When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
Parallel translations
- WEB Now when Jesus heard that John was delivered up, he withdrew into Galilee.
- KJV Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee;
- NKJV Now when Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, He departed to Galilee.
- NASB Now when Jesus heard that John had been taken into custody, He withdrew into Galilee;
- NLT When Jesus heard that John had been arrested, he left Judea and returned to Galilee.
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
Hearing of John's arrest, Jesus withdraws into Galilee. It marks the transition from John's ministry to the launch of Jesus' public work.
Overview
John the Baptist's imprisonment signals that his preparatory role is ending, and Jesus moves into Galilee to begin His own public ministry. The withdrawal is not fear but providential timing, fulfilling God's plan for where and when the light would shine. The forerunner decreases as the One he announced increases.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mark 1:14After the arrest of John, Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel of God.
- Luke 3:20Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.
- Matt 14:3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
- Luke 4:14Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news about Him spread throughout the surrounding region.
- Mark 6:17For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.
- John 3:24(For John had not yet been thrown into prison.)
- John 4:54This was now the second sign that Jesus performed after coming from Judea into Galilee.
- Luke 4:31Then He went down to Capernaum, a town in Galilee, and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people.
- John 4:43After two days, Jesus left for Galilee.
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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 4:12 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
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