Matthew 11:7

11:7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness ¹  to see? A reed shaken by the wind? ² 

Matthew 14:13

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

14:13 Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about it, ³  they followed him on foot from the towns. ⁴ 

Matthew 24:26

24:26 So then, if someone ⁵  says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ ⁶  do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him.

¹ tn Or “desert.”

² tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?… No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.

³ tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

⁴ tn Or “cities.”

⁵ tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).

⁶ tn Or “in the desert.”