Problem: Matthew writes, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: 15 ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— 16 The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, and those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a Light dawned” (Mt. 4:14-16). Why does Matthew cite this passage, and how is fulfilled by Christ?
Solution: Many interpreters think of OT citations as one-to-one predictions and fulfillments. However, the Greek word pleroo (“fulfill”) doesn’t always carry this direct one-to-one correspondence. For instance, in Revelation 3:2, Jesus says to the Sardians: “I have not found your deeds completed [pleroo] in the sight of My God.” In the same way, OT passages can be fulfilled over time—not necessarily in a direct way.
An illustration is often helpful. When the NT authors cite the OT, we can think of this as reading through an article online and finding a hyperlink. When we come across a hyperlink, we are encouraged to click it and read the entire article that is being cited. In the same way, when the NT authors cited the OT, they were encouraging us to look up the passage and read the entire context—not just the verse or two quoted.
Thus, the key to understanding Matthew’s citation is understanding the full context of Isaiah 9. In this chapter, Isaiah was explaining the exile under Assyrian deportation. Since so many Assyrian Gentiles were in the northern territory of Israel, Isaiah could rightly call this territory “Galilee of the Gentiles.” This road leading through Galilee was “the road that the returning exiles would have followed, at least part way, to their various hometowns in Israel.”[1] The light that they saw was metaphorical from their return from Assyrian exile that Isaiah was predicting. In other words, Isaiah was predicting a future time where the Jewish people would be safe from their enemies, and their land would be prospered. How will this happen?
Isaiah explains that this would be closely connected with the birth of the Messiah (Isa. 9:6), who would be the descendant of David (Isa. 9:7). Therefore, Carson and Beale write, “Given the larger messianic context, it could also have been intended to refer to the even greater deliverance that the Messiah would bring.”[2] Since no Davidic king had ever fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9, Matthew was right in quoting this as a partial fulfillment in the work of Christ. Just like the people were brought out of physical slavery from Assyria, so too, the Messiah would bring the people (all people) from spiritual slavery. Of course, in Jesus’ second coming, this prophecy will be completely fulfilled.
[1] Beale, G. K., & Carson, D. A. Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos. 2007. 18.
[2] Beale, G. K., & Carson, D. A. Commentary on the New Testament use of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, UK: Baker Academic; Apollos. 2007. 18.
