And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

MATTHEW 4:23KJV
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Matthew 4:23 (KJV)

What does Matthew 4:23 mean?

Matthew 4:23 describes Jesus traveling throughout the region of Galilee, where he taught in Jewish synagogues, announced the good news about God’s kingdom, and healed every kind of sickness and disease among the people. This verse shows Jesus actively reaching out to people both through his words and his actions.

In this scene, Matthew is narrating what Jesus did at the start of his public ministry. Jesus is shown teaching in places of worship, sharing a message called “the gospel of the kingdom,” and performing acts of healing that drew attention to his compassion and authority. This summary sets the stage for the stories that follow, highlighting the main activities that defined Jesus’s work.

The Greek behind Matthew 4:23

  • The word for “preaching” is κηρύσσων (kērýssōn), which means to proclaim or announce publicly. This suggests Jesus was not just teaching quietly but making a bold, open declaration about God’s kingdom.
  • The phrase “gospel of the kingdom” uses εὐαγγέλιον (euangélion) for “gospel,” meaning “good news,” and βασιλεία (basileía) for “kingdom,” referring to God’s reign. Together, this points to Jesus sharing a hopeful message about God’s active rule coming near.
  • The word for “healing” is θεραπεύων (therapeúōn), which means to care for or restore health. This word often carries the sense of attentive, compassionate action, not just a miraculous cure.

Why Matthew 4:23 matters

  • Matthew 4:23 clarifies that Jesus’s ministry was not limited to teaching or miracles alone; it was a blend of proclaiming God’s message and showing practical care for people’s needs.
  • This verse helps explain why crowds began to follow Jesus—his actions matched his words, and he addressed both spiritual and physical suffering.
  • By summarizing Jesus’s main activities, Matthew 4:23 prepares the reader for the detailed stories of teaching and healing that follow in the next chapters.

Where else these words appear

“disease” Greek G3119 · used in 3 verses

  • Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
  • Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

“about” Greek G4013 · used in 6 verses

  • Matthew 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
  • Matthew 23:15 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.
  • Acts 13:11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.

“sickness” Greek G3554 · used in 12 verses

  • Matthew 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
  • Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
  • Luke 6:17 And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases;

“healing” Greek G2323 · used in 43 verses

  • Matthew 4:24 And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.
  • Matthew 21:14 And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
  • Luke 8:43 And a woman having an issue of blood twelve years, which had spent all her living upon physicians, neither could be healed of any,