The Meaning of Matthew 4:23 Explained

Matthew 4:23

KJV: 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.

YLT: And Jesus was going about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the reign, and healing every disease, and every malady among the people,

Darby: And Jesus went round the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among the people.

ASV: And Jesus went about in all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease and all manner of sickness among the people.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Matthew 4:23 Mean?

Study Notes

kingdom
.

Context Summary

Matthew 4:18-25 - Opening Works Of Mercy And Power
We must read the first chapter of John into the opening paragraph. Already the Lord had met with these first disciples in the Jordan valley; but they had returned to their homes and nets. Their prompt surrender was the result of the power over their hearts which the Master had already won. Their old craft was to be theirs still-only in a nobler form. The patience, courage, tact which had been elicited by their calling, were now to be enlisted in the service of souls.
The evangelist then groups together the broad features of the early Galilean ministry. It was a triumphal progress. Notice the reiteration of all, Matthew 4:23. The words struggle to convey the wide comprehensiveness of Christ's influence, even across the border. When the love of God came to our world in the person of Jesus, it immediately began to repair the havoc and damage which sin had caused. There was no hesitation or questioning where it was God's will to heal. Let us always take that for granted for ourselves and others. [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

Greek Commentary for Matthew 4:23

Went about in all Galilee [περιηγεν εν οληι τηι Γαλιλαιαι]
Literally Jesus “was going around (imperfect) in all Galilee.” This is the first of the three tours of Galilee made by Jesus. This time he took the four fishermen whom he had just called to personal service. The second time he took the twelve. On the third he sent the twelve on ahead by twos and followed after them. He was teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the synagogues chiefly and on the roads and in the streets where Gentiles could hear. [source]
Healing all manner of diseases and all manner of sickness [τεραπευων πασαν νοσον και πασαν μαλακιαν]
The occasional sickness is called μαλακιαν — malakian the chronic or serious disease νοσον — noson f0). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 4:23

Matthew 4:17 To preach [κηρύσσειν]
Originally, to discharge the duty of a herald ( κήρυξ ); hence to cry out, proclaim, (see on 2 Peter 2:5). The standing expression in the New Testament for the proclamation of the Gospel; but confined to the primary announcement of the message and facts of salvation, and not including continuous instruction in the contents and connections of the message, which is expressed by διδάσκειν (to teach). Both words are used in Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 11:1). [source]
Matthew 11:1 Their cities [αὐτῶν]
The towns of those to whom he came - the Galilaeans. Compare Matthew 4:23. [source]
Mark 1:32 That were sick []
See on Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:24. [source]
Luke 7:21 Diseases - plagues [νόσων - μαστίγων]
See on Matthew 4:23; and Mark 3:10. Marking the two classes of disease recognized in medical writings, chronic and acute. [source]
Luke 4:41 Saying []
The articulate utterance. Mr. Hobart (“Medical Language of St. Luke”) remarks that the medical bias of Luke may be seen from the words he abstains from using as well as from those he does use in respect of disease. Thus he never uses μαλακία for sickness, as Matthew does (Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; Matthew 10:1), since this word is never so used in medical language, but is confined to the meaning of delicacy, effeminacy. So, too, he never uses βασανίζειν ,to torment, of sickness, as Matthew does (Matthew 8:6), as it is never so used in medical language, the word there meaning to examine some part of the body or some medical question.sa40 [source]
Luke 4:40 Diseases [νόσοις]
See on Matthew 4:23. Wyc., Sick men with divers languishings. [source]
1 Thessalonians 1:5 Our gospel [το ευαγγελιον ημων]
The gospel (see Matthew 4:23; note on Mark 1:1 and Mark 1:15 for ευαγγελιον — euaggelion) which we preach, Paul‘s phrase also in 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 2 Corinthians 4:3; Romans 2:16; Romans 16:25; 2 Timothy 2:8. Paul had a definite, clear-cut message of grace that he preached everywhere including Thessalonica. This message is to be interpreted in the light of Paul‘s own sermons in Acts and Epistles, not by reading backward into them the later perversions of Gnostics and sacramentarians. This very word was later applied to the books about Jesus, but Paul is not so using the term here or anywhere else. In its origin Paul‘s gospel is of God (1 Thessalonians 2:2, 1 Thessalonians 2:8, 1 Thessalonians 2:9), in its substance it is Christ‘s (1 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Thessalonians 1:8), and Paul is only the bearer of it (1 Thessalonians 2:4, 1 Thessalonians 2:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:14) as Milligan points out. Paul and his associates have been entrusted with this gospel (1 Thessalonians 2:4) and preach it (Galatians 2:2). Elsewhere Paul calls it God‘s gospel (2 Corinthians 11:7; Romans 1:1; Romans 15:16) or Christ‘s (1 Corinthians 9:12; 2 Corinthians 2:12; 2 Corinthians 9:13; 2 Corinthians 10:14; Galatians 1:7; Romans 15:19; Philemon 1:27). In both instances it is the subjective genitive. Came unto you (εγενητη εις υμας — egenēthē eis humās). First aorist passive indicative of γινομαι — ginomai in practically same sense as εγενετο — egeneto (second aorist middle indicative as in the late Greek generally). So also εις υμας — eis humās like the Koiné{[28928]}š is little more than the dative υμιν — humin (Robertson, Grammar, p. 594). Not only - but also Sharp contrast, negatively and positively. The contrast between δυναμις — logos (word) and εν πνευματι αγιωι και πληροποριαι πολληι — dunamis (power) is seen also in 1 Corinthians 2:4; 1 Corinthians 4:20. Paul does not refer to miracles by εν — dunamis In the Holy Spirit and much assurance (λογωι δυναμει — en pneumati hagiōi kai plērophoriāi pollēi). Preposition πληροποριαι — en repeated with πληροπορεω — logōiκατως οιδατε — dunamei but only once here thus uniting closely Holy Spirit and much assurance. No article with either word. The word οιοι εγενητημεν υμιν — plērophoriāi is not found in ancient Greek or the lxx. It appears once in Clement of Rome and one broken papyrus example. For the verb οιοι — plērophoreō see note on Luke 1:1. The substantive in the N.T. only here and Colossians 2:2; Hebrews 6:11; Hebrews 10:22. It means the full confidence which comes from the Holy Spirit. Even as ye know (υμιν — kathōs oidate). Paul appeals to the Thessalonians themselves as witnesses to the character of his preaching and life among them. What manner of men we showed ourselves toward you Literally, What sort of men we became to you. Qualitative relative ημετα — hoioi and dative δι υμας — humin and first aorist passive indicative egenēthēmen (not ēmetha we were). An epexegetical comment with for your sake (di' humās) added. It was all in their interest and for their advantage, however it may have seemed otherwise at the time. [source]
Revelation 18:7 Torment [βασανισμὸν]
Only in Revelation. On the kindred word, βάσανος tormentsee on Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:24. [source]
Revelation 14:11 Torment [βασανισμοῦ]
See on Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:24; see vexed, 2 Peter 2:8. [source]
Revelation 11:10 Tormented [ἐβασάνισαν]
See on vexed, 2 Peter 2:8, and see on Matthew 4:23, Matthew 4:24. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 4:23 mean?

And He was going throughout all - Galilee teaching in the synagogues of them proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom healing every disease sickness among the people
Καὶ περιῆγεν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Γαλιλαίᾳ διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον μαλακίαν ἐν τῷ λαῷ

περιῆγεν  He  was  going 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: περιάγω  
Sense: to lead around, to lead about with one’s self.
ἐν  throughout 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐν 
Sense: in, by, with etc.
τῇ  - 
Parse: Article, Dative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Γαλιλαίᾳ  Galilee 
Parse: Noun, Dative 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.
διδάσκων  teaching 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: διδάσκω  
Sense: to teach.
συναγωγαῖς  synagogues 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: συναγωγή  
Sense: a bringing together, gathering (as of fruits), a contracting.
αὐτῶν  of  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
κηρύσσων  proclaiming 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: κηρύσσω  
Sense: to be a herald, to officiate as a herald.
εὐαγγέλιον  gospel 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: εὐαγγέλιον  
Sense: a reward for good tidings.
τῆς  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
βασιλείας  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: βασιλεία  
Sense: royal power, kingship, dominion, rule.
θεραπεύων  healing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: θεραπεύω  
Sense: to serve, do service.
πᾶσαν  every 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
νόσον  disease 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: νόσος  
Sense: disease, sickness.
μαλακίαν  sickness 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: μαλακία  
Sense: softness.
λαῷ  people 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Singular
Root: λαός  
Sense: a people, people group, tribe, nation, all those who are of the same stock and language.