Dalmanutha

Biblical Text

Dalmanutha appears only once in the Bible, in the Gospel of Mark 8:10. After the feeding of the four thousand, Jesus sent the multitude away, got into a boat with his disciples, and "came into the parts of Dalmanutha."

According to Mark 8:11–13, the Pharisees there sought to test Jesus by demanding a sign from heaven (a miracle serving as proof of God's endorsement). Jesus "sighed deeply in his spirit" and replied that no sign would be given to this generation. He then left them, got into the boat again, and departed to the other side. In the passage that follows, Mark 8:14–21, Jesus warns his disciples in the boat to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.

In the Gospel of Matthew 15:39, which recounts the same scene, the place is called "the coasts of Magdala" (Magadan in many manuscripts and modern translations). In Matthew 16:1–4, the Pharisees together with the Sadducees seek a sign, and Jesus answers that no sign will be given except "the sign of the prophet Jonas."

Background and Location

The name Dalmanutha is not attested in any ancient literature outside the New Testament, so its exact location is unknown. Various proposals have been made about the etymology of the name, but none has gained general acceptance.

The narrative sequence is as follows. According to Mark 7:31, the feeding of the four thousand took place near the region of the Decapolis. Afterward Jesus crossed by boat and encountered the Pharisees. On the basis of this sequence, many scholars regard Dalmanutha as a district on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, where much of the population was Jewish. Taking Matthew's "Magadan" into account as well, a widely known view places it near Magdala. This identification, too, remains unconfirmed.

Significance in Scripture

The focus of the text is not Dalmanutha itself but the demand for a sign that took place there. In the flow of Mark's Gospel, this scene comes directly after the two miraculous feedings. It portrays both the Pharisees, who demand more certain proof despite having seen miracles, and the disciples, who fail to grasp the meaning of the loaves. In the same scene, Matthew mentions Jonah, linking the episode to an allusion to Jesus' death and resurrection.

Interpretation and Issues

• Difference in place names: Mark has "Dalmanutha," while Matthew has "Magadan." Two explanations have been offered for this difference. One holds that the two names are different names for the same area or refer to neighboring places. The other considers the possibility that the place name was altered in the course of scribal transmission. This question is also related to the Synoptic Problem.
• Manuscript variants: In both Mark 8:10 and Matthew 15:39, some manuscripts give the place name differently. Manuscripts reading Magdala or other similar names are known to exist.
• Accounts describing the inhabitants or landscape of Dalmanutha are sometimes told. However, the biblical text says nothing about the place beyond its name.