Bible Strands
Matthew 5:1
When Jesus saw the crowds, He went up on the mountain and sat down. His disciples came to Him,
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus observes a gathered crowd and ascends a mountain to sit, prompting His disciples to approach Him. This spatial shift establishes the immediate context before His formal instruction begins.
The words — Ἰδὼν (Idōn) functions as a aorist active participle meaning "having seen," and ἀνέβη (anebē) is an aorist active verb meaning "He went up." These terms mark the deliberate sequence of Jesus perceiving the crowd and physically moving to an elevated location.
The thread — Similar mountain ascents appear in Mark 3:13, Matthew 15:29, and John 6:2. These passages consistently pair Jesus withdrawing to high ground with the subsequent gathering of followers or the performance of teaching and signs.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note the physical separation Jesus creates between Himself and the general crowd. It establishes that instruction follows a deliberate withdrawal, framing the subsequent teaching as directed specifically to those who choose to approach.
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
And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him:
Cross-references
- Mark 3:13 Then Jesus went up on the mountain and called for those He wanted, and they came to Him.
- Matthew 15:29 Moving on from there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountain and sat down.
- John 6:2 A large crowd followed Him because they saw the signs He was performing on the sick.
- Mark 4:1 Once again Jesus began to teach beside the sea, and such a large crowd gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people crowded along the shore.
- Mark 3:20 Then Jesus went home, and once again a crowd gathered, so that He and His disciples could not even eat.
- Matthew 4:25 Large crowds followed Him, having come from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and beyond the Jordan.
- Matthew 10:2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first Simon, called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John;
- Luke 6:13 When daylight came, He called His disciples to Him and chose twelve of them, whom He also designated as apostles:
- Matthew 4:18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen.
- Matthew 13:2 Such large crowds gathered around Him that He got into a boat and sat down, while all the people stood on the shore.