Jesus moved to Capernaum to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 8:22–9:1. The land of Zebulun and Naphtali desperately needed his Light, since they had become spiritually dark because of the occupation by the Assyrians (under Tiglath-Pileser III, see 2 Kings 15:27–31) and the exile of the Northern Kingdom, as God’s promised response to Israel’s disobedience (Deuteronomy 28:63–68).
In Matthew 4:14 the evangelist indicates that Jesus settled in Capernaum to fulfill prophecy. By moving to Capernaum he affirmed that the tribal land of Zebulun and Naphtali was the place where he was called to work and reside. All of this happened so that the words of the prophet recorded in Isaiah 8:22–9:1 could be fulfilled. The prophecy therefore determines the place where he starts his ministry.1,2
The references to the two tribal territories in the prophecy is in and of itself meaningful. When the prophecy was made, northern Israel was still free. The tribes of Zebulun and Naphtali, named after their two patriarchs, still had their own free territory. It would only be later that the Assyrians occupied northern Israel (under Tiglath-Pileser III, see 2 Kings 15:27–31). This was the beginning of the exile, the moment when the Lord finally brought an end to the last remnants of Israel’s liberty in the promised land. For the first time a significant segment of the covenant people were carried away into an exile that had already been prophesied long before (Deuteronomy 28:63–68). God’s great wrath over the sins of the people concluded with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, but it had begun with the exile of the northern tribes. Nonetheless, Isaiah was allowed to already prophecy during those early days of God’s great wrath that the Lord would, in due course, graciously grant a restoration. In the darkness of judgment, the light of God’s grace would rise and lead from death to life. It is remarkable that the way that leads to liberation from God’s wrath begins in the same district in which it began, in the north. The territories of the tribes Zebulun and Naphtali are not the rightful domain of the Assyrian provinces. The enemy entered the land via Naphtali and Zebulun and from there spread across to the territories to the west and east of Samaria. In this way darkness fell over the greater part of northern Israel. Nevertheless, long after the traces of the tribal districts had been wiped out, the light will rise in the dark Assyrian provinces that replaced them.3
14 afin que s'accomplisse ce qui avait été annoncé par Esaïe, le prophète: