It is the middle chapter of the gospel but its significance is variously understood: for example the Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary calls it a "section of miscellaneous matter",[1] whereas many commentators treat it as a turning point where Mark's description of Jesus as teacher and miracle worker gives way to his focus on the role of Jesus' death and the difficult nature of his teachings.

[a] Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: The events recorded in this chapter take place in the Galilean wilderness and around the Sea of Galilee, at Dalmanutha, an unknown location sometimes thought to be in the vicinity of Magdala, Bethsaida, and the towns (Greek: τὰς κώμας, tas komas, also translated as "villages") around Caesarea Philippi.

Scottish Free Church minister William Robertson Nicoll suggests that Jesus' enquiry, "Who do people say that I am?”,[4] is asked "on the way to Caesarea Philippi, probably when the city ... came into view".

[5] Mark also begins his account of Jesus' journey from Nazareth to the Jordan, to be baptised, with the words "in those days".

[7][5] The multitude is noted as being "very great again" (Greek: πάλιν, palin) in some versions, as the critical Westcott-Hort edition of Mark uses this word.

[8] However, the Textus Receptus has another word, Greek: παμπόλλου, pampollou, meaning "very many",[9] which is not used elsewhere in the New Testament.

[12] Like Mark 6:30-44, verses 1-9 here recount Jesus feeding a large crowd with hardly any food at all.

He is teaching a large and loyal crowd, "about four thousand men",[13] in a remote place; they have been with him for three days,[14] and everyone is hungry; they only have seven loaves of bread and an imprecise number of small fish.

[18] Skeptical scholars have concluded that this is just a doubling of the story in Mark 6 with only a few details changed, such as the number of loaves and baskets,[citation needed] although in the subsequent passage, Mark 8:19–21, Jesus refers to both events during a dialogue with his disciples about their lack of understanding.

They leave in a boat and go to Dalmanutha, which is listed in Matthew as Magadan and some early manuscripts of Mark as Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene.

[19] Nicoll picks up "a sense of irreconcilable enmity, invincible unbelief, and coming doom" in the phrase.

[citation needed] Mark begins the second half of his book with Jesus and the disciples traveling to Caesarea Philippi.