{Through the midst of Samaria and Galilee} (dia meson
Samarias kai Galilaias). This is the only instance in the N.T.
of dia with the accusative in the local sense of "through."
Xenophon and Plato use dia mesou (genitive). Jesus was going
from Ephraim ( Joh 11:54 ) north through the midst of Samaria and
Galilee so as to cross over the Jordan near Bethshean and join
the Galilean caravan down through Perea to Jerusalem. The
Samaritans did not object to people going north away from
Jerusalem, but did not like to see them going south towards the
city ( Lu 9:51-56 ).