Matthew 2:19 - Printer Friendly

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,

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).

Matthew 2:19–23 tells of Jesus' childhood return to Israel after the death of King Herod. Joseph is alerted by an angel in a dream that Herod has died; nobody who wanted Jesus dead is still living. When they return, another message from God warns Joseph not to move back to Bethlehem, in Judea. Rather, he is to settle in his hometown of Nazareth in the region of Galilee. In that way, Jesus grows up as a citizen of Nazareth, fulfilling yet another prophecy.

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 5/2/2024 4:38:57 AM