Matthew 4:15
New International Version
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

New Living Translation
“In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali, beside the sea, beyond the Jordan River, in Galilee where so many Gentiles live,

English Standard Version
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Berean Standard Bible
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

Berean Literal Bible
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--

King James Bible
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;

New King James Version
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

New American Standard Bible
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—

NASB 1995
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—

NASB 1977
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—

Legacy Standard Bible
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE OF THE GENTILES—

Amplified Bible
“THE LAND OF ZEBULUN AND THE LAND OF NAPHTALI, BY THE WAY OF THE SEA, BEYOND THE JORDAN, GALILEE [in the district] OF THE GENTILES—

Christian Standard Bible
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the road by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, along the sea road, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles!

American Standard Version
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“The land of Zebulon, the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, the crossings of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.”

Contemporary English Version
"Listen, lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, lands along the road to the sea and across the Jordan. Listen Galilee, land of the Gentiles!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Land of Zabulon and land of Nephthalim, the way of the sea beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

English Revised Version
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, Toward the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the way to the sea, across the Jordan River, Galilee, where foreigners live!

Good News Translation
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, on the road to the sea, on the other side of the Jordan, Galilee, land of the Gentiles!

International Standard Version
"O Land of Zebulun and Land of Naphtali, on the road to the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the unbelievers!

Literal Standard Version
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations!

Majority Standard Bible
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

New American Bible
“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

NET Bible
"Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the way by the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles--

New Revised Standard Version
“Land of Zebulun, land of Naphtali, on the road by the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

New Heart English Bible
"The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations,

Webster's Bible Translation
The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles:

Weymouth New Testament
"Zebulun's land and Naphtali's land; the road by the Lake; the country beyond the Jordan; Galilee of the Nations!

World English Bible
“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles,

Young's Literal Translation
'Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations! --

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus Begins His Ministry
14to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: 15“Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16the people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death, a light has dawned.”…

Cross References
Isaiah 9:1
Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:

Matthew 4:13
Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which is by the sea in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Matthew 4:14
to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

Matthew 4:25
The large crowds that followed Him came from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.

Luke 24:27
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was written in all the Scriptures about Himself.


Treasury of Scripture

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

Galilee.

Joshua 20:7
And they appointed Kedesh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kirjatharba, which is Hebron, in the mountain of Judah.

Joshua 21:32
And out of the tribe of Naphtali, Kedesh in Galilee with her suburbs, to be a city of refuge for the slayer; and Hammothdor with her suburbs, and Kartan with her suburbs; three cities.

1 Kings 9:11
(Now Hiram the king of Tyre had furnished Solomon with cedar trees and fir trees, and with gold, according to all his desire,) that then king Solomon gave Hiram twenty cities in the land of Galilee.

Jump to Previous
Country Galilee Gentiles Jordan Lake Naphtali Naph'tali Nations Nephthalim Nepthalim Road Sea Way Zabulon Zebulun Zeb'ulun
Jump to Next
Country Galilee Gentiles Jordan Lake Naphtali Naph'tali Nations Nephthalim Nepthalim Road Sea Way Zabulon Zebulun Zeb'ulun
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.














(15-16) The citation is remarkable as the only reference in the New Testament to what seems to us the most wonderful and majestic of all Messianic prophecies; and still more remarkable as dwelling, not on the words so familiar to us, "Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given . . . ," but on the merely local imagery which is a prelude to that great utterance, and on that, in a version which is neither a true rendering of the Hebrew, nor a correct citation from the received Greek version. We have to recognise the fact that the Evangelist did not study prophecy as we study it. Books were scarce, and the publican of Capernaum, though his occupation implied some clerkly knowledge, probably had few, and heard rather than read the Scriptures which he quotes. What strikes a man who learns in this way is the coincidence of single words and phrases with familiar facts. He speaks not of what has been written, but of what has been spoken. He is not careful about the context. When St. Matthew looked back on the change that had come over Capernaum in the arrival of the prophet of Nazareth--a change extending to his own life--these words seemed the only adequate description of it. Here was the very scene of which Isaiah had spoken, the old border country of Zebulon and of Naphthali. To him and to others who had been in the darkness of spiritual ignorance, neglected and uncared for, as sheep gone astray in the dark valley of death, there had sprung up a marvellous Light. Unconsciously he adds his testimony to that of St. John, that the presence of Jesus was felt to be that of the "true Light" that "lighteth every man" (John 1:9).

Verse 15. - The land of Zabulon, etc. From Isaiah 9:1, 2, spoiled in the Authorized Version, but rendered correctly in the Revised Version. Isaiah says that those parts of the land which had borne the first brunt of the Assyrian invasions under Tiglath-Pileser (2 Kings 15:29; el. Zechariah 10:10), shall be proportionately glorified by the advent of Messiah. Wetstein gives a tradition from the 'Pesikt. Zut.,' of Messiah ben Joseph first appearing in Galilee; but the whole passage (quoted in Dalman's 'Der Leidende und der Sterbende Messias,' pp. 10-13) clearly points to a knowledge of the New Testament. As to the form of the quotation, observe:

(1) Matthew disregards the Hebrew construction, and gives merely the general sense.

(2) He takes it from the Hebrew, not the LXX.

(3) This last point is doubtless to be connected with the fact that the quotation does not occur in the other Gospels, i.e. that it did not belong to the Petrine cycle of teaching, and if it did belong to the "Matthean" cycle, not to that form which was current among Gentile Christians (cf. A. Wright, 'Composition of the Four Gospels.' p. 104). Zabulon and... Nephthalim, equivalent to the later Upper and Lower Galilee. By the way of the sea; toward the sea (Revised Version); cf. Jeremiah 2:18; "i.e. the district on the W. of the Sea of Galilee, as opposed to 'the other side of Jordan,' and 'the circle of the nations,' i.e. the frontier districts nearest to Phoenicia, including 'the land of Cabul' (1 Kings 9:11-13), which formed part of the later Upper Galilee. Via Marls, M. Renan observes, was the name of the high road from Acre to Damascus, as late as the Crusades. 'Way,' however, here means 'region' (cf. Isaiah 58:12; Job 24:4)" (Cheyne, on Isaiah 9:1). Yet hardly so; ὁδόν, is adverbial, 1 Kings 8:48 (equivalent to 2 Chronicles 6:38), and designates the stretching of the districts of Zebulun and Naphtali towards the sea. The sea is the Sea of Galilee. The close union of this clause in the Authorized Version with the following words, "beyond Jordan," misses its true meaning as explanatory of the position of Zebulun and Naphtali, and rather takes it as describing some special locality east of Jordan. Beyond Jordan; i.e. the eastern side, mentioned in 2 Kings 15:29 as having suffered with Naphtali under the Assyrian invasion; see further ver. 25. Galilee of the Gentiles (vide supra, "by the way of the sea").

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“Land
Γῆ (Gē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.

of Zebulun
Ζαβουλὼν (Zaboulōn)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2194: Of Hebrew origin; Zabulon, a region of Palestine.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

land
γῆ (gē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.

of Naphtali,
Νεφθαλίμ (Nephthalim)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3508: Naphtali, son of Jacob, founder of a tribe which occupied territory. Of Hebrew origin; Nephthaleim, a tribe in Palestine.

[the] way
ὁδὸν (hodon)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3598: A way, road, journey, path. Apparently a primary word; a road; by implication, a progress; figuratively, a mode or means.

to [the] sea,
θαλάσσης (thalassēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2281: Probably prolonged from hals; the sea.

beyond
πέραν (peran)
Preposition
Strong's 4008: Over, on the other side, beyond. Apparently accusative case of an obsolete derivative of peiro; through, i.e. Across.

the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Jordan,
Ἰορδάνου (Iordanou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2446: Of Hebrew origin; the Jordanes, a river of Palestine.

Galilee
Γαλιλαία (Galilaia)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1056: Of Hebrew origin; Galiloea, a region of Palestine.

of the
τῶν (tōn)
Article - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Gentiles—
ἐθνῶν (ethnōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 1484: Probably from etho; a race, i.e. A tribe; specially, a foreign one.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 4:15 The land of Zebulun and the land (Matt. Mat Mt)
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