Magadan

Biblical Text

Magadan appears only once, in Matthew 15:39. The name occurs immediately after the feeding of the four thousand, in which Jesus fed four thousand people with seven loaves and a few small fish. The New Korean Revised Version renders the verse to say that Jesus sent away the crowds, boarded a boat, and went to "the region of Magadan." The Korean term translated "region" (jigyeong) denotes the land within a boundary, that is, a district.

In the passage that follows, Matthew 16:1–4, the Pharisees and Sadducees come to Jesus and ask Him to show them a sign from heaven, that is, a miraculous token proving that God had sent Him. Jesus answers that no sign will be given except "the sign of the prophet Jonas," and then departs from them.

Background and Location

Mark 8:10, which records the same event, states that Jesus "came into the parts of Dalmanutha." It has not been determined whether the two names designate the same place, neighboring places, or a single district known by two names. Neither name is clearly attested in ancient sources outside the Bible.

The spelling also varies among manuscripts. Modern critical texts (texts reconstructed to approximate the original by comparing many manuscripts) read "Magadan," but many later manuscripts, followed by the King James Version, read "Magdala." Magdala is known as a village on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. For this reason, some identify Magadan with Magdala or locate it nearby, while others hold that copyists replaced an unfamiliar name with a well-known one. Scholars differ on the location, and it cannot be determined with certainty.

Significance in the Bible as a Whole

Magadan appears only briefly as the setting of an event, and no theological meaning is attached to the name itself. In the flow of the Gospel narrative, however, it serves as the backdrop for a scene contrasting the crowds who had directly experienced Jesus' signs with the religious leaders who tested Him by demanding a sign. This scene is followed by Jesus' warning against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:5–12).

Interpretations and Issues

• Relation to the site of the feeding of the four thousand: Mark 7:31 records that Jesus came by way of the region of the Decapolis. On this basis, some interpreters hold that the feeding of the four thousand took place in Gentile territory on the eastern side of the lake and that Jesus then crossed by boat to Magadan, in Jewish territory on the opposite shore. The text, however, does not specify which side of the lake is meant.
• Connection with Mary Magdalene: Some sermons and commentaries that identify Magadan with Magdala connect the name with the hometown of Mary Magdalene. This is a conjecture based on manuscript readings, not something the text itself states.