Bible Strands
Matthew 4:14
to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Matthew records Jesus departing Nazareth for Capernaum in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali, noting this relocation occurs precisely to realize a prior prophetic declaration.
The words — πληρωθῇ (plērōthēa) translates to “it may be fulfilled,” and ῥηθὲν (rhēthen) means “having been spoken,” directly tying the physical move to a written prophetic utterance.
The thread — The fulfillment pattern runs through Isaiah 9:1 regarding the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali, reappears in Matthew 2:23 concerning Nazareth, and is cataloged in Luke 24:44 as the necessary completion of all prophetic words.
Why it lands — It demands the reader treat Jesus’ geographic shift as a deliberate execution of Scripture rather than a historical accident, requiring attention to how written prophecy dictates the narrative’s progression.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
Cross-references
- Isaiah 9:1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those in distress. In the past He humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future He will honor the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations:
- Matthew 2:23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
- Luke 24:44 Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- Matthew 2:15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
- Matthew 12:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
- Luke 22:37 For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.”
- Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
- Matthew 8:17 This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
- Matthew 26:54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way?”
- Matthew 26:56 But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.