Matthew 14

About that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports people were spreading about Jesus.

1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,

NoteHerod the tetrarch is Herod Antipas, a son of the Herod who rules in Matthew 2. "Tetrarch" literally means ruler of a fourth; Rome used it for a minor ruler who governed one part of a divided kingdom under Roman oversight. Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea, not Jerusalem.

2He said to his servants, "This is John the Baptist. He has come back from the dead, and that is why these powers are at work in him."

2And 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.

NoteJohn the Baptist is John the baptizer of Matthew 3, the desert preacher who baptized Jesus and was known as a prophet. The King James "mighty works do shew forth themselves in him" means that miraculous powers are at work through him.

3Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison because of Herodias, who was the wife of Herod's brother Philip.

3For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.

NoteHerodias had been married to a half brother of Antipas and left that marriage to marry Antipas. She was herself a granddaughter of Herod the Great, so the family relationships were tangled by blood as well as by marriage. Matthew names her first husband Philip.

4John had kept telling Herod, "It is against the law for you to have her as your wife."

4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

Note"Not lawful" refers to the law of Moses, which forbade a man to take his brother's wife (Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21). John's objection is a legal and religious one, not a matter of Roman law.

5Herod wanted to put John to death, but he was afraid of the crowds, because they considered John a prophet.

5And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

6But when Herod's birthday was celebrated, the daughter of Herodias danced in front of the guests, and Herod was pleased with her.

6But when Herod’s birthday was kept, the daughter of Herodias danced before them, and pleased Herod.

NoteMatthew does not give the girl's name; the first century historian Josephus calls her Salome. Solo dancing before a room of male banquet guests was normally the work of hired entertainers, which is part of why the scene was striking.

7So he made a promise to her, swearing an oath that he would give her anything she asked for.

7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

8Her mother had already told her what to say, so she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist right here on a platter."

8And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.

NoteA "charger" in 1611 English is a large flat serving dish, a platter of the kind food was carried in on at a banquet. The word has nothing to do with horses or with modern chargers.

9The king was sad about it. But because of the oath he had sworn, and because of the guests eating with him, he ordered that she be given what she asked.

9And 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.

NoteRome never granted Antipas the title of king, but ordinary people commonly called him one, and Matthew follows that usage here. "Them which sat with him at meat" means the guests reclining with him at the dinner; "at meat" in the King James simply means at a meal, whatever the food.

10He sent word to the prison, and John was beheaded there.

10And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.

11John's head was carried in on a platter and handed to the girl, and she took it to her mother.

11And his head was brought in a charger, and given to the damsel: and she brought it to her mother.

Note"Damsel" is the King James word for a girl. The Greek is a diminutive form, used of a young girl rather than a grown woman.

12Then John's followers came and took the body away and buried it. After that they went and told Jesus what had happened.

12And his disciples came, and took up the body, and buried it, and went and told Jesus.

Note"His disciples" here are John's followers, not Jesus's. John had his own circle of students, as teachers commonly did.

13When Jesus heard the news, he left that place by boat to be alone in a lonely, empty area. But when the crowds heard about it, they left their towns and followed him on foot.

13When 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.

NoteA "desert place" in the King James is not sand dunes. It means open, unsettled country with no towns in it. The "ship" is a fishing boat on the lake, the sort a few men could row or sail.

14When Jesus came ashore, he saw the huge crowd. He felt deep pity for them, and he healed the ones among them who were sick.

14And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.

15When evening came, his followers came to him and said, "This is an empty place, and it is already late. Send the crowd away so they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves."

15And 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.

Note"Victuals" means food supplies. "The time is now past" means the day is far gone and the hour is late, so the crowd would need to reach a village before dark.

16But Jesus said to them, "They do not need to leave. You give them something to eat."

16But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.

17They said to him, "All we have here is five loaves of bread and two fish."

17And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.

NoteThe loaves are round flat barley cakes about the size of a small plate, closer to pita bread than to a modern loaf. The fish would likely be small ones, salted or dried, eaten as a relish with the bread.

18He said, "Bring them here to me."

18He said, Bring them hither to me.

19He told the crowd to sit down on the grass. Then he took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, and gave thanks to God. He broke the loaves and gave them to his followers, and they gave them to the people.

19And 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.

NoteThe King James "he blessed" can sound as though Jesus blessed the food. The customary Jewish blessing at a meal is spoken to God, thanking him for providing bread, which is why the plain rendering says he gave thanks. The Greek word for sitting down means to recline, the normal posture for eating.

20Everyone ate as much as they wanted. Afterward the followers picked up the leftover pieces, and they filled twelve baskets.

20And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.

NoteThe basket here is a kophinos, a stiff wicker basket a traveler carried his own provisions in. It is a personal size container, not a large hamper.

21The people who ate numbered about five thousand men, not counting the women and children.

21And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

22Right away Jesus insisted that his followers get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side of the lake, while he sent the crowds home.

22And 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.

Note"Straightway" means immediately, and "constrained" in the King James is stronger than persuading: Jesus made them go. "The other side" is the far shore of the Sea of Galilee.

23After he had sent the crowds away, he went up on a mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was still there alone.

23And 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.

24But by now the boat was far out in the middle of the lake, being knocked about by the waves, because the wind was blowing against it.

24But the ship was now in the midst of the sea, tossed with waves: for the wind was contrary.

NoteThe "sea" is the Sea of Galilee, a freshwater lake roughly thirteen miles long and eight wide, ringed by hills that funnel sudden violent squalls down onto the water. Some ancient manuscripts read "many stadia from the land" rather than "in the midst of the sea"; either way the boat is well out from shore.

25In the fourth watch of the night, Jesus came toward them, walking on the water.

25And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.

NoteRomans divided the night, sunset to sunrise, into four watches of about three hours each. The fourth watch runs roughly from three to six in the morning, the last stretch before dawn.

26When his followers saw him walking on the water, they were badly shaken. "It's a ghost!" they said, and they cried out in fear.

26And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.

NoteThe Greek word here is phantasma, an apparition or ghost, not the ordinary word for spirit. Sailors' lore treated such a sighting at sea as an omen of death, which is why the disciples are described as terrified rather than merely puzzled.

27But Jesus spoke to them at once and said, "Take courage. It is I. Do not be afraid."

27But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.

Note"Be of good cheer" in the King James means take courage, not be cheerful. "It is I" translates two Greek words that literally read "I am"; they are the ordinary way to say "it's me" in Greek, and they are also the words the Greek Old Testament puts in God's mouth when he names himself. Both senses sit in the phrase, and the Greek does not decide between them.

28Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is really you, tell me to come to you on the water."

28And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.

29Jesus said, "Come." So Peter climbed down out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.

29And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

30But when he saw how strong the wind was, he became afraid. As he started to sink he shouted, "Lord, save me!"

30But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.

Note"Boisterous" in 1611 English means violent or forceful, describing a strong gale, not a noisy one.

31Right away Jesus reached out his hand and caught hold of him. He said to Peter, "You have so little faith. Why did you doubt?"

31And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?

Note"O thou of little faith" renders a single Greek adjective, roughly "little faith one", used as a mild rebuke rather than a dismissal. "Wherefore" simply means why.

32And when the two of them climbed into the boat, the wind stopped.

32And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased.

33Then the men in the boat came and worshiped him, saying, "You truly are the Son of God."

33Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.

NoteThe Greek verb behind "worshipped" means to bow down or fall prostrate. It was used both for homage paid to a king or superior and for the worship of God, and the gesture itself does not settle which is meant.

34When they had crossed the lake, they came to land in the area of Gennesaret.

34And when they were gone over, they came into the land of Gennesaret.

NoteGennesaret is a small fertile plain on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, near Capernaum, densely farmed and thickly settled, which explains the crowds that gather so quickly.

35The men of that place recognized who Jesus was, so they sent word all through the surrounding countryside, and people brought him everyone who was sick.

35And 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;

36They begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his robe, and everyone who touched it was completely healed.

36And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.

NoteThe "hem" is the tassel on the corner of a Jewish man's outer cloak, worn in obedience to Numbers 15:38 to 39 as a reminder of God's commands. Touching it meant reaching for the edge of his clothing, not a decorative border. "Made perfectly whole" translates a verb that means both healed and rescued, carrying the sense of being brought completely through the illness.