The Evangelist deliberately notes the number of men, which shows the greatness of the miracle. If women and children were also present, the real crowd was even larger. Feeding five thousand people with five loaves and two fish was, in human terms, impossible. This number serves so that no one would think it was about a small group or merely an exaggerated story. The more real the number is, the more glorious the miracle is. And the greater the miracle is, the more clearly it becomes evident who the One is who performs it.