Verse 12 It seems, from John 3:22-26, that Jesus had commenced his public ministry before this time in Judea. He now retired to Galilee, a place of greater seclusion and safety. Galilee was the northern province of Palestine, a retired, mountainous region, far less exposed to tumults and popular commotions than the region of Jerusalem; and it was very probably on this account that Jesus, who was constantly taking precautions to avoid occasioning public excitements, chose it as the scene of ministrations for some time after the imprisonment of John. The narrative of Matthew from Matthew 4:12-20:17, gives an account of the Savior's journeys, discourses, and miracles among these quiet villages; and then it follows him to the more exciting scenes witnesses towards the close of his life, in Judea and Jerusalem.