{Therefore walked no more openly} (oun ouketi parr(8873)i(8369)
periepatei). Imperfect active of peripate(935c), to walk around.
Jesus saw clearly that to do so would bring on the end now
instead of his "hour" which was to be at the passover a month
ahead. {Into the country near to the wilderness} (eis t(886e) ch(9372)an
eggus t(8873) er(886d)ou). It was now in Jerusalem as it had become once
in Galilee ( 7:1 ) because of the plots of the hostile Jews. The
hill country northeast of Jerusalem was thinly populated. {Into a
city called Ephraim} (eis Ephraim legomen(886e) polin). Polis
here means no more than town or village (k(936d)(885c)). The place is
not certainly known, not mentioned elsewhere in the N.T. Josephus
mentions (_War_, IV. ix. 9) a small fort near Bethel in the hill
country and in  2Ch 13:19  Ephron is named in connexion with
Bethel. Up here Jesus would at least be free for the moment from
the machinations of the Sanhedrin while he faced the coming
catastrophe at the passover. He is not far from the mount of
temptation where the devil showed and offered him the kingdoms of
the world for the bending of the knee before him. Is it mere
fancy to imagine that the devil came to see Jesus again here at
this juncture with a reminder of his previous offer and of the
present plight of the Son of God with the religious leaders
conspiring his death? At any rate Jesus has the fellowship of his
disciples this time (meta t(936e) math(8874)(936e)). But what were they
thinking?