Exploring the Meaning of Klasma in Greek

κλάσμα refers to a “fragment,” and in the Gospels it appears in scenes where food has been eaten and what remains is gathered up. The word consistently belongs to the aftermath of a meal, marking what is left over as pieces that can be collected and counted.

Occurrences

“They all ate, and were filled. They took up twelve baskets full of that which remained left over from the broken pieces.” (Matthew 14:20)

Here κλάσμα labels what “remained left over” after everyone has eaten to satisfaction. The narrative draws attention not only to fullness (“were filled”) but to a tangible remainder that is sizeable enough to fill “twelve baskets.” κλάσμα anchors the excess in concrete, collectable pieces rather than in an abstract idea of surplus.

“They all ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces that were left over.” (Matthew 15:37)

Again, κλάσμα is the term for the leftovers, described as “broken pieces” and explicitly “left over.” The counting of “seven baskets” frames these fragments as measurable and orderly: the meal’s result can be gathered, contained, and enumerated.

“They took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and also of the fish.” (Mark 6:43)

In Mark’s account, κλάσμα occurs in a sentence focused entirely on what is gathered afterward. The “broken pieces” share the outcome with “the fish,” showing that κλάσμα can stand alongside other remaining food items in the collected provision. The word helps present the leftovers as real food, not scraps to be discarded.

“They ate, and were filled. They took up seven baskets of broken pieces that were left over.” (Mark 8:8)

κλάσμα again names the leftovers as “broken pieces,” with the same pattern: eating, fullness, then gathering what remains. The phrase “that were left over” keeps the emphasis on what is beyond immediate need—pieces that exist because the supply exceeded consumption.

“When I broke the five loaves among the five thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Twelve.” (Mark 8:19)

Here κλάσμα functions in recollection and teaching. The question presumes a shared memory of gathering, and the fragments become a point that can be tested: the disciples’ answer “Twelve” treats κλάσμα as something that had been gathered into a known quantity. The word thus serves as a handle for recounting the event with precision.

“When the seven loaves fed the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you take up?” They told him, “Seven.” (Mark 8:20)

κλάσμα again appears within a question that contrasts two feedings by their leftover totals. The fragments are not incidental debris; they are the memorable remainder that distinguishes one scene from another (“Seven” rather than “Twelve”). κλάσμα carries the sense of pieces that can be gathered into baskets and then reported.

“They ate and were all filled. They gathered up twelve baskets of broken pieces that were left over.” (Luke 9:17)

Luke’s wording brings the whole group into view: “They ate and were all filled,” and then “They gathered up” what remained. κλάσμα here is communal in both directions—many are fed, and then many are involved (directly or through the group) in collecting the fragments. The leftovers become a shared, visible outcome of the meal.

“When they were filled, he said to his disciples, “Gather up the broken pieces which are left over, that nothing be lost.”” (John 6:12)

In John, κλάσμα appears within an instruction. The fragments are “left over,” but the act of gathering is purposeful: “that nothing be lost.” κλάσμα thus belongs to careful preservation and stewardship in the immediate scene—pieces are valuable enough to be collected rather than allowed to disappear.

“So they gathered them up, and filled twelve baskets with broken pieces from the five barley loaves, which were left over by those who had eaten.” (John 6:13)

This verse narrates the disciples’ obedience to the instruction. κλάσμα is specified as coming “from the five barley loaves,” and it is defined by its relation to the eaters: “left over by those who had eaten.” The word marks fragments as the trace of a completed act of eating—what remains once hunger has been satisfied—and it again culminates in a countable result (“twelve baskets”).

Sense and Usage

Across these passages, κλάσμα consistently points to fragments of food that remain after a crowd has eaten. The word belongs to the moment after fullness: it does not name the meal itself, but the pieces that can be gathered once the eating is done. That placement in the narrative gives κλάσμα a distinctive role—these are not merely bits noticed in passing, but fragments treated as real, retrievable food.

A repeated feature is containment. κλάσμα is associated with being “took up” or “gathered up,” and with filling “baskets.” The fragments are thus presented as pieces large or substantial enough to be collected and stored. In several accounts the number of baskets is integral to the report, and κλάσμα becomes the counted remainder that demonstrates the scale of what is left. Even where the narrative is brief (Mark 6:43), the mention of broken pieces sits alongside “the fish,” reinforcing that κλάσμα indicates edible remnants rather than refuse.

Mark 8:19–20 shows another use: κλάσμα supports comparison and memory. The fragments are not only physical leftovers; they become the measurable residue by which two events can be distinguished and recalled. A fragment, in these scenes, is something that can be gathered, totaled, and spoken of afterward in a way that keeps the event concrete.

John 6:12 adds a further nuance by pairing the gathering of fragments with intent: “that nothing be lost.” Without changing the sense of “fragment,” the context highlights that what remains is worth preserving. κλάσμα here participates in a deliberate act—leftovers are not ignored, and the fragments are treated as something that ought to be kept together.

Imagery

The imagery attached to κλάσμα in these narratives is consistently visual and tactile: crowds finishing a meal, hands gathering pieces, and baskets being filled. The fragments make the abundance visible after the eating—what remains can be lifted, carried, and counted, leaving a concrete record of what has taken place (Matthew 14:20; Matthew 15:37; Luke 9:17; John 6:13).

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).