The Meaning of Matthew 9:35 Explained

Matthew 9:35

KJV: And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.

YLT: And Jesus was going up and down all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the reign, and healing every sickness and every malady among the people.

Darby: And Jesus went round all the cities and the villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness.

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  Jesus  went about  all  the cities  and  villages,  teaching  in  their  synagogues,  and  preaching  the gospel  of the kingdom,  and  healing  every  sickness  and  every  disease  among  the people. 

What does Matthew 9:35 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This verse summarizes the heart of Jesus" ministry in Galilee. It also provides the rationale for the new phase of His ministry through the Twelve.
The heart of this section contains Jesus" charge to His disciples to proclaim the nearness of the kingdom (ch10). Matthew prefaced this charge with a demonstration of the King"s power, as he prefaced the Sermon on the Mount by authenticating the King"s qualifications (cf. Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35). However there are also some significant dissimilarities between these sections of the Gospel. Before the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus separated from the multitudes ( Matthew 5:1), but here He has compassion on them ( Matthew 8:18-2245). Then He ministered to His disciples, but now He sends His disciples to minister to the multitudes in Israel. The Sermon on the Mount was basic to the disciples" understanding of the kingdom. This discourse is foundational to their proclaiming the kingdom. Jesus had already begun to deal with discipleship issues (chs5-7; 1711709936_8; Matthew 9:9-17). Now He gave them more attention.

Context Summary

Matthew 9:35-38 - Planning The Harvest
A new chapter in our Lord's ministry opens at this point. As He walked amid the crowded towns and villages of Galilee, His heart was deeply moved. His was the shepherd's nature, which, ever forgetful of self, expends its all for the flock. Jesus loved the poor people tenderly-those vast multitudes were a scattered, harassed flock. Fainted has the meaning of being cast panting on the ground. It was as though they could not move another step. Let us-like our Master-behold, pity, intercede, do our best to send out laborers, and go ourselves, even to a cross, if only we may save.
Pray for laborers, and you will become a laborer. Begin as a disciple, and you will become an apostle. Our Lord is king, and if He sends, He gives His signet ring of authority. See Matthew 28:18. How little did these men dream that their names would be engraved on the foundations of the New Jerusalem, Revelation 21:14. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 9

1  Jesus heals a paralytic
9  calls Matthew from the receipt of custom;
10  eats with tax collectors and sinners;
14  defends his disciples for not fasting;
20  cures the sick woman;
23  raises Jairus' daughter from death;
27  gives sight to two blind men;
32  heals a mute man possessed of a demon;
36  and has compassion on the multitude

Greek Commentary for Matthew 9:35

And Jesus went about [και περιηγεν ο Ιησους]
Imperfect tense descriptive of this third tour of all Galilee. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 9:35

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]
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 22:36 Buy a sword [αγορασατω μαχαιραν]
This is for defence clearly. The reference is to the special mission in Galilee (Luke 9:1-6; Mark 6:6-13; Matthew 9:35-11:1). They are to expect persecution and bitter hostility (John 15:18-21). Jesus does not mean that his disciples are to repel force by force, but that they are to be ready to defend his cause against attack. Changed conditions bring changed needs. This language can be misunderstood as it was then. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 9:35 mean?

And was going throughout - Jesus the cities all villages teaching in the synagogues of them proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom healing every disease sickness
Καὶ περιῆγεν Ἰησοῦς τὰς πόλεις πάσας κώμας διδάσκων ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς αὐτῶν κηρύσσων τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῆς βασιλείας θεραπεύων πᾶσαν νόσον μαλακίαν

περιῆγεν  was  going  throughout 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: περιάγω  
Sense: to lead around, to lead about with one’s self.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
πόλεις  cities 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
κώμας  villages 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: κώμη  
Sense: the common sleeping place to which labourers in the field return, a village.
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.