Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 4].
was in a large town, one of the centres of Galilean political and
commercial life, a fishing mart, where many Gentiles came. Here
the message of the kingdom would have a better chance than in
Jerusalem with its ecclesiastical prejudices or in Nazareth with
its local jealousies. So Jesus "made his home" (\kat•ik•sen\)
here.
4:16 {Saw a great light} (\ph•s eiden mega\). Matthew quotes Isa
9:1f., and applies the words about the deliverer from Assyria to
the Messiah. "The same district lay in spiritual darkness and
death and the new era dawned when Christ went thither" (McNeile).
Light sprang up from those who were sitting in the region and
shadow of death (\en chor•i kai ski•i thanatou\). Death is
personified.
4:17 {Began Jesus to preach} (\•rxato ho I•sous k•russein\). In
Galilee. He had been preaching for over a year already elsewhere.
His message carries on the words of the Baptist about
"repentance" and the "kingdom of heaven" (Mt 3:2) being at
hand. The same word for "preaching" (\k•russein\) from \k•rux\,
herald, is used of Jesus as of John. Both proclaimed the good
news of the kingdom. Jesus is more usually described as the
Teacher, (\ho didaskalos\) who taught (\edidasken\) the people.
He was both herald and teacher as every preacher should be.
4:18 {Casting a net into the sea} (\ballantas amphibl•stron eis
t•n thalassan\). The word here for net is a casting-net (compare
\amphiball•\ in Mr 1:16, casting on both sides). The net was
thrown over the shoulder and spread into a circle (\amphi\). In
4:20 and 4:21 another word occurs for nets (\diktua\), a word
used for nets of any kind. The large drag-net (\sag•n•\) appears
in Mt 13:47.
4:19 {Fishers of men} (\haleeis anthr•p•n\). Andrew and Simon
were fishers by trade. They had already become disciples of Jesus
(Joh 1:35-42), but now they are called upon to leave their
business and to follow Jesus in his travels and work. These two
brothers promptly (\euthe•s\) accepted the call and challenge of
Jesus.
4:21 {Mending their nets} (\katartizontas ta diktua aut•n\).
These two brothers, James and John, were getting their nets ready
for use. The verb (\katartiz•\) means to adjust, to articulate,
to mend if needed (Lu 6:40; Ro 9:22; Ga 6:1). So they promptly
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