What Does Matthew 12:15 Mean?
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew from there, and great crowds followed him, and he healed them all.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;THE KEY
Healing here is care that tends each person, even while Jesus steps away from the threat.
THE MEANING
You can step away from what closes in and remain open to the people who reach you. The care in this verse reaches every person in the crowd. Withdrawal and healing appear together: making space does not end compassion.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that taking space means abandoning those who need care.
THE ROOT
ἐθεράπευσεν
etherapeusen
GROWS FROM
θεραπευ
therapeu-: to tend, attend to, or serve; by extension, to cure.
“healed” in this verse is etherapeusen. The verb θεραπεύω (therapeuō, to tend or cure) holds attentive care and healing together. The verse says that care reaches them all; healing is not detached from the person being tended.
ALSO GROWS
therapeía: Attendance, care, treatment, or healing.
θεραπεία
This noun shares the θεραπευ- family and shows that healing belongs to a wider language of care.
therapeutḗs: Attendant or healer.
θεραπευτής
This related word names the one who tends, making the caring action within “healed” visible.
ἀνεχώρησεν
anechōrēsen
GROWS FROM
χωρ
chōr-: to go, move, yield, or make way.
“withdrew” in this verse is anechōrēsen. The verb ἀναχωρέω (anachōreō, to withdraw or depart) is formed with ἀνά and χωρέω (chōreō, to go or make way). The same stem appears in ἀναχώρησις (anachōrēsis, withdrawal); here, stepping back and caring for the crowd occupy the same moment.
ALSO GROWS
chōreō: To go, advance, yield, or make way.
χωρέω
This verb is the stem within ἀναχωρέω, revealing movement beneath the English “withdrew.”
anachōrēsis: Withdrawal or retreat.
ἀναχώρησις
This related noun uses the same χωρ- stem and names the movement expressed in the verse.
γνούς
gnous
GROWS FROM
γν
gn- (gn-): to know or perceive.
“knew” in this verse is gnous. The participle γνούς (gnous, having perceived or recognized) places awareness before the withdrawal. The γν- family includes γνώσις (gnōsis, knowing) and γνωστός (gnōstos, known); perception here is something that informs the next movement.
ALSO GROWS
gnōsis: Knowing or knowledge.
γνώσις
It shares the γν- consonants and makes the knowing in the verse part of a broader family of perception.
gnōstos: Known or familiar.
γνωστός
It shares the γν- consonants and connects knowing with what has become recognized.
THE PATTERN
Rest and withdrawal can coexist with care that still reaches people in need.
He lays me down in green pastures; he leads me beside resting waters.And he said to them, Come away by yourselves into an empty place, and rest a while, for many were coming and going, and they did not have a well-timed moment even to eat.And Jesus came out, perceived a great crowd, was stirred in his inner parts toward them, and healed their sick.THE THREAD
And Jesus went around all the cities and villages, teaching in their gatherings, heralding the good news of the governance, and healing every sickness and every weakness among the people.Matthew uses θεραπεύω (therapeuō, to tend or cure) again for healing. “Every sickness and every disease” echoes the reach of “them all,” showing the same care extending across people and places.
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