Matthew 4:17

Matthew 4:17 is the seventeenth verse of the fourth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. In the previous verses Jesus returned to Galilee after hearing of the arrest of John the Baptist and then left Nazareth for Capernaum. This verse reports that once in Capernaum Jesus began to preach.

The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:

απο τοτε ηρξατο ο ιησους κηρυσσειν και λεγεινμετανοειτε ηγγικεν γαρ η βασιλεια των ουρανω

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

From that time Jesus began topreach, and to say, Repent: forthe kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The New International Version translates the passage as:

From that time on Jesus beganto preach, "Repent, for thekingdom of heaven is near."

For a list of other versions see Matthew 4:17

This verse is often seen as the beginning of the main section of Matthew's gospel: Jesus' ministry. The author of Matthew uses the phrase "from that time" three times: here, Matthew 16:21, and Matthew 26:16. Each of the verses is often seen as a turning point in the narrative.

Jesus here uses a line identical to that ascribed to John the Baptist in Matthew 3:2. See the article on Matthew 3:2 for a full discussion of the various interpretations of this statement.