Matthew 4:23
Encyclopedia
Matthew 4:23 is the twenty-third verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. Jesus
has just recruited the first four disciples, this verse begins a brief summary of and introduction to Jesus' ministry in Galilee
that will be recounted in the next several chapters.
The original Koine Greek
, according to Westcott and Hort
, reads:
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:23
This verse outlines Jesus' life as an itinerant preacher in Galilee. It divides his ministry into three sections: teaching, preaching, and healing. Unlike the other Gospels the author of Matthew makes a clear distinction between teaching and preaching. To him teaching is only commentary on the scripture and the laws, while preaching is public proclamation. According to France, the third form, healing, is to provide clear illustration of the power of God.
The mention of teaching in synagogue
s is especially noteworthy. While this Gospel and others have a large number of scenes of Jesus preaching and healing, none depict him teaching in a synagogue. Clarke notes that Jesus being permitted to speak in a synagogue would indicate that he was a respected figure and also that he could speak Hebrew
in addition to the Aramaic that was the common language of the area.
Jesus preaches the gospel of the kingdom, literally the good news of the kingdom. France feels this is based on John the Baptist
's message of the coming Kingdom of Heaven
in Matthew 3:2
that Jesus later adopts in Matthew 4:1
. France states that while John was preaching about the kingdom coming in the near future, Jesus now reports that it is in the present.
The Greek text literally translates as Jesus healing "all the sickness and disease among the people." This literal translation conflicts everything else that is known about Jesus' healing that describes it as individual. A more probable interpretation is that Jesus healed "all types of disease," and this is how the verse is normally translated.
Albright and Mann note that the term "the people" occurs fourteen times in Matthew, and that it is almost always short for "the Jewish people." This interpretation is reinforced by later parts of the Gospels that portray the healing of Gentiles as an unusual event. Despite Galilee's large Gentile proportion it seems as though Jesus' ministry was mostly confined to Jews. The mention of synagogues also reinforces this impression.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
has just recruited the first four disciples, this verse begins a brief summary of and introduction to Jesus' ministry in Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
that will be recounted in the next several chapters.
The original Koine Greek
Koine Greek
Koine Greek is the universal dialect of the Greek language spoken throughout post-Classical antiquity , developing from the Attic dialect, with admixture of elements especially from Ionic....
, according to Westcott and Hort
The New Testament in the Original Greek
The New Testament in the Original Greek is the name of a Greek language version of the New Testament published in 1881. It is also known as the Westcott and Hort text, after its editors Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort...
, reads:
- και περιηγεν εν ολη τη γαλιλαια διδασκων εν ταις συναγωγαις
- αυτων και κηρυσσων το ευαγγελιον της βασιλειας και θεραπευων
- πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν εν τω λαω
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
- and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner
- of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues,
- preaching the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every
- disease and every sickness among the people
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:23
This verse outlines Jesus' life as an itinerant preacher in Galilee. It divides his ministry into three sections: teaching, preaching, and healing. Unlike the other Gospels the author of Matthew makes a clear distinction between teaching and preaching. To him teaching is only commentary on the scripture and the laws, while preaching is public proclamation. According to France, the third form, healing, is to provide clear illustration of the power of God.
The mention of teaching in synagogue
Synagogue
A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer. This use of the Greek term synagogue originates in the Septuagint where it sometimes translates the Hebrew word for assembly, kahal...
s is especially noteworthy. While this Gospel and others have a large number of scenes of Jesus preaching and healing, none depict him teaching in a synagogue. Clarke notes that Jesus being permitted to speak in a synagogue would indicate that he was a respected figure and also that he could speak Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
in addition to the Aramaic that was the common language of the area.
Jesus preaches the gospel of the kingdom, literally the good news of the kingdom. France feels this is based on John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
's message of the coming Kingdom of Heaven
Kingdom of God
The Kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven is a foundational concept in the Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.The term "Kingdom of God" is found in all four canonical gospels and in the Pauline epistles...
in Matthew 3:2
Matthew 3:2
Matthew 3:2 is the second verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. John the Baptist has just been introduced and this verse describes the message that he is preaching....
that Jesus later adopts in Matthew 4:1
Matthew 4:1
Matthew 4:1 is the first verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the section in Matthew dealing with the temptation of Christ by Satan...
. France states that while John was preaching about the kingdom coming in the near future, Jesus now reports that it is in the present.
The Greek text literally translates as Jesus healing "all the sickness and disease among the people." This literal translation conflicts everything else that is known about Jesus' healing that describes it as individual. A more probable interpretation is that Jesus healed "all types of disease," and this is how the verse is normally translated.
Albright and Mann note that the term "the people" occurs fourteen times in Matthew, and that it is almost always short for "the Jewish people." This interpretation is reinforced by later parts of the Gospels that portray the healing of Gentiles as an unusual event. Despite Galilee's large Gentile proportion it seems as though Jesus' ministry was mostly confined to Jews. The mention of synagogues also reinforces this impression.