Chapter
Verse

Matthew 2:19

ESV But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
NIV After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
NASB But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord *appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said,
CSB After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
NLT When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.
KJV But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
NKJV Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

What does Matthew 2:19 mean?

Joseph experiences some of the most direct revelations from God of any character in the Gospels. Each revelation came with specific instructions for what he should do and how he should do it. Each involved the appearance of an angel of the Lord in a dream. This is the third of four such experiences.

This dream came after the death of Herod in Israel. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were living in Egypt, perhaps among one of the Jewish settlements in the region. Judea was a Roman province, ruled by Herod and his family. Egypt, likewise, was Roman territory, under different local governors. God had sent them outside the reach of Herod through the message of an angel in an earlier dream. Though part of the Roman empire, Egypt was far outside of Herod's jurisdiction, and too far for him to discover that someone had survived his massacre of infants (Matthew 2:16).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: