What Does Matthew 15:39 Mean?

(39) **Into the coasts of Magdala.**—The better MSS. give the reading Magadan. The narrative implies that it was on the western shore of the lake, and it is probably to be identified with the modern village of *El Mejdel,* about three miles above *Tabarieh* (Tiberias). The name would seem to be an altered form of the Hebrew *Migdol,* a tower. On the assumption that “Mary, called Magdalene,” derived her name from a town of that name, we may think of our Lord’s visit as having been in some way connected with her presence. It is clear that the company of devout women who ministered to Him could hardly have followed Him in the more distant journey to the coasts of Tyre and Sidon, and it was natural, if they did not, that they should have returned for a time to their homes. St. Mark gives Dalmanutha as the place where our Lord disembarked. This has been identified with the modern *Ain-el-Bârideh,* the “cold fountain,” a glen which opens upon the lake about a mile from Magdala. **Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission. **Bible Hub