Twice near the opening of the Galilean ministry, some witnesses omit the name Jesus. Verse 12 becomes “when he heard,” and verse 23 becomes “he went about in all Galilee.” The Textus Receptus names Jesus in both places and, at verse 23, says he went about all Galilee.
“Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee.” — Matthew 4:12
In continuous Greek the name stands between words that begin with the same round letter. At verse 12, ὁ Ἰησοῦς lies near ὅτι; at verse 23 it lies near ὅλην. An eye moving through repeated shapes can pass over the name. That is a plausible mechanism, not a record of what a known scribe did.
The shorter forms also read easily because Jesus is already the subject. Critics can therefore reverse the explanation and call the names clarifying additions. At verse 23 they may also see influence from Matthew 9:35, which repeats Jesus’ circuit through cities and villages.
Matthew’s repetition is meaningful. Verse 12 begins the ministry after John’s imprisonment. Verse 23 summarizes its reach before the crowds gather. Naming Jesus at both points frames the section: Jesus hears, Jesus withdraws, Jesus goes about, Jesus teaches and heals.
The received construction takes all Galilee as the field Jesus traverses. The critical form uses a preposition, “in all Galilee.” Both describe wide travel. The direct received phrase is more vigorous: he went about the whole region.
The small grammatical difference does not decide whether every village received a visit. Biblical “all” can name the region in its breadth without turning the verse into a travel ledger.
The explicit subjects and the direct object have wide transmission and a repeated omission route. They also give Matthew’s opening its firm actor. John is imprisoned; darkness lies over the land; Jesus enters Galilee, calls disciples, teaches, preaches, and heals. The names are not padding. They keep the light fixed on the one who came.
The two locations also stand at different narrative levels. Verse 12 tells one decision: Jesus hears and withdraws. Verse 23 surveys an extended ministry: Jesus traverses Galilee, teaches in synagogues, preaches the kingdom, and heals disease. Repeating his name helps the reader move from episode to summary.
Matthew 9:35 later repeats much of the summary after the calling and early miracles. That later frame can be a source of scribal assimilation, but it can also show Matthew’s own plan. The matching summaries enclose a major section of teaching and works. An editor should not remove a frame simply because an author uses it twice.
The phrase “all Galilee” is likewise rhetorical geography. It tells the reach and public character of the ministry. The Gospel will name particular towns, yet no town-by-town list could equal the simple picture of Jesus moving through the region under the light Isaiah promised.
Further reading
- Isaiah 9:1–2; Matthew 4:12–25; 9:35.
- Frederick H. A. Scrivener, The New Testament in the Original Greek according to the Text Followed in the Authorised Version.
- John William Burgon, The Causes of the Corruption of the Traditional Text of the Holy Gospels.