Matthew 2:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.”

NIV: and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.'

NASB: Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.'

CSB: saying, "Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, because those who intended to kill the child are dead."

NLT: Get up!' the angel said. 'Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”

For the third time, an angel of the Lord is appearing to Joseph in a dream. Unlike the other visions, this would have been a message Joseph was expecting. On the last visit from an angel, Joseph had been told to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt to protect the child from Herod's murderous rage. The angel said he would let Joseph know when it was safe to come back home to Israel (Matthew 2:13).

Now that time has come, so the angel has returned to Joseph's dreams. Those who wanted Jesus killed are now dead themselves (Matthew 2:19). With Herod gone, and Jesus having escaped the massacre of the infants (Matthew 2:16–18), there is no longer an explicit threat to Jesus' life. The angel commands Joseph to go back to Israel. When he arrives, one more dream will tell Joseph where to settle his family as they continue to raise Jesus (Matthew 2:22–23).

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 5/3/2024 12:12:37 AM