The Meaning of Matthew 4:14 Explained

Matthew 4:14

KJV: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

YLT: that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

Darby: that that might be fulfilled which was spoken through Esaias the prophet, saying,

ASV: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

That  it might be fulfilled  which  was spoken  by  Esaias  the prophet,  saying, 

What does Matthew 4:14 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 4:12-17 - The Light Begins To Shine
Our Lord's earliest ministry seems to have been centered in Jerusalem and its contiguous villages. See John 2:1-25; John 3:1-36. But on the news of the Baptist's imprisonment, He took up His testimony to the hearers of the heavenly kingdom, which is the reign of God over the hearts and lives of men. Someone has said that it is "the universal awareness of God." Yet there was a difference! At the commencement of His work, the Savior showed a tenderness and a winsomeness which were very inviting to the crowds of harried sheep. See Matthew 9:36. His ministry resembled the gentle, holy dawn that breaks over the mountains and dispels the black shadows of the night. The evangelist quotes the prophet's anticipation of the coming of Him who is called "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God." Oh, do not be afraid when Jesus comes to your heart! You may be as far away from goodness and purity as Naphtali and Zebulun from Jerusalem, but Galilee of the Gentiles is included in John 3:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 4

1  Jesus, fasting forty days,
3  is tempted by the devil and ministered unto by angels
12  He dwells in Capernaum;
17  begins to preach;
18  calls Peter and Andrew,
21  James and John;
23  teaches and heals all the diseased

What do the individual words in Matthew 4:14 mean?

that it might be fulfilled that having been spoken by Isaiah the prophet saying
ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος

ἵνα  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἵνα  
Sense: that, in order that, so that.
πληρωθῇ  it  might  be  fulfilled 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: πληρόω  
Sense: to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the full.
τὸ  that 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ῥηθὲν  having  been  spoken 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Passive, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to utter, speak, say.
Ἠσαΐου  Isaiah 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἠσαί̈ας  
Sense: a famous Hebrew prophet who prophesied in the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah.
προφήτου  prophet 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.
λέγοντος  saying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.