Matthew 4:12

Preaching in Galilee

4:12 Now when Jesus ¹  heard that John had been imprisoned, ²  he went into Galilee.

Matthew 11:18

11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ ³ 

Matthew 14:4

14:4 because John had repeatedly told ⁴  him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁵ 

Matthew 3:1

The Ministry of John the Baptist

3:1 In those days John the Baptist came into the wilderness ⁶  of Judea proclaiming,

Matthew 11:2

Jesus and John the Baptist

11:2 Now when John ⁷  heard in prison about the deeds Christ ⁸  had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question: ⁹ 

Matthew 3:4

3:4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. ¹⁰ 

Matthew 10:2

10:2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: ¹¹  first, Simon ¹²  (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother;

Matthew 14:2

14:2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Matthew 21:32

21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although ¹³  you saw this, you did not later change your minds ¹⁴  and believe him.

[4:12]  ¹ tn Grk “he.”

[4:12]  ² tn Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).

[11:18]  ³ sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.

[14:4]  ⁵ tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.

[14:4]  ⁶ sn This marriage of Herod to his brother Philip’s wife was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Or “desert.”

[11:2]  ⁹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[11:2]  ¹⁰ tc The Western codex D and a few other mss (0233 1424 al) read “Jesus” here instead of “Christ.” This is not likely to be original because it is not found in the earliest and most important mss, nor in the rest of the ms tradition.

[11:2]  ¹¹ tc Instead of “by his disciples” (see the tn below for the reading of the Greek), the majority of later mss (C³ L ˹ Ï lat bo) have “two of his disciples.” The difference in Greek, however, is only two letters: διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ vs. δύο τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ (dia twn maqhtwn autou vs. duo twn maqhtwn autou). Although an accidental alteration could account for either of these readings, it is more likely that δύο is an assimilation to the parallel in Luke 7:18. Further, διά is read by a good number of early and excellent witnesses (א B C* D P W Z Δ Θ 0233 ˹³ 33 sa), and thus should be considered original.

[3:4]  ¹¹ sn John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions, and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.

[10:2]  ¹³ sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here, Mark 3:14, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).

[10:2]  ¹⁴ sn In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (see also Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:13) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.

[21:32]  ¹⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[21:32]  ¹⁶ sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.