Matthew 4:24

Jesus healing the demon possessed

Matthew 4:24 is the twenty-fourth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of a brief summary of and introduction to Jesus' ministry in Galilee, which will be recounted in the next several chapters. This verse summarizes Jesus' healing.

The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:

και απηλθεν η ακοη αυτου εις ολην την συριαν και προσηνεγκαν αυτω παντας

τους κακως εχοντας ποικιλαις νοσοις και βασανοις συνεχομενους δαιμονιζομενους

και σεληνιαζομενους και παραλυτικους και εθεραπευσεν αυτους

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that

were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils,

and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

The report about him went out into all Syria. They brought to him all who

were sick, afflicted with various diseases and torments, possessed with

demons, epileptics, and paralytics; and he healed them.

For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 4:24

The Roman province of Syria covered a huge area. France feels that the author of Matthew was likely using the OT meaning that limited it to the area immediately to the north and northeast of Israel.^[1] Schweizer notes that one late manuscript has synoria, region, in place of Syria, a meaning that would also make the passage more credible.^[2] Syria is often considered to be the location where the author of Matthew wrote his gospel.

The last verse mentioned Jesus' healing power and this one goes into more detail. It lists a number of general conditions common in that period. Torment refers to severe pain; possession is seen either as possession by the Devil, or as a metaphor for mental illness; epileptics refers to any suffering seizures; and paralytics to those who are paralyzed. Hill notes that the general understanding of disease among the Jewish community at the time was that it was in atonement for sin. Thus Jesus' healing power is a subset of his ability to grant forgiveness of sins, as mentioned in Matthew 1:21.^[3]

References

1. France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985.
2. Schweizer, Eduard. The Good News According to Matthew. Atlanta: John Knox Press, 1975
3. Hill, David. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1981