Matthew:4:23-25

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rwp @Matthew:4:23 @{Went about in all Galilee } (\peri ˆgen en hol ˆi t ˆi Galilaiai \). Literally Jesus "was going around (imperfect ) in all Galilee ." This is the first of the three tours of Galilee made by Jesus . This time he took the four fishermen whom he had just called to personal service . The second time he took the twelve . On the third he sent the twelve on ahead by twos and followed after them . He was teaching and preaching the gospel of the kingdom in the synagogues chiefly and on the roads and in the streets where Gentiles could hear . {Healing all manner of diseases and all manner of sickness } (\therapeu “n p ƒsan noson kai p ƒsan malakian \). The occasional sickness is called \malakian \, the chronic or serious disease \noson \. rwp @Matthew:4:24 @{The report of him went forth into all Syria } (\ap ˆlthen h ˆ ako ˆ autou eis hol ˆn t ˆn Syrian \). Rumour (\ako ˆ\) carries things almost like the wireless or radio . The Gentiles all over Syria to the north heard of what was going on in Galilee . The result was inevitable . Jesus had a moving hospital of patients from all over Galilee and Syria . "{Those that were sick }" (\tous kak “s echontas \), literally "those who had it bad ," cases that the doctors could not cure . "{Holden with divers diseases and torments }" (\poikilais nosois kai basanois sunechomenous \). "Held together " or "compressed " is the idea of the participle . The same word is used by Jesus in strkjv @Luke:12:50 | and by Paul in strkjv @Phillipians:1:23 | and of the crowd pressing on Jesus (Luke:8:45 |). They brought these difficult and chronic cases (present tense of the participle here ) to Jesus . Instead of "divers " say "various " (\poikilais \) like fever , leprosy , blindness . The adjective means literally many colored or variegated like flowers , paintings , jaundice , etc . Some had "torments " (\basanois \). The word originally (oriental origin ) meant a touchstone , "Lydian stone " used for testing gold because pure gold rubbed on it left a peculiar mark . Then it was used for examination by torture . Sickness was often regarded as "torture ." These diseases are further described "in a descending scale of violence " (McNeile ) as "demoniacs , lunatics , and paralytics " as Moffatt puts it , "demoniacs , epileptics , paralytics " as Weymouth has it , (\daimonizomenous kai sel ˆniazomenous kai paralutikous \), people possessed by demons , lunatics or "moon-struck " because the epileptic seizures supposedly followed the phases of the moon (Bruce ) as shown also in strkjv @Matthew:17:15 |, paralytics (our very word ). Our word "lunatic " is from the Latin _luna_ (moon ) and carries the same picture as the Greek \sel ˆniazomai \ from \sel ˆn ˆ\ (moon ). These diseases are called "torments ." rwp @Matthew:4:25 @{Great multitudes } (\ochloi polloi \). Note the plural , not just one crowd , but crowds and crowds . And from all parts of Palestine including Decapolis , the region of the Ten Greek Cities east of the Jordan . No political campaign was equal to this outpouring of the people to hear Jesus and to be healed by Jesus .

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