Matthew 2: The wise men, Herod, and the flight to Egypt
A free study, verse by verse. Text: World English Bible. Notes come from the Greek. How to read a study
What happens?
Wise men from the east come to Jerusalem looking for the child born King of the Jews. Herod is troubled, the wise men find Jesus in Bethlehem and give him gifts, and they are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod. An angel tells Joseph to flee to Egypt, Herod has the boys of Bethlehem killed, and after Herod dies the family settles in Nazareth in Galilee.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells the story. The wise men speak in verse 2, the chief priests and scribes answer Herod in verses 5 and 6, and Herod speaks in verse 8. An angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in verses 13 and 20. Verses 15 and 18 give words spoken through the prophets. No verse is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
In plain English: Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod. Then wise men (or: magi) from the east came to Jerusalem and said,
The Greek word: "Wise men" is magoi. The dictionary gives "a Magian, i.e. Oriental scientist; by implication, a magician". It is in 5 verses of the New Testament. This Bible says "wise" in the 3 Matthew verses (, , ) and "sorcerer" in the 2 verses about Elymas ( and ).
How it is translated: This Bible has "wise men".
What changes: Read as "magicians" or "sorcerers", as in Acts 13, the visitors practise magic. Read as "wise men" or "scientists", they are learned men from the east. Matthew does not say which.
Good to know: The text does not give their number or their names, and does not call them kings. It says they came from the east, and verse 11 names three gifts.
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2“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”
In plain English: "Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star in the east (or: at its rising), and we have come to worship (or: bow down to) him."
The Greek word: "Worship" is proskyneo. The dictionary gives "to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore)". It is in 13 verses of Matthew. This Bible says "worship" in 10 of them, and uses "kneeled" or "bowed" in others.
How it is translated: This Bible has "worship" in verses 2 and 8 and "worshiped" in verse 11.
What changes: Read as "bow down", the visitors come to bow before the child. Read as "worship", they come to worship him. The same word is Herod's in verse 8, and it is used of the Lord God in .
The Greek words: "In the east" is en te anatole. The dictionary gives anatole as "a rising of light, i.e. dawn" and, by implication, "the east".
What changes: Read as "at its rising", it is the rising of the star that they saw. Read as "in the east", they saw it in the east, or while they were in the east. The verse does not say which.
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3When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
In plain English: When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
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4Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.
In plain English: He gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and asked them where the Christ would be born.
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5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
In plain English: They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, because this is what was written through the prophet:
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6‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah; for out of you shall come a governor who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’”
In plain English: 'You, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the princes of Judah. Out of you will come a governor (or: leader) who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Good to know: The answer is given as written "through the prophet". The words are close to , which in this Bible reads: "But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me who is to be ruler in Israel." Matthew's wording differs: "by no means least among the princes of Judah" and "a governor who will shepherd my people Israel". The last words are also close to : "You will be shepherd of my people Israel."
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7Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.
In plain English: Then Herod secretly called the wise men and found out from them exactly when the star had appeared.
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8He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”
In plain English: He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship (or: bow down to) him."
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9They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them until it came and stood over where the young child was.
In plain English: After they heard the king, they went on their way. And the star that they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it came and stood over the place where the young child was.
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10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
In plain English: When they saw the star, they were filled with very great joy.
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11They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
In plain English: They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother. They fell down and worshiped (or: bowed down to) him. They opened their treasures and offered him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.
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12Being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
In plain English: They were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they went back to their own country another way.
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13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
In plain English: After they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up, take the young child and his mother, and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, because Herod is going to look for the young child to destroy him."
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14He arose and took the young child and his mother by night and departed into Egypt,
In plain English: Joseph got up, took the young child and his mother by night, and left for Egypt,
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15and 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.”
In plain English: and stayed there until the death of Herod. This was so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: "Out of Egypt I called my son."
Good to know: The words "Out of Egypt I called my son" are close to : "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt." In Hosea the child is Israel. Brenton's English of the Greek Old Testament has "out of Egypt have I called his children". Matthew says Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod's death "so that" the words might be fulfilled. The word "fulfilled" is explained at . Readers differ on how Matthew uses the words.
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16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.
In plain English: Then Herod saw that the wise men had mocked him, and he was very angry. He sent out and killed all the boys (or: male children) in Bethlehem and in all the country around it, from two years old and under, according to the exact time he had learned from the wise men.
Good to know: The verse gives no number of children. It names the places, Bethlehem and all the country around it, and the age, "from two years old and under", and says this matched the time Herod had learned from the wise men.
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17Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
In plain English: Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled. He said,
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18“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn’t be comforted, because they are no more.”
In plain English: "A voice was heard in Ramah: crying, weeping and great mourning. Rachel was weeping for her children, and she would not be comforted, because they are no more."
Good to know: Matthew says these words were spoken through Jeremiah the prophet. in this Bible reads: "Yahweh says: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children. She refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more." The words "Yahweh says" are not in Matthew's quotation. says Rachel died and was buried "on the way to Ephrath (also called Bethlehem)".
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19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
In plain English: When Herod was dead, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said,
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20“Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”
In plain English: "Get up, take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, because those who were seeking the young child's life are dead."
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21He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
In plain English: Joseph got up, took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
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22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee,
In plain English: But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. He was warned in a dream and withdrew to the region of Galilee,
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23and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets that he will be called a Nazarene.
In plain English: and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was so that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled: "He will be called a Nazarene."
The Greek word: "Nazarene" is Nazoraios. The dictionary gives "a Nazoræan, i.e. inhabitant of Nazareth". It is in 2 verses of Matthew: here and . This Bible prints "Nazarene" in 1 of them.
Good to know: Matthew says these words were spoken "through the prophets", more than one prophet. No Old Testament verse in this Bible has the word "Nazarene", and readers connect the words with different passages. Some point to the Hebrew word netser in , where this Bible has "a branch" (the dictionary: "a shoot; figuratively, a descendant"). Some point to the word Nazirite in . Some point to the town itself and what was said of it, as in : "Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?" The text does not say which it means.
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