The Meaning of Matthew 4:13 Explained

Matthew 4:13

KJV: And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:

YLT: and having left Nazareth, having come, he dwelt at Capernaum that is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtalim,

Darby: and having left Nazareth, he went and dwelt at Capernaum, which is on the sea-side in the borders of Zabulon and Nepthalim,

ASV: and leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is by the sea, in the borders of Zebulun and Naphtali:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  leaving  Nazareth,  he came  and dwelt  in  Capernaum,  which  is upon the sea coast,  in  the borders  of Zabulon  and  Nephthalim: 

What does Matthew 4:13 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

Greek Commentary for Matthew 4:13

Dwelt in Capernaum [Κατωικησεν εις Καπαρναουμ]
He went first to Nazareth, his old home, but was rejected there (Luke 4:16-31). In Capernaum (probably the modern Τελλ μ — Tell Hūm) Jesus was in a large town, one of the centres of Galilean political and commercial life, a fishing mart, where many Gentiles came. Here the message of the kingdom would have a better chance than in Jerusalem with its ecclesiastical prejudices or in Nazareth with its local jealousies. So Jesus “made his home” (κατωικησεν — katōikēsen) here. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 4:13

Matthew 9:1 His own city [την ιδιαν πολιν]
Capernaum (Mark 2:1; Matthew 4:13). [source]
Mark 1:21 And taught [εδιδασκεν]
Inchoative imperfect, began to teach as soon as he entered the synagogue in Capernaum on the sabbath. The synagogue in Capernaum afforded the best opening for the teaching of Jesus. He had now made Capernaum (Tell Hum) his headquarters after the rejection in Nazareth as explained in Luke 4:16-31 and Matthew 4:13-16. The ruins of this synagogue have been discovered and there is even talk of restoring the building since the stones are in a good state of preservation. Jesus both taught The service consisted of prayer, praise, reading of scripture, and exposition by any rabbi or other competent person. Often Paul was invited to speak at such meetings. In Luke 4:20 Jesus gave back the roll of Isaiah to the attendant or beadle (τωι υπηρετηι — tōi hupēretēi) whose business it was to bring out the precious manuscript and return it to its place. Jesus was a preacher of over a year when he began to teach in the Capernaum synagogue. His reputation had preceded him (Luke 4:14). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 4:13 mean?

And having left - Nazareth having come he dwelt at Capernaum which [is] on the sea-side in [the] region of Zebulun Naphtali
καὶ καταλιπὼν τὴν Ναζαρὰ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ τὴν παραθαλασσίαν ἐν ὁρίοις Ζαβουλὼν Νεφθαλίμ

καταλιπὼν  having  left 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καταλείπω  
Sense: to leave behind.
τὴν  - 
Parse: Article, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ναζαρὰ  Nazareth 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Ναζαρά 
Sense: the ordinary residence and home town of Christ.
ἐλθὼν  having  come 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἔρχομαι  
Sense: to come.
κατῴκησεν  he  dwelt 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: κατοικέω 
Sense: to dwell, settle.
εἰς  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
Καφαρναοὺμ  Capernaum 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: Καπερναούμ 
Sense: a flourishing city of Galilee situated on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee or Lake of Gennesaret, near the place where the Jordan flows into the lake.
παραθαλασσίαν  [is]  on  the  sea-side 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: παραθαλάσσιος  
Sense: besides the sea, by the sea.
ὁρίοις  [the]  region 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: ὅριον  
Sense: boundaries.
Ζαβουλὼν  of  Zebulun 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: Ζαβουλών  
Sense: the tenth of the sons of Jacob.
Νεφθαλίμ  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.