The Meaning of Matthew 8:1 Explained

Matthew 8:1

KJV: When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

YLT: And when he came down from the mount, great multitudes did follow him,

Darby: And when he had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.

ASV: And when he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

When  he  was come down  from  the mountain,  great  multitudes  followed  him. 

What does Matthew 8:1 Mean?

Verse Meaning

"Matthew has laid the foundational structure for his argument in chapters one through seven. The genealogy and birth have attested to the legal qualifications of the Messiah as they are stated in the Old Testament. Not only Song of Solomon , but in His birth great and fundamental prophecies have been fulfilled. The King, according to protocol, has a forerunner preceding Him in His appearance on the scene of Israel"s history. The moral qualities of Jesus have been authenticated by His baptism and temptation. The King Himself then commences His ministry of proclaiming the nearness of the kingdom and authenticates it with great miracles. To instruct His disciples as to the true character of righteousness which is to distinguish Him, He draws them apart on the mountain. After Matthew has recorded the Sermon on the Mount, he goes on to relate the King"s presentation to Israel ( Matthew 8:1 to Matthew 11:1)." [1]

Context Summary

Matthew 8:1-10 - Rewards Of Faith
The Lord can touch thy heart, leprous with impurity, and make its stain depart, so that, as in the case of Naaman, its foulness shall become like "unto the flesh of a little child." See 2 Kings 5:14. The psalmist cried, "Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean," alluding to the rite for the cleansing of the leper. Compare Psalms 51:7; Leviticus 14:4, etc. But one touch of Christ's hand is enough, for He is the great High Priest.
He also can heal the paralysis which has limited thy service and pinned thee down in helplessness. As the centurion recognized, because Christ was obedient to the Father's law He was able to wield the Father's power. He humbled Himself and became obedient to the death of the Cross; therefore God hath highly exalted Him, that He might send tides of living energy into the paralyzed will. The Apostle Paul testified, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 8

1  Jesus cleanses the leper;
5  heals the centurion's servant,
14  Peter's mother in law,
16  and many others;
18  shows the cost of following him;
23  stills the storm on the sea;
28  drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31  and tells them to go into the pigs

What do the individual words in Matthew 8:1 mean?

Having come down now He from the mountain followed Him crowds great
Καταβάντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ ὄχλοι πολλοί

Καταβάντος  Having  come  down 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: καταβαίνω  
Sense: to go down, come down, descend.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
ὄρους  mountain 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ὄρος  
Sense: a mountain.
ἠκολούθησαν  followed 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἀκολουθέω  
Sense: to follow one who precedes, join him as his attendant, accompany him.
ὄχλοι  crowds 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ὄχλος  
Sense: a crowd.
πολλοί  great 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: πολύς  
Sense: many, much, large.