The Meaning of Matthew 4:15 Explained

Matthew 4:15

KJV: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

YLT: Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations! --

Darby: Land of Zabulon and land of Nepthalim, way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

ASV: The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The land  of Zabulon,  and  the land  of Nephthalim,  [by] the way  of the sea,  beyond  Jordan,  Galilee  of the Gentiles; 

What does Matthew 4:15 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 4:15 mean?

Land of Zebulun and of Naphtali way of [the] sea beyond the Jordan Galilee of the Gentiles
Γῆ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθαλίμ ὁδὸν θαλάσσης πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν

Γῆ  Land 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
Ζαβουλὼν  of  Zebulun 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ζαβουλών  
Sense: the tenth of the sons of Jacob.
Νεφθαλίμ  of  Naphtali 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Νεφθαλίμ  
Sense: was the sixth son of Jacob, the second child borne to him by Bilhah, Rachel’s slave.
ὁδὸν  way 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: ὁδός 
Sense: properly.
θαλάσσης  of  [the]  sea 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: θάλασσα  
Sense: the sea.
πέραν  beyond 
Parse: Preposition
Root: πέραν  
Sense: beyond, on the other side.
Ἰορδάνου  Jordan 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰορδάνης  
Sense: the one river of Palestine, has its course of little more than 200 miles (300 km), from the roots of Anti-Lebanon to the head of the Dead Sea.
Γαλιλαία  Galilee 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: Γαλιλαία  
Sense: the name of a region of northern Palestine, bounded on the north by Syria, on the west by Sidon, Tyre, Ptolemais and their territories and the promontory of Carmel, on the south by Samaria and on the east by the Jordan.
τῶν  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐθνῶν  Gentiles 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: ἔθνος  
Sense: a multitude (whether of men or of beasts) associated or living together.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 4:15?

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