Matthew 14

Matthew 14

The big picture

Matthew 14 opens in verse 1 with “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,”, reaches its middle movement near verse 18 with “He said, Bring them hither to me.”, and closes in verse 36 with “And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as…” Repeated or prominent terms include Jesus, disciples, ship, John, multitude. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Matthew · King James Version · 36

Matthew 14:1-8

1–8: At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

Matthew 14:1–8 opens with “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,” and reaches “And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on John’s imprisonment aftermath, the five thousand fed, and Jesus approaching the disciples across the water as Peter steps out, with particular weight carried by John, Herod, Herodias.

Context that brings the passage to life

“At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,” Naming Herod and Jesus keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

Matthew 14:1-8

King James Version

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

2And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.

4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

Matthew 14:9-16

9–16: The king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat…

Matthew 14:9–16 opens with “And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat…” and reaches “But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on John’s imprisonment aftermath, the five thousand fed, and Jesus approaching the disciples across the water as Peter steps out, with particular weight carried by Jesus, desert, disciples.

Context that brings the passage to life

“And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

“And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.” The line’s distinctive content terms include charger, damsel, head. Its relationship to verses 10 and 12 shows what work it does in this passage.

Matthew 14:9-16

King James Version

9And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

13When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities.

14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.

16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

Matthew 14:17-24

17–24: They say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

Matthew 14:17–24 opens with “And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.” and reaches “But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on John’s imprisonment aftermath, the five thousand fed, and Jesus approaching the disciples across the water as Peter steps out, with particular weight carried by disciples, five, loaves.

Context that brings the passage to life

“And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.” The number five makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

“And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up…” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

Matthew 14:17-24

King James Version

17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

18He said, Bring them hither to me.

19And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.

20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

22And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent the multitudes away.

23And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

Matthew 14:25-32

25–32: In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the…

Matthew 14:25–32 opens with “And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” and reaches “And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on John’s imprisonment aftermath, the five thousand fed, and Jesus approaching the disciples across the water as Peter steps out, with particular weight carried by Jesus, afraid, cried.

Context that brings the passage to life

This block contains 1 explicit questions. They are more than punctuation: they reveal where a voice is searching, challenging, afraid, or trying to understand.

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.” Naming Jesus keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Matthew 14:25-32

King James Version

25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

Matthew 14:33-36

33–36: They that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth…

Matthew 14:33–36 opens with “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of…” and reaches “And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on John’s imprisonment aftermath, the five thousand fed, and Jesus approaching the disciples across the water as Peter steps out, with particular weight carried by besought, country, diseased.

Matthew 14:33-36

King James Version

33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

35And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased;

36And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

Details worth noticing

36verses in this reading
5major movements
9verses with speech
1questions in the KJV text

The opening image

Matthew 14:1 begins with “At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,”

Where the chapter turns

Matthew 14:16 forms a natural hinge: “But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.”

The final note

Matthew 14:36 leaves the reader with “And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.”

A word trail through the chapter

The words Jesus, disciples, ship, John, multitude, five help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.

What contrasts the two royal encounters?

Melchizedek blesses God as the source of victory; Abram refuses a financial arrangement that would let Sodom claim credit for his wealth.

How does Abram treat Lot after their separation?

He risks resources to rescue him rather than treating earlier disagreement as a reason for abandonment.

KJV words made clear

unto
to
thee
you
thou
you
spake
spoke
wherefore
for that reason

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.