4:15–16

Matthew 4:15–16 is a quotation from Isaiah 9:1–2. Much of the quote is poetry, so you should translate it as poetry.

4:15a

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible has literally translated as Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali is a figure of speech called apostrophe. God (through Isaiah) spoke directly to these two lands as if he were speaking to two people. The implied information is that God had a message for those who lived in those areas. So they needed to listen carefully to it. For example:

Listen, lands of Zebulun and Naphtali (Contemporary English Version)

If it is not natural to use apostrophe here, you may want to translate these phrases something like the following:

⌊You people who live in the⌋ land of Zebulun and ⌊you who live in the⌋ land of Naphtali
-or-
In the land of Zebulun and of Naphtali (New Living Translation (2004))

Or you may want to speak indirectly about the land. For example:

⌊Regarding/About⌋ the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali
-or-

⌊This is a message for those who live in⌋ the land of Zebulun and ⌊those who live in⌋ the land of Naphtali

4:15b

the Way of the Sea: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Way of the Sea describes where the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are located. There are two ways to interpret this phrase:

(1) These lands are located near/beside the Sea of Galilee. For example:

beside the sea (New Living Translation (2004))

(Revised Standard Version, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004), Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) These lands are located along a road that went through them to the sea. Some think that this refers to a Roman road that went to the Mediterranean Sea. For example:

on the road to the sea (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). It has more commentary support.

the Sea: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as Sea also occurs in 4:13b. This word is used in the New Testament to refer to both the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea. English versions do not specify which sea this word refers to. However, the Sea of Galilee contains fresh water, and the Mediterranean Sea contains salt water. If your language has different words for these two types of seas, you should translate this word as the one that contains fresh water.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

lake
-or-
lake of Galilee

beyond the Jordan: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beyond the Jordan also describes where the lands of Zebulun and Naphtali are located. It describes where these lands are located from the perspective of someone who was on the east side of the Jordan River. So the word beyond refers to the west side.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

on the other side of the Jordan (Good News Translation)
-or-
across the Jordan River (God’s Word)

4:15c

Galilee of the Gentiles: The phrase Galilee of the Gentiles is another way to describe the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali. As mentioned in 4:13c, the land that belonged to these two clans covered some of the same area as the district of Galilee.

The land was referred to as Galilee of the Gentiles because both Jews and Gentiles lived in the district of Galilee.

of the Gentiles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible and many other English versions translate as Gentiles also means “nations” or “ethnic groups.” The Jews used this word to refer to all the people groups besides themselves.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

where foreigners live (God’s Word)
-or-
where the non-Jewish people live (New Century Version)

-or-

where the non-Jews ⌊also⌋ live

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