The big picture
Matthew 4 opens in verse 1 with “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in…”, and closes in verse 25 with “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and…” Repeated or prominent terms include Jesus, Galilee, devil, people, written. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.
Scripture beside the summary
Matthew · King James Version · 25Matthew 4:1-7
1–7: Was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the…
Matthew 4:1–7 opens with “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” and reaches “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus resisting temptation in the wilderness, calling fishermen by the sea, and teaching and healing throughout Galilee, with particular weight carried by written, bread, devil.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.” Naming Jesus keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
“And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.” The number forty makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.
Matthew 4:1-7
King James Version1Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.
2And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.
3And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread.
4But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
5Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple,
6And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
7Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.
Matthew 4:8-14
8–14: Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and…
Matthew 4:8–14 opens with “Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms…” and reaches “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus resisting temptation in the wilderness, calling fishermen by the sea, and teaching and healing throughout Galilee, with particular weight carried by devil, Jesus, worship.
Context that brings the passage to life
“Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the…” Naming Again keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Matthew 4:8-14
King James Version8Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
9And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.
10Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
11Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
12Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
13And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim:
14That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Matthew 4:15-21
15–21: The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea…
Matthew 4:15–21 opens with “The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee…” and reaches “And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus resisting temptation in the wilderness, calling fishermen by the sea, and teaching and healing throughout Galilee, with particular weight carried by brethren, brother, fishers.
Context that brings the passage to life
“The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;” Naming Galilee and Gentiles keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.
Matthew 4:15-21
King James Version15The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles;
16The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
17From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
18And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.
19And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.
20And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.
21And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
Matthew 4:22-25
22–25: They immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
Matthew 4:22–25 opens with “And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” and reaches “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus resisting temptation in the wilderness, calling fishermen by the sea, and teaching and healing throughout Galilee, with particular weight carried by people, followed, Galilee.
Context that brings the passage to life
“And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.” The line’s distinctive content terms include father, followed, immediately. Its relationship to verses 23 shows what work it does in this passage.
Matthew 4:22-25
King James Version22And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
23And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.
24And 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.
25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Matthew 4:1 begins with “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil.”
Where the chapter turns
Matthew 4:12 forms a natural hinge: “Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;”
The final note
Matthew 4:25 leaves the reader with “And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Jesus, Galilee, devil, people, written, followed help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
What opportunity exists before the murder?
Cain receives a warning and a call to resist sin in verse 7. Anger is not treated as an irresistible excuse.
What do the two speeches about vengeance reveal?
God limits retaliation against Cain; Lamech celebrates escalation.
KJV words made clear
- behold
- look, or pay close attention
- unto
- to
- thee
- you
- thou
- you
- thy
- your
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.