Bible Dictionary
RANKS
Ranks are separate groups or rows in which people sit. The arrangement resembled distinct plots or garden beds, as when Jesus organized the crowd before feeding them.
Definition
Ranks are separate groups or rows arranged in an orderly manner. The underlying term can mean a square plot of ground or garden bed, suggesting distinct, organized sections.
Biblical Usage
When the people sat down in ranks in the feeding of the multitude, the reclining groups appeared like separate plots or garden beds.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>ranks (prasid, "a square plot of ground," "a garden-bed"): "They sat down in ranks" (Mr 6:40); the several reclining ranks formed, as it were, separate plots or "garden-beds."</p>