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Mat 4:15-16. Γῆ Ζαβουλὼν καὶ γῆ Νεφθαλεὶμ, ὁδὸν θαλάσσης πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὁ λαὸς ὁ πορευόμενος[148] ἘΝ ΣΚΌΤΕΙ ΕἾΔΕ Φῶς ΜΈΓΑ, ΚΑῚ ΤΟῖς ΚΑΘΗΜΈΝΟΙς ἘΝ ΧΏΡᾼ ΚΑῚ ΣΚΙᾷ ΘΑΝΆΤΟΥ, Φῶς ἈΝΈΤΕΙΛΕΝ ΑὐΤΟῖς, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people which walketh in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up) The LXX. thus render the passage in Isa. 8:23 and Isa 9:1 :[149] ΧΏΡΑ ΖΑΒΟΥΛῺΝ, Ἡ Γῆ ΝΕΦΘΑΛΕῚΜ, ΚΑῚ ΟἹ ΛΟΙΠΟῚ ΟἹ ΤῊΝ ΠΑΡΑΛΊΑΝ, ΚΑῚ ΠΈΡΑΝ ΤΟῦ ἸΟΡΔΆΝΟΥ ΓΑΛΙΛΑΊΑ ΤῶΝ ἘΘΝῶΝ. Ὁ ΛΑῸς Ὁ ΠΟΡΕΥΌΜΕΝΟς ἘΝ ΣΚΌΤΕΙ, ἼΔΕΤΕ Φῶς ΜΈΓΑ· ΟἹ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΟῦΝΤΕς ἘΝ ΧΏΡᾼ ΚΑῚ ΣΚΙᾷ ΘΑΝΆΤΟΥ Φῶς ΛΆΜΨΕΙ ἘΦʼ ὙΜᾶς,-Country of Zabulon, the land of Nephthalim, and ye the rest who inhabit the region situated by the sea, and bounded by[150] the Jordan, thou Galilee of the Gentiles! Thou people which walketh in darkness, behold ye a great light: ye who dwell in the country and shadow of death, a light shall shine upon you. The two verses are in Isaiah most closely connected together, on which ground the Evangelist takes part of the topography from the former [to explain the application of the latter]. Many of the apostles were from this region. See Psa 68:28; Act 1:11; Act 2:7.-Γῆ, land, and λαὸς, people, are placed in opposition.-ὉΔῸΝ, the way) The LXX. render דרך (way) by ὉΔῸΝ (way). We must here understand κατά, by. The exactness of the prophetical topography is marvellous, minutely accurate both in latitude and longitude.-ΘΑΛΆΣΣΗς, of the sea[151]) See Mat 4:18.-πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, beyond the Jordan) The Hebrew עבר,[152] rendered in the present passage by the Greek πέραν (beyond), is used with reference to a boundary considered in reference to, not only the farther side, but the hither side also.-Γαλιλαία τῶν ἐθνῶν, Galilee of the Gentiles) Galilee, though inhabited by Israelites, was conterminous to the Gentiles, especially as far as the tribes of Zabulon and Naphthali were concerned.-See Hiller’s Onomata Sacra, p. 816. Galilee, previously to the time under consideration, was behind Judaea in the cultivation of sacred learning: the citadel of the Levitical worship was at Jerusalem: the Jews therefore ought to have acknowledged our Lord more readily than the Galilaeans, to whom a compensation is now made for their previous disadvantages.
[148] E. M. καθήμενος.-(I. B.)
[149] This is the Hebrew notation. In the LXX., the Vulgate, and the English Version, the extract is contained in Isa 9:1-2.-(I. B.)
[150] I have rendered πέραν bounded by, instead of beyond, in accordance with the remarks which immediately follow on the עבר of the original Hebrew. I may add in illustration, that Liddell and Scott say of πέρα and πέραν, “They are, no doubt, the dative and accusative of an old substantive-ἡ κἐρα = πεῖραρ, πεῖρας, πέρας, end, boundary.”-(I. B.)
[151] Sc. of Galilee.-(I. B)
[152] Commonly, The region beyond.-(I. B)