Matthew 14:13 is the thirteenth verse in the fourteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Content In the original Greek according to Westcott-Hort for this verse is: Καὶ ἀκούσας ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀνεχώρησεν ἐκεῖθεν ἐν πλοίῳ εἰς ἔρημον τόπον κατ᾿ ἰδίαν· καὶ ἀκούσαντες οἱ ὄχλοι ἠκολούθησαν αὐτῷ πεζῇ ἀπὸ τῶν πόλεων. In the King James Version of the Bible, the text reads: When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities. The New International Version translates the passage as: When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. Several translations state that Jesus was there "alone", or "by himself". In contrast, the Jerusalem Bible refers to a place "where they could be by themselves". Analysis In this verse it appears that Jesus withdrew to escape from Herod because "his hour had not yet come". In this he gives an example of his own words, "when they persecute you in this city, flee to another" (Matthew 10:23). Another possible reason is that he retired in order to give his disciples a chance to rest. Henirich Meyer notes that this is the second point of "withdrawal" (the first in , and the third in Matthew 15:21) from the same Greek word, (anechōrēsen). Commentary from the Church Fathers Glossa Ordinaria: "The Saviour having heard the death of His Baptist, retired into the desert; as it follows, which when Jesus had heard, he departed thence by ship into a desert place." Augustine: "This the Evangelist relates to have been done immediately after the passion of John, therefore after this were those things done that were spoken of above, and moved Herod to say, This is John. For we must suppose those things to have been after his death which report carried to Herod, and which moved him to doubt who he could be concerning whom he heard such things; for himself had put John to death." Jerome: "He did not retire into the desert through fear of death, as some suppose, but in mercy to His enemies, that they might not add murder to murder; putting off His death till the day of His passion; on which day the lamb is