Matthew
2:13-23
Lesson 3
2:13-23
Lesson 3
Matthew 2:13-23
Joseph's second dream 13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. 14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: 15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. 16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, 18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not. 19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. |
Margin notes:
"Out of Egypt have I called my son." (2:15) - This is another fulfilled prophecy. Seven hundred years before Jesus was born, the Old Testament predicted that He would spend time in Egypt and then Nazareth (Hosea 11:1). The Israelites came out of Egyptian slavery, and Jesus came out of Egypt to free mankind from the slavery of sin. "He was mocked of the wise men." (2:16) - Means "(Herod) was tricked by the wise men." "Exceeding wroth." (2:16) - "Infuriated." "Slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof." (2:16) - "(Herod) killed all the children in Bethlehem and the surrounding area." "Rama." (2:18) - A small village north of Bethlehem. "Rachel weeping for her children." (2:18) - Rachel was the wife of Jacob, from their twelve sons came the twelve tribes of Israel. Therefore, she is called the mother of Jews. Rachel died in childbirth and was buried near Bethlehem (Genesis 35:19). This verse is a paraphrase from Jeremiah 31:15. It refers to the sorrow that gripped Rama, Bethlehem, and the surrounding area after King Herod had their children slaughtered. "Because they are not." (2:18) - "Because they are dead." "In the room of his father Herod." (2:22) - "In place of his father, Herod." "He was afraid to go thither." (2:22) - "He was afraid to go there." "He turned aside into the parts of Galilee." (2:22) - "He went to Galilee instead." Galilee was a small area in Palestine that ran forty-five miles from its northern tip at Mount Hermon to its southern near Carmel and Gilboa. Galilee boasted about two hundred small villages, including Nazareth. Galileans had a distinct accent and were considered so disreputable they were forbidden to testify in legal proceedings. "He came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth." (2:23) - This is more evidence that Jesus was the Christ. The Old Testament prophesied over six hundred years earlier that the Messiah would live in Nazareth. Nazareth was a small city (population 18,000) in Galilee (Luke 1:26), approximately seventy-five miles north of Jerusalem and fourteen miles from the Sea of Galilee along the southern ridges of Lebanon. The main road between Egypt and Asia passed by Nazareth and brought many travelers and tradesmen. In Jesus' day, the people of Nazareth were looked down on as second-class citizens (John 1:46). Although Jesus was raised in Nazareth (Matthew 2:21-23; Mark 1:9), its citizens rejected Him (Matthew 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-4) and tried to throw Him off a cliff (Luke 4:14-30). "He shall be called a Nazarene." (2:23) - This seems to be a quote from the Old Testament, yet no such reference exists. What does exist are prophecies that the Messiah would be despised (e.g., Psalms 22:6; Isaiah 53:3). In Jesus' day, "Nazarene" was a synonym for despised. Another fulfilled prophecy? Additional note: Christians were often called "the sect of Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5). This is still true today in parts of Palestine and Syria. |