Matthew 2:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

NIV: Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

NASB: Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

CSB: Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

NLT: Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

KJV: Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,

NKJV: Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:

Matthew has described Herod's brutal act of killing every boy in and around Bethlehem who was two years old and younger. His goal was to eliminate the one son whom wise men had described as a the "king of the Jews." Since Herod did not know which one might be the long-promised Messiah, he killed them all (Matthew 2:16).

Bethlehem was a small town, and scholars suggest the number of boys killed may have been somewhere between 10 and 30. This was not a large city, and there would not have been an extremely large number of families. Most, however, likely had one or two children in this age range. The grieving in Bethlehem would have been intense, and Matthew will quote from Jeremiah 31:15 in the following verse to connect the event to a specific moment in Israel's history.

Matthew 2:16–18 describes Herod's slaughter of all boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger. Herod was furious when he learned the wise men left without telling him where the Christ child was. Not knowing the Messiah's family has already fled, Herod kills all the young boys that could have been born since the star of the king of the Jews appeared in the sky. In a smaller town like Bethlehem, this would have been well within his power. Herod hopes to keep anyone from taking the throne from his family. Matthew connects the grieving of Bethlehem to Jeremiah 31:15, where the mother of Israel, Rachel, weeps for her lost children.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 11:54:39 AM