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Matthew 14

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Herod Executes John the Baptist 1–12

1
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, ​
2
And 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. ​
3
For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. ​
4
For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. ​
5
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet. ​
6
But when Herod's birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.
7
Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.
8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. ​
9
And 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. ​
10
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
11
And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.
12
And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus. ​

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand 13–21

13
When 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. ​
14
And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick. ​
15
And 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.
16
But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat. ​
17
And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.
18
He said, Bring them hither to me.
19
And 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. ​
20
And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full. ​
21
And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

Jesus Walks on Water 22–33

22
And 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. ​
23
And 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. ​
24
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.
25
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea. ​
26
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear. ​
27
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.
28
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. ​
29
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.
30
But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. ​
31
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt? ​
32
And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.
33
Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God. ​

Healings in Gennesaret 34–36

34
And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret. ​
35
And 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;
36
And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Matthew 14

Verse 1

Herod the tetrarch — A tetrarch ruled a fourth part of a realm; Luke 3:1 has 'Herod being tetrarch of Galilee'. 'Fame' is akoe, a thing heard, the word rendered 'report' in John 12:38 and Rom 10:16. Luke 9:7 has the same news reaching 'Herod the tetrarch' and leaving him 'perplexed'.

Verse 2

he is risen from the dead — Herod says it to his servants, with John already dead by his order (v.10). 'Mighty works' is dunameis, and 'do shew forth themselves' is energeo, to be at work. Mark 6:14 has the same words. Others named Elias or a prophet (Matt 16:14), though 'John did no miracle' (John 10:41).

Verse 3

for Herodias' sake — Luke 3:19–20 adds that John was 'reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip's wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done', and that Herod 'shut up John in prison'. 'Laid hold' is krateo, to seize, and 'bound' is deo. From that prison John sent his disciples to Jesus (Matt 11:2–3).

Verse 4

It is not lawful for thee — Exesti, the verb of what the law permits. 'Said' is imperfect: John said it again and again. The law is Lev 18:16, 'Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife', and Lev 20:21 calls such a marriage 'an unclean thing'. Mark 6:18 gives the same words.

Verse 5

he feared the multitude — Herod 'would have put him to death' (apokteino) but the people 'counted him as a prophet', as in 21:26, 'all hold John as a prophet'. Christ's own word was 'more than a prophet' (11:9). Mark adds that Herod 'feared John, knowing that he was a just man and an holy' (Mark 6:20).

Verse 8

being before instructed of her mother — Probibazo, to put forward or prompt; elsewhere only in Acts 19:33. 'Charger' is pinax, a platter, the word again in v.11 and in Mark 6:25, 28. 'Here' asks for the head to be given there and then, at the feast.

Verse 9

for the oath's sake — The oath is in v.7, 'he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask'. Matthew calls him 'tetrarch' in v.1 and 'the king' here, as Mark does (Mark 6:14). 'Was sorry' is lupeo; 'them which sat with him at meat' are sunanakeimenoi, those reclining at table with him.

Verse 12

went and told Jesus — John's disciples, two of whom had gone to Jesus from the prison with John's question (11:2–3), now bring him this news. They 'took up the body' and 'buried' it (thapto). The word to Jesus is apaggello, to report, and v.13 begins with his hearing of it.

Verse 13

departed thence by ship into a desert place apart — Anachoreo, to withdraw, is Matthew's verb for Christ's retreats (4:12; 12:15; 15:21), among them 4:12, 'when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison'. The 'desert place' is the one the disciples name in v.15. The crowds 'followed him on foot' (pezei) out of the cities.

Verse 14

moved with compassion — Splagchnizomai, from splagchna, the inward parts. Matthew uses it of Christ at 9:36, where the multitudes were 'scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd', and at 14:14, 15:32 and 20:34. Here the compassion issues in healing, and 'their sick' (arrostos) are those without strength.

Verse 16

give ye them to eat — 'Ye' is expressed in the Greek (humeis), against the disciples' own counsel in v.15, 'send the multitude away'. The nearest earlier scene is Elisha's: 'Give the people, that they may eat… They shall eat, and shall leave thereof' (2 Kgs 4:43), twenty barley loaves set before a hundred men.

Verse 19

looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake — The four acts, took, blessed, brake, gave, are those of the Last Supper (Matt 26:26) and of the meal at Emmaus (Luke 24:30). The people sit on the grass, in John's words 'much grass' (John 6:10), and the loaves are 'barley loaves' (John 6:9). The disciples hand the food on.

Verse 20

twelve baskets full — 'Filled' is chortazo, as in 'they shall be filled' (5:6); 'remained' is perisseuo, to be over and above. These baskets are kophinoi; for the four thousand they are spurides (15:37), and Christ keeps the two apart in 16:9–10. The wilderness precedent is 'ye shall be filled with bread' (Ex 16:12).

Verse 22

constrained his disciples — Anagkazo, to compel; in the Gospels it also occurs only at Mark 6:45 and Luke 14:23. John 6:15 gives what was happening: 'they would come and take him by force, to make him a king'. The disciples go 'before him unto the other side' while he sends the multitudes away.

Verse 23

a mountain apart to pray — 'Apart' (kat' idian) is the 'apart' of v.13: by ship then, up the mountain now. He 'went up' alone, as John 6:15 says, 'himself alone'. Luke 6:12 gives another such night: 'he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer'.

Verse 25

the fourth watch of the night — Mark 13:35 names the four: 'at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning', so this is the last, before morning. 'Walking on the sea' is what Job says of God alone: 'Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea' (Job 9:8); see Ps 77:19.

Verse 26

It is a spirit — Phantasma, an apparition, occurs in the New Testament only here and in Mark 6:49. The disciples were 'troubled' (tarasso) and 'cried out for fear'. They see him 'walking' (peripateo) where only God was said to walk, and they do not yet know him.

Verse 28

bid me come unto thee — 'Bid' is keleuo, to command, the verb of 'commanded' in vv.9 and 19. Peter asks for a command, so that his walking on the water would rest on Christ's word. 'If it be thou' is ei su ei, the question the disciples have not yet answered.

Verse 30

beginning to sink — Katapontizo, to sink in the sea; only here and in 18:6, 'drowned in the depth of the sea'. 'Boisterous' is ischuros, strong. 'Lord, save me' is the psalmist's cry, 'Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul' (Ps 69:1).

Verse 31

O thou of little faith — Oligopistos is used five times in the Gospels (Matt 6:30; 8:26; 14:31; 16:8; Luke 12:28). 'Doubt' is distazo, found only here and in 28:17. The outstretched hand answers Ps 18:16: 'He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.'

Verse 33

came and worshipped him — Proskuneo, to bow in worship, which Christ receives where Peter and the angel refuse it (Acts 10:25–26; Rev 22:8–9). 'Of a truth' (alethos) returns in the centurion's confession, 'Truly this was the Son of God' (27:54). Ps 2:7 is the older word: 'Thou art my Son'.

Verse 34

the land of Gennesaret — Mark 6:53 has the same landing, and Luke 5:1 calls the lake itself 'the lake of Gennesaret'. John 6:17 names the course of the crossing as 'toward Capernaum'. Matthew gives the place they reached, where the people recognise Jesus in v.35.

Verse 36

the hem of his garment — Kraspedon, the border of a garment; it occurs in Matt 9:20–21 of the woman who said, 'If I may but touch his garment, I shall be whole'. 'Only touch' is haptomai, and 'made perfectly whole' is diasozo, to bring safely through, used again in Luke 7:3 and in Acts 27:44.