Galilee was bounded by mount Lebanon on the north, by the river Jordan and the sea of Galilee on the east, by Chison on the south, and by the Mediterranean on the west.

Nazareth, a little city in the tribe of Zebulon, in lower Galilee, with Tabor on the east, and Ptolemais on the west. It is supposed that this city was the usual residence of our Lord for the first thirty years of his life. It was here he became incarnate, lived in subjection to Joseph and Mary, and from which he took the name of a Nazorean.

Capernaum, a city famous in the New Testament, but never mentioned in the Old. Probably it was one of those cities which the Jews built after their return from Babylon. It stood on the sea-coast of Galilee, on the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim, as mentioned in the text. This was called his own city, chap. ix. 1, &c., and here, as a citizen, he paid the half shekel, chap. xvii. 24. Among the Jews, if a man became a resident in any city for twelve months, he thereby became a citizen, and paid his proportion of dues and taxes. See Lightfoot. Capernaum is well known to have been the principal scene of our Lord's miracles during the three years of his public ministry.

Zabulon, the country of this tribe, in which Nazareth and Capernaum were situated, bordered on the lake of Gennesareth, stretching to the frontiers of Sidon, Gen. xlix. 13. Nephthalim was contiguous to it, and both were on the east side of Jordan, Josh. xix. 34.

John Gill's Bible Commentary

Ver. 14, 15. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken , etc.] Christ�s dwelling in Capernaum accomplished a prophecy of the prophet ( Isaiah 9:1,2) and he went and dwelt there, that it might be fulfilled which he had spoken: the meaning of which prophecy is f215 , that as those parts of the land of Israel, there mentioned, had suffered much by Tiglathpileser, who had carried them captive, ( 2 Kings 15:29) and is �the vexation� referred to; so they should be honoured, and made very glorious, by the presence and conversation of the Messiah among them, and which now had its literal fulfilment: for Christ now came and dwelt in Capernaum, which lay between the lands and upon the borders both of Zabulon and Nephthalim; was situated by the sea of Tiberias, beyond Jordan, and in, �Galilee of the nations�; the upper Galilee, which had in it people of other nations besides Jews. The ancient Jews expected the Messiah to make his first appearance in Galilee; which expectation must be grounded on this prophecy; for so they say expressly, �the king Messiah shall be revealed lylgd a[rab , �in the land of Galilee.�� And in another place explaining ( Isaiah 2:19) they paraphrase it thus, ��for fear of the Lord�; this is the indignation of the whole world: and for the �glory of his majesty�; this is the Messiah; when he ariseth to shake terribly the earth, when he shall arise and be revealed lylgd a[rab , �in the land of Galilee�: because that this is the first place to be destroyed in the holy land; therefore he shall be revealed there the first of all places.�

Here Jesus, the true Messiah, made his first appearance publicly; here he called his disciples, and began his ministry. (See Gill on � Matthew 4:14�) Ver. 16. The people which sat in darkness , etc.] The inhabitants of Galilee, who sat or �walked�, as in Isaiah; that is, continued in spiritual darkness, in ignorance, blindness, error, and infidelity, �saw great light�; Christ himself, who came a light into the world; he conversed with them, preached unto them, and opened the eyes of their understandings to behold his glory, and to know him, and salvation by him. And to them which sat in the region and shadow of death : the same persons who sit in darkness, sit also in the region of death; for such are dead in trespasses and sins: where there is no spiritual light, there is no spiritual life, and such are in danger of the second death; but the happiness of these people was, that to them �light is sprung up�, like the rising sun, and this without their asking or seeking for: Christ, the sun of righteousness, arose upon them, without any desert, desire, or expectation of theirs, with healing in his wings; and cured them of their darkness and deadness, turned them from darkness to light, and caused them to pass from death to life. �Light� is not only a character under which Christ frequently goes in the New Testament, (see John 1:4-8,9 John 3:19 John 8:12 John 12:46) but is one of the names by which the Messiah was known under the Old Testament; (see Daniel 2:22 Psalm 43:3) and which the Jews give unto him: says R, Aba Serungia, �and the light dwelleth with him�; this is the king Messiah. The note of R. Sol. Jarchi on these words, �send forth thy light�, is, the king Messiah; who is compared to light, according to ( <19D217> Psalm 132:17) the days of the Messiah are by them said to be hrwa ymy �days of light�; and so these Galilaeans found them to be; as all do, to whom the Gospel of Christ comes with power and demonstration of the Spirit. And these days of light first begun in the land of Zabulon which, according to Philo the Jew f220 , was �sumbolon fwtov , �a symbol of light�; since (adds he) its name signifies the nature of night; but, the night removing, and departing, light necessarily arises.�

As did, in a spiritual sense, here, when Christ the light arose.

Matthew Henry Commentary

Greek Textus Receptus