Egypt
An angel warned Joseph in a dream to go to Egypt because Herod wanted to kill the Messiah.
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13. “The angel of the Lord appeared also to Joseph and told him that it was time to get the Child out of Bethlehem because Herod would attempt to murder Him.” (McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983], 16)
14. “Notice Joseph’s instant obedience.” (McGee, 16)
“The family leaves during the night under cover of darkness. They remain in Egypt until Herod’s death (4 B. C.) when the angel tells them to return (v. 20).” (Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew [Nashville: Broadman Press], 67)
15. They stayed in Egypt until Herod died.
Out of Egypt [KJV] “This quotation is from Hosea 11:1, which speaks of God’s leading Israel out of Egypt in the Exodus.” (MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. [Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005], 1123)
“Matthew sees striking parallels in the patterns of God’s activities in history in ways he cannot attribute to coincidence. Just as God brought the nation of Israel out of Egypt to inaugurate his original covenant with them, so again God is bringing the Messiah, who fulfills the hopes of Israel, out of Egypt as he is about to inaugurate his new covenant.” (Blomberg, 67)
Babies
16. “Herod’s anger was evidence of his pride; he could not permit anyone to get the best of him, particularly some Gentile scholars! This led him to kill the boy babies two years of age and under who were still in Bethlehem.” (Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. [Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004], 15)
“Given the small size of Bethlehem and the rural nature of the surrounding region, there may have been as few as twenty children involved.” (Blookberg,68)
17-18. “Jeremiah’s prophecy was given about six hundred years before Christ was born. It grew out of the captivity of Jerusalem. Some of the captives were taken to Ramah in Benjamin, near Jerusalem, and this reminded Jeremiah of Jacob’s sorrow when Rachel died.” (Wiersbe, 15)
“Verse 18 quotes Jeremiah 31:15, which speaks of all Israel’s mourning at the time of the Babylonian captivity (c. 586 B. C.). That wailing prefigured the wailing over Herod’s massacre.” (MacArthur, 1123)
Nazareth
19. “Herod died in 4 BC, which means that Jesus was born sometime between 6 and 5 BC.” (Wiersbe, 15)
20-21. “God spoke to Joseph in a dream, and he took his wife and her Son to Nazareth, which had been their home earlier (Matthew 2:23).” (Wiersbe, 16)
22. “The wording of the narrative echoes the angel’s command and highlights Joseph’s careful obedience.” (Bloomberg, 69)
“History records that Archelaus was so brutal and ineffective that he was deposed by Rome after a short reign and replaced with a governor appointed by Rome.” (MacArthur, 1123)
23. “Nazareth, an obscure town seventy miles north of Jerusalem, was a place of lowly reputation and nowhere mentioned in the OT.” (MacArthur, 1123)
A “likely explanation is that Matthew is using ‘Nazarene’ as a synonym for someone who is despised or detestable—for that was how people form the region were often characterized (John 1:46). If that is the case the prophecies Matthew had in mind would include Psalm 22:6-8; Isaiah 49:7; 53:3.” (MacArthur, 1123)
References
Amplified Bible (AMP)
Copyright © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631. All rights reserved.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville Tennessee. All rights reserved.
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.
New King James Version (NKJV)
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
In this article Scripture quotations taken from KJV.
Blomberg, Craig L., The New American Commentary, Volume 22, Matthew Nashville: Broadman Press
McGee, J. Vernon, Thru the Bible: Volume IV. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983
MacArthur, John, The MacArthur Bible Commentary. Nashville, Thomas Nelson Inc., 2005
Robertson, A. T., A Harmony of the Gospels. New York, HarperCollins Publishers
Wiersbe, Warren W, The Bible Exposition Commentary New Testament Volume 1 Matthew-Galatians. Colorado Springs: David C Cook, 2004