Matthew 4:23
If someone asks the difference between disease and weakness, we answer: weakness is the body’s temporary irregularity; disease is disproportion among the elements in the body.
Note also that the inheritance of the tribe of Zebulun and Naphtali stretched as far as the gentile city Sidon, and that Jews were already living mixed with the nations. Zebulun is interpreted “good journey” (Matthew 4:23) and “blessing”; Naphtali, “a loosened stem,” that is, a plant stretched out.
Those who believed in Christ became these things. Journeying well, they were counted worthy of the divine blessing and were broadened in every good — those who were formerly in Galilee, which is interpreted “rolling down,” that is, those rolling down into the pits of destruction.
Greek
Εἰ δέ τις ἐρωτᾷ, τίς ἡ διαφορὰ νόσου καὶ μαλακίας, ἀποκρινού μεθα, ὅτι μαλακία μέν ἐστιν ἡ πρόσκαιρος ἀνωμαλία τοῦ σώματος, νόσος δὲ ἀσυμμετρία τῶν ἐν τῷ σώματι στοιχείων. χρὴ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἐπισημήνασθαι, ὅτι ἡ κληρουχία τῆς φυλῆς τοῦ "Ζαβουλὼν καὶ Νεφθα λεὶμ" ἄχρι Σιδῶνος ἐθνικῆς πόλεως παρετέτατο καὶ ὅτι ἀναμὶξ τοῖς ἔθνεσιν Ἰουδαῖοι κατῴκουν λοιπόν. ἑρμηνεύεται δὲ "Ζαβουλὼν" μὲν εὐοδία καὶ εὐλογία, "Νεφθαλεὶμ" δὲ στέλεχος ἀνειμένον ἤγουν φυτὸν παρατεινόμενον. γεγόνασιν δὲ ταῦτα οἱ εἰς Χριστὸν πιστεύσαντες· εὐόδως γὰρ πορευόμενοι τῆς θείας εὐλογίας ἠξιώθησαν καὶ τοῖς καλοῖς ἅπασιν ἐνεπλαντύνθησαν οἱ πρὶν ἐν Γαλιλαίᾳ ὄντες, ἥτις κατακυλιστὴ ἑρμη νεύεται, τοῦτ' ἔστιν οἱ κατακυλιόμενοι κατὰ τῶν βαράθρων τῆς ἀπω λείας.
About this text
Catena fragments on Matthew (CPG 5206). Contents follow Matthew chapter and verse. Edition fragment numbers stay in About this text and under each passage.
English follows the named copy-text (Aegean/khazarzar Migne PG 72 extract). Other prints were checked as noted; no silent merge of recensions.
Witnesses
- Copy-text Migne PG 72 Commentarii in Matthaeum (Aegean Digital Patrologia / khazarzar) (Greek · CPG 5206 catena fragments (290 parsed heads))
- Checked print matia.gr mirror of same Aegean extract (Greek · Byte-identical PDF; integrity check only)
- Checked print Internet Archive PG 72 volume OCR (bim … 1859_72) (Greek (OCR damaged) · Locus confirmation only; not used as reading text)
This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.