeating a situation so that the disciples would have the chance to put into practice what they should have learnt from the earlier situation. This principle would explain the strong sense of&nbsp;<i>d&eacute;j&agrave; vu&nbsp;</i>which surely all of us have observed in the course of our lives.</p>