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Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,
Matthew 3:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then people from Jerusalem, all of Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him.
  • BSB People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan.
  • NKJV Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him
  • NASB At that time Jerusalem was going out to him, and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan;
  • NLT People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Crowds from Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordan region stream out to John. His preaching stirs a widespread response.

Overview

The great numbers coming to John show a genuine spiritual hunger and expectation among the people. His ministry awakens a national movement of repentance in anticipation of the Messiah. Yet, as the following verses show, sincerity of heart still had to be tested.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 7

  • Mark 1:5And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
  • John 5:35He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
  • Luke 3:7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
  • Luke 16:16The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
  • Matt 11:7–12And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
  • John 3:23And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized.
  • Matt 4:25And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 3:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 3:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.