What Does Matthew 13:54 Mean in the King James?
And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Greek word for “country” carries the sense of a fatherland, yet familiarity with Jesus’ home cannot explain the wisdom and powers the people see in him.
THE MEANING
Even where someone feels familiar, what they carry can exceed your explanation of where they come from. You can recognize wisdom and mighty works and still be left asking about their source.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
A familiar origin tells me all I need to know about someone.
THE ROOT
πατρίδι
patridi
GROWS FROM
πατήρ
patēr
Father; πατρίς (patris) means “native land,” a place named through paternal or ancestral belonging.
“own country” in this verse is patridi. The form πατρίδι (patridi, “in his native land”) comes from πατρίς (patris, “native land”), a word formed from πατήρ (patēr, “father”). The word family links place with belonging: the people know where Jesus is from, yet that familiarity does not account for the wisdom and powers before them.
ALSO GROWS
patris: Native land, homeland
πατρίς
It frames “his own country” as a place of belonging, not merely a location.
patria: Family line, clan
πατριά
This related word shows how the idea of homeland can carry family identity, sharpening the contrast between familiar origins and surprising wisdom.
δυνάμεις
dynameis
GROWS FROM
δυναμ-
dynam-
Ability, capacity, power.
“mighty works” in this verse is dynameis. The Greek calls these acts “powers,” linking what the people see to an underlying capacity. Their question is not whether the works are present, but where this power comes from.
ALSO GROWS
dynamai: To be able, to have power
δύναμαι
It connects the visible works with the capacity that makes them possible.
dynatos: Able, powerful
δυνατός
This related form keeps ability and power close to the “mighty” quality the people witness.
σοφία
sophia
GROWS FROM
σοφ-
soph-
Wisdom, discernment, skill in understanding.
The crowd names wisdom and powers together: understanding is heard alongside actions that display power. The source of both remains their question.
ALSO GROWS
sophos: Wise, skilled in understanding
σοφός
It describes the quality the people hear in Jesus’ teaching.
sophizō: To make wise; to teach wisdom
σοφίζω
It shows the same word family at work as wisdom is imparted or formed.
THE PATTERN
A person’s appearance and familiar origins do not measure the wisdom or power present through them.
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?And the Jews marvelled, saying, How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?THE THREAD
And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.Matthew uses πατρίδι (patridi, “in his native land”) again, naming the familiar place as the setting where honor is withheld. The repeated word sharpens the question in 13:54: knowing where someone belongs does not explain the wisdom and powers present in them.
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