Bible Study on Matthew 4, verses 12 to 17, Jesus began to preach

 

Matthew 4:12 ¶  Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; 13  And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: 14  That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, 15  The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; 16  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

 

John the Baptist is imprisoned, and we will see what becomes of him in chapter 14. Verses 13 and 14 are said to be a fulfillment prophetically of passages in Isaiah 9.

 

Isaiah 9:1 ¶  Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.

2  The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.

 

Notice the word substitution of Gentiles in Matthew 4:15 and nations in Isaiah 9:1. See then in the Old Testament how the nations typically refer to Gentile nations around Israel.

 

Joel 3:2  I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.

 

Amos 9:9  For, lo, I will command, and I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth.

 

So, nations refers to the non-Jews.

 

Jesus is talking to the Jews still under the Law as their Messiah to repent to receive Him as John the Baptist also forewarned. Be careful when applying things Jesus said to Jews under the Law as in here, to prepare them for His declarations and very presence among them, to the dispensation of Christianity. We must repent of our sins and indeed, our sinful nature, when we get saved as Christ’s resurrection and our faith in it frees us from the penalty of sin, as our sanctification frees us from the power of sin (we have no excuse), and in eternity from the very presence of sin, but this repentance is to prepare the Jew for Christ. We will discuss these differences as well in later statements of Jesus to pork-abstaining, beard-wearing, temple-going, sabbath-observing Jews in the first century AD.