Matthew 4:23

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, etc.] Having called four of his disciples, he took a tour throughout Galilee; a country mean and despicable, inhabited by persons poor, illiterate, vile, and wicked: such had the first fruits of Christ’s ministry, and messages of his grace; which shows the freeness, sovereignty, and riches, of his abounding goodness. He went about “all” this country, both upper and nether Galilee, which was very populous: Josephus says f228, there were two hundred and four cities and towns in it; he means, which were places of note, besides villages. He went about, not like Satan, seeking the destruction of men; but as one that went along with him says, “doing good”,…”

“And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues--These were houses of local worship. It cannot be proved that they existed before the Babylonish captivity; but as they began to be erected soon after it, probably the idea was suggested by the religious inconveniences to which the captives had been subjected. In our Lord's time, the rule was to have one wherever ten learned men or professed students of the law resided; and they extended to Syria, Asia Minor, Greece, and most places of the dispersion. The larger towns had several, and in Jerusalem the number approached five hundred. In point of officers and mode of worship, the Christian congregations are modelled after the…”

“All Galilee - See the notes at Matthew 2:22. Synagogues - Places of worship, or places where the people assembled together to worship God. The origin of synagogues is involved in much obscurity. The sacrifices of the Jews were appointed to be held in one place, at Jerusalem. But there was nothing to forbid the other services of religion to be performed at any other place. Accordingly, the praises of God were sung in the schools of the prophets; and those who chose were assembled by the prophets and seers on the Sabbath, and the new moons, for religious worship, 2Ki 4:23; 1 Samuel 10:5-11. The people would soon see the necessity of providing convenient places for their services, to shelter…”

“The Gospel of the kingdom - The Gospel, that is, the joyous message, is the proper name of our religion: as will be amply verified in all who earnestly and perseveringly embrace it. Matthew 4:24”

“4:23-25 This summary marks the central theme of the section (4:23–9:38): the ministry and message of the Messiah. In ancient writings, chapter divisions were unknown; authors would instead begin and end a section with the same expression (called an inclusio; see 9:35). 4:23 The Messiah’s ministry has three main features: teaching, announcing . . . the Kingdom, and healing. • The synagogues were centers for prayer, study, and exposition of Scripture and tradition. They were the social centers of many Jewish villages. The hypocrisy and hostility of the Jewish leaders was evident at the synagogues (6:2, 5; 10:17; 12:9-14; 13:54; 23:6, 34). • Announcing the Good News means presenting the message…”

“Jesus: Mat 9:35; Mar 6:6; Joh 7:1; Act 10:38 teaching: Mat 12:9, Mat 13:54; Psa 74:8; Mar 1:21, Mar 1:39, Mar 6:2; Luk 4:15, Luk 4:16, Luk 4:44, Luk 13:10; Act 9:20, Act 9:13, 14-43, Act 18:4 the gospel: Mat 13:19, Mat 24:14; Mar 1:14; Luk 4:17, Luk 4:18, Luk 8:1, Luk 20:1; Rom 10:15 healing: Mat 8:16, Mat 8:17, Mat 10:7, Mat 10:8, Mat 11:5, Mat 15:30, Mat 15:31; Psa 103:3; Mar 1:32-34, Mar 3:10; Luk 4:40, Luk 4:41, Luk 5:17, Luk 6:17, Luk 7:22, Luk 9:11, Luk 10:9; Act 5:15, Act 5:16 Matthew 4:24”