Matthew 2:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

NIV: where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Out of Egypt I called my son."

NASB: He stayed there until the death of Herod; this happened so that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 'OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.'

CSB: He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.

NLT: and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'I called my Son out of Egypt.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Herod, the king of Israel under the authority of Rome, wanted to kill the baby Jesus. He knew nothing of Jesus, personally. Nor did he know how His parents were. All Herod knew was that he wanted to kill the one the wise men called the newly born "king of the Jews," the promised Messiah of Israel. Herod received this news not as a reason to celebrate, but as a threat to His own power (Matthew 2:3– 8).

Warned by an angel in a dream (Matthew 2:13), Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod died. At that time, the Roman provinces of Egypt were around two day's journey from Bethlehem. This was outside of Herod's reach. Further into Roman-controlled Egypt was the Nile Delta, which had a large population of Jewish people.

Matthew cites Hosea 11:1, where God says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." God called Jesus out of Egypt in the sense that Joseph waited to receive a message from the Lord that it was safe to return (Matthew 2:19–20). Matthew presents this as a fulfillment of Hosea's words about God calling Israel out of Egypt. This further deepens the connection between Jesus and God's people, Israel, as Christ's life on earth echoes the nation's historical path.

Matthew 2:13–15 tells how Joseph, Mary, and Jesus ended up in Egypt. In this context, ''Egypt'' means the territories beyond Herod's control, such as the Nile Delta. After the wise men leave Bethlehem, an angel of the Lord appears in Joseph's dreams once more with specific instructions. He is ordered to take the family to Egypt. Herod wants the child dead, so they are not to return until Herod dies and the angel gives them further direction. Joseph obeys, leaving in haste to reach territory outside of Herod's control. Matthew connects Jesus' return from Egypt to Hosea 11:1, where the prophet speaks of God calling His son Israel out of Egypt.

King Herod is surprised and troubled by the arrival of wise men from the east. They have come looking for a newborn king of the Jews. Herod directs the men to Bethlehem to find the boy for him. The wise men find and worship Jesus. Rather than cooperating with the wicked Herod, the wise men slip away. An angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt with his family before Herod kills all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger to protect his throne. After Herod's death, an angel sends Joseph back to Israel and then God directs him to settle with Mary and Jesus in Nazareth in the region of Galilee.

Chapter 1 established the genealogy and miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. Sometime after Jesus' birth, a group of wise men from the east arrive in Jerusalem. They have been tracking a star that points to the birth of the king of the Jews. They find and worship Jesus, then leave without telling the wicked king, Herod, where to find the boy. Warned by an angel, Joseph flees with Jesus and Mary to Egypt before Herod orders the execution of all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger. When notified by an angel again, they return to Israel and settle in Nazareth, in the northern region of Israel known as Galilee. This leads into chapter 3, which leaps forward to Jesus' adulthood, and the ministry of John the Baptist.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.