What Does Matthew 4:25 Mean in the King James?
And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.
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 map widens around Jesus: people follow from every named region, while the verse leaves what they understand or seek unstated.
THE MEANING
You see a movement around Jesus that reaches beyond one region: people come from Galilee, Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judaea, and across the Jordan. Their following is visible, but the verse does not tell you what each person understands or wants.
THE ROOT
ἠκολούθησαν
ēkolouthēsan
GROWS FROM
ἀκολουθ- (akolouth-), traditionally connected with κέλευθος (keleuthos)
Follow, accompany; the word family is associated with a companion moving along a path.
The Greek verb ἠκολούθησαν (ēkolouthēsan, “followed”) belongs to a word family commonly connected with κέλευθος (keleuthos, “path”). It gives the crowd’s movement the sense of going along after someone, while leaving each person’s motive open.
ALSO GROWS
akolouthos: follower, companion
ἀκόλουθος
This related word names someone by their relation to the one they accompany, adding a personal dimension to the crowd’s movement.
akoloutheō: to follow, accompany
ἀκολουθέω
This is the verb’s dictionary form; here its past-tense form describes many people moving after Jesus.
keleuthos: path, road
κέλευθος
The traditional link to “path” gives following the image of accompanying someone along a way, not merely watching from a distance.
THE PATTERN
The presence of the LORD and Jesus draws people from beyond one region into shared nearness.
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name.When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him.And a great multitude followed him, because they saw his miracles which he did on them that were diseased.THE THREAD
And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.The Greek verb ἀκολουθέω (akoloutheō, “follow, accompany”) stands behind “followed” here and “follow” in the scribe’s pledge there. Matthew 4:25 shows this movement at crowd scale; Matthew 8:19 gives it one voice, without yet telling you where the road leads.
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