Matthew 3:5

Matthew 3:5 is the fifth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist with this verse describing his popularity in the region.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Then went out to him Jerusalem, and

all Judaea, and all the region

round about Jordan.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Then people from Jerusalem,

all of Judea, and all the region

around the Jordan went out to him.

For a collection of other versions see here: Matthew 3:5

This verse describes Jews coming from Jerusalem all of Judea and the areas around the Jordan River to hear John the Baptist preach. It is a slight rewording of Mark 1:5. While Matthew 3:1 placed John in the wilderness, he was only about 20 miles from Jerusalem and it would have been very possible for pilgrims to make the journey.^[1] This description is considered historically credible as it is backed up by Josephus. In his Antiquities of the Jews he says of John the Baptist that the "others came in crowds about him, for they were very greatly moved by hearing his words" . In fact at the time Josephus was writing, around 97 AD, John the Baptist seems to still be a far better known figure than Jesus, to whom Josephus only makes two much disputed references.

References

1. France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. pg. 107

• Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.