This study investigates the brain areas involved in language comprehension using lesion analysis in 64 chronic left hemisphere stroke patients, 8 right hemisphere stroke patients, and 15 neurologically normal older controls. Patients were assessed on 11 subtests of the Curtiss–Yamada Comprehensive Language Evaluation – Receptive (CYCLE-R). Lesion data from structural neuroimaging were analyzed using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM), which evaluates the relationship between brain injuries and behavioral performance on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results showed that lesions in five left hemisphere brain regions affected performance on the CYCLE-R: the posterior middle temporal gyrus and underlying white matter, the anterior superior temporal gyrus, the superior temporal sulcus and angular gyrus, mid-frontal cortex in Brodmann's area 46, and Brodmann's area 47 of the inferior frontal gyrus. Lesions to Broca's and Wernicke's areas were not found to significantly alter language comprehension on this measure. Further analysis suggested that the middle temporal gyrus may be more important for comprehension at the word level, while other regions may play a greater role at the sentence level. These findings are consistent with recent functional neuroimaging studies and offer complementary data in understanding the brain areas underlying language comprehension. The study highlights the importance of multiple brain regions in language comprehension, with different areas playing distinct roles at the word and sentence levels. The results suggest that language comprehension involves a complex network of brain areas, and that the traditional view of Broca's and Wernicke's areas as the primary regions for language comprehension may not be entirely accurate. The study also emphasizes the value of combining lesion analysis with functional imaging to better understand the brain areas involved in language comprehension.This study investigates the brain areas involved in language comprehension using lesion analysis in 64 chronic left hemisphere stroke patients, 8 right hemisphere stroke patients, and 15 neurologically normal older controls. Patients were assessed on 11 subtests of the Curtiss–Yamada Comprehensive Language Evaluation – Receptive (CYCLE-R). Lesion data from structural neuroimaging were analyzed using voxel-based lesion-symptom mapping (VLSM), which evaluates the relationship between brain injuries and behavioral performance on a voxel-by-voxel basis. Results showed that lesions in five left hemisphere brain regions affected performance on the CYCLE-R: the posterior middle temporal gyrus and underlying white matter, the anterior superior temporal gyrus, the superior temporal sulcus and angular gyrus, mid-frontal cortex in Brodmann's area 46, and Brodmann's area 47 of the inferior frontal gyrus. Lesions to Broca's and Wernicke's areas were not found to significantly alter language comprehension on this measure. Further analysis suggested that the middle temporal gyrus may be more important for comprehension at the word level, while other regions may play a greater role at the sentence level. These findings are consistent with recent functional neuroimaging studies and offer complementary data in understanding the brain areas underlying language comprehension. The study highlights the importance of multiple brain regions in language comprehension, with different areas playing distinct roles at the word and sentence levels. The results suggest that language comprehension involves a complex network of brain areas, and that the traditional view of Broca's and Wernicke's areas as the primary regions for language comprehension may not be entirely accurate. The study also emphasizes the value of combining lesion analysis with functional imaging to better understand the brain areas involved in language comprehension.