Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 2:19
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Herod was dead – See the notes at Mat 2:15. Herod left three sons, and the kingdom was at his death divided between them. To Archelaus was given Judea, Idumea, and Samaria; to Philip, Batanea and Trachonitis; to Antipas, Galilee and Perea.
Each of these was also called Herod, and these are the individuals who are so frequently referred to in the New Testament during the ministry. of the Saviour and the labors of the apostles. The above table will show at a glance the chief connections of this family, as far as they are mentioned in the sacred history.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
That is, as some say, within three or four months, for Herod, they say, no longer outlived this bloody act; and if we may believe historians, he was in his death made a dreadful example of Divine vengeance. But we cannot assert the just time how long he outlived this bloody act; when he was dead, God, who had promised Joseph, Mat 2:13, to tell him by an angel, (as before), let Joseph know he might safely return. It is probable this apparition was not immediately upon the death of Herod, for Archelaus was reigning, who must be allowed some time to go to Rome, and to have this dignity conferred on him; but soon after he was dead this apparition was, with a command to him to return into the land of Israel, to which he soon yieldeth obedience.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
19. But when Herod wasdeadMiserable Herod! Thou thoughtest thyself safe from adreaded Rival; but it was He only that was safe from thee; and thouhast not long enjoyed even this fancied security. See on Mt2:15.
behold, an angel of the Lordappeareth in a dream to Joseph in EgyptOur translators,somewhat capriciously, render the same expression “theangel of the Lord,” Mat 1:20;Mat 2:13; and “anangel of the Lord,” as here. As the same angel appears to havebeen employed on all these high occasionsand most likely he towhom in Luke is given the name of “Gabriel,” Luk 1:19;Luk 1:26 perhaps it should inevery instance except the first, be rendered “the angel.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But when Herod was dead,…. Who died, as before observed, a few months after this tragedy was acted; and, according to the w Jewish writers, on the seventh day of the month Cisleu, and which answers to the twenty fifth of our November: and was afterwards observed as a day of rejoicing by the Jews. The account which Josephus x, and from him Eusebius y, gives of his miserable death, is as follows; a burning fever seized him, with an intolerable itching all over his body, and continual pains of the colic; his feet swelled with a dropsy; he had an inflammation in the lower part of his belly: a putrefaction in his privy parts, which bred worms; a frequency and difficulty of breathing, and convulsions in all his members; he had a voracious appetite, a stinking breath, and his intestines abounded with ulcers; when he found that all means made use of were ineffectual, and that he must die, he attempted to lay violent hands upon himself, but was prevented, and soon after expired in a very miserable manner. Now some time after his death,
behold an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. It may be the same angel who appeared in the same manner, and ordered him to go into Egypt, with the young child and his mother; and who now brings him news of the death of Herod, and bids him return to the land of Israel; which shows the watchful providence of God, and the useful ministry of angels, concerned in the preservation of the infant Jesus.
w Megillah Taanith apud Van Till. de anno, &c. Christ. Nat. p. 122. x De Bello Judaic. l. 1. c. 33. sect. 5. 7. & Antiq. l. 17. c. 9. y Eccl. Hist. l. 1. c. 8. p. 25, 26.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| Christ’s Return from Egypt. |
| |
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 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. 21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
We have here Christ’s return out of Egypt into the land of Israel again. Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for a while, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and therefore to them he must return. Observe,
I. What it was that made way for his return– the death of Herod, which happened not long after the murder of the infants; some think not above three months. Such quick work did divine vengeance make! Note, Herods must die; proud tyrants, that were the terror of the mighty, and the oppressors of the godly, in the land of the living, their day must come to fall, and down to the pit they must go. Who art thou then, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die? (Isa 51:12; Isa 51:13) especially considering that at death, not only their envy and hatred are perished (Eccl. ix. 6), and they cease from troubling (Job iii. 17), but they are punished. Of all sins, the guilt of innocent blood fills the measure soonest. It is a dreadful account which Josephus gives of the death of this same Herod (Antiq. 17.146-199), that he was seized with a disease which burned him inwardly with an inexpressible torture; that he was insatiably greedy of meat; had the colic, and gout, and dropsy; such an intolerable stench attended his disease, that none could come near him: and so passionate and impatient was he, that he was a torment to himself, and a terror to all that attended him: his innate cruelty, being thus exasperated, made him more barbarous than ever; having ordered his own son to be put to death, he imprisoned many of the nobility and gentry, and ordered that as soon as he was dead they should be killed; but that execution was prevented. See what kind of men have been the enemies and persecutors of Christ and his followers! Few have opposed Christianity but such as have first divested themselves of humanity, as Nero and Domitian.
II. The orders given from heaven concerning their return, and Joseph’s obedience to those orders, v. 19-21. God had sent Joseph into Egypt, and there he staid till the same that brought him thither ordered him thence. Note, In all our removes, it is good to see our way plain, and God going before us; we should not move either one way or the other without order. These orders were sent him by an angel. Note, Our intercourse with God, if it be kept up on our part, shall be kept up on his, wherever we are. No place can exclude God’s gracious visits. Angels come to Joseph in Egypt, to Ezekiel in Babylon, and to John in Patmos. Now, 1. The angel informs him of the death of Herod and his accomplices: They are dead, which sought the young Child’s life. They are dead, but the young Child lives. Persecuted saints sometimes live to tread upon the graves of their persecutors. Thus did the church’s King weather the storm, and many a one has the church in like manner weathered. They are dead, to wit, Herod and his son Antipater, who, though there were mutual jealousies between them, yet, probably, concurred in seeking the destruction of this new King. If Herod first kill Antipater, and then die himself, the coasts are cleared, and the Lord is known by the judgments which he executes, when one wicked instrument is in the ruin of another. 2. He directs him what to do. He must go and return to the land of Israel; and he did so without delay; not pleading the tolerably good settlement he had in Egypt, or the inconveniences of the journey, especially if, as is supposed, it was in the beginning of winter that Herod died. God’s people follow his direction whithersoever he leads them, wherever he lodges them. Did we but look upon the world as our Egypt, the place of our bondage and banishment, and heaven only as our Canaan, our home, our rest, we should as readily arise, and depart thither, when we are called for, as Joseph did out of Egypt.
III. The further direction he had from God, which way to steer, and where to fix in the land of Israel, Mat 2:22; Mat 2:23. God could have given him these instructions with the former, but God reveals his mind to his people by degrees, to keep them still waiting on him, and expecting to hear further from him. These orders Joseph received in a dream, probably, as those before, by the ministration of an angel. God could have signified his will to Joseph by the Child Jesus, but we do not find that in those removes he either takes notice, or gives notice, of any thing that occurred; surely it was because in all things it behoved him to be made like his brethren; being a Child, he spake as a child, and did as a child, and drew a veil over his infinite knowledge and power; as a child he increased in wisdom.
Now the direction given this holy, royal family, is, 1. That it might not settle in Judea, v. 22. Joseph might think that Jesus, being born in Bethlehem, must be brought up there; yet he is prudently afraid for the young Child, because he hears that Archelaus reigns in Herod’s stead, not over all the kingdom as his father did, but only over Judea, the other provinces being put into other hands. See what a succession of enemies there is to fight against Christ and his church! If one drop off, another presently appears, to keep up the old enmity. But for this reason Joseph must not take the young Child into Judea. Note, God will not thrust his children into the mouth of danger, but when it is for his own glory and their trial; for precious in the sight of the Lord are the life and the death of his saints; precious is their blood to him.
2. That it must settle in Galilee, v. 22. There Philip now ruled, who was a mild, quiet, man. Note, The providence of God commonly so orders it, that his people shall not want a quiet retreat from the storm and from the tempest; when one climate becomes hot and scorching, another shall be kept more cool and temperate. Galilee lay far north; Samaria lay between it and Judea; thither they were sent, to Nazareth, a city upon a hill, in the centre of the lot of Zebulun; there the mother of our Lord lived, when she conceived that holy thing; and, probably, Joseph lived there too, Luk 1:26; Luk 1:27. Thither they were sent, and there they were well known, and were among their relations; the most proper place for them to be in. There they continued, and from thence our Saviour was called Jesus of Nazareth, which was to the Jews a stumbling-block, for, Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?
In this is said to be fulfilled what was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene. Which may be looked upon, (1.) As a man of honour and dignity, though primarily it signifies no more than a man of Nazareth; there is an allusion or mystery in speaking it, speaking Christ to be, [1.] The Man, the Branch, spoken of, Isa. xi. 1. The word there is Netzar, which signifies either a branch, or the city of Nazareth; in being denominated from that city, he is declared to be that Branch. [2.] It speaks him to be the great Nazarite; of whom the legal Nazarites were a type and figure (especially Samson, Judg. xiii. 5), and Joseph, who is called a Nazarite among his brethren (Gen. xlix. 26), and to whom that which was prescribed concerning the Nazarites, has reference, Num. vi. 2, c. Not that Christ was, strictly, a Nazarite, for he drank wine, and touched dead bodies but he was eminently so, both as he was singularly holy, and as he was by a solemn designation and dedication set apart to the honour of God in the work of our redemption, as Samson was to save Israel. And it is a name we have all reason to rejoice in, and to know him by. Or, (2.) As a name of reproach and contempt. To be called a Nazarene, was to be called a despicable man, a man from whom no good was to be expected, and to whom no respect was to be paid. The devil first fastened this name upon Christ, to render him mean, and prejudice people against him, and it stuck as a nickname to him and his followers. Now this was not particularly foretold by any one prophet, but, in general, it was spoken by the prophets, that he should be despised and rejected of men (Isa 53:2; Isa 53:3), a Worm, and no man (Psa 22:6; Psa 22:7), that he should be an Alien to his brethrenPsa 69:7; Psa 69:8. Let no name of reproach for religion’s sake seem hard to us, when our Master was himself called a Nazarene.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
1) “But when Herod was dead,” (teleutesantos de tou herodou) “Then when Herod had died,” after his dastard, wicked effort to exterminate Jesus. He died at the age of 70 years, after reigning thirty-seven years over Judea, as a murderous and impenitent king, having only five days before his death put to death one of his sons, according to Josephus.
2). “Behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream,” (idou angelos kuriou phanetai kat’ onar) “Behold, (what happened), an angel of the Lord appeared by means of a dream,” as one had appeared to him on two previous occasions, giving him information and instructions concerning the Christ-child and the will of God for His life, Mat 1:20; Mat 2:13; Heb 1:14. This appears to have been the same angel, and of Gabriel’s informing band of angels, if not Gabriel himself, who had appeared to Mary as recounted Luk 1:19; Luk 1:26.
3) “To Joseph in Egypt,” (to Ioseph en aigupto) “To the Joseph (with Mary and Jesus) in Egypt.” Angels are not restricted to any locality, any continent, or any race. They are invisible, unseen, universal, and age-long servants of God. The unfallen ones inform, serve, and protect children of God in their way of life, Psa 34:7; Heb 1:14.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
19. But when Herod was dead These words show the perseverance of Joseph’s faith. He kept his feet firm in Egypt, till he was recalled to his native country by a command of God. We see, at the same time, that the Lord never disappoints his own people, but renders them seasonable aid. It is probable that Joseph returned from Egypt immediately after the death of Herod, before Augustus Caesar had issued his decree, appointing Archelaus to be governor of Judea. Having been declared by his father’s will to be successor to the throne, he undertook the whole charge of the government, but abstained from taking the title of king, saying that this depended on the will and pleasure of Caesar. He afterwards went to Rome, and obtained confirmation; only the name of king was refused, until he had merited it by his actions. The governor of Galilee was Philip, a man of gentle disposition, and almost like a private individual. Joseph complied with the suggestion of the angel, because, under a prince who had no delight in shedding blood, and who treated his subjects with mildness, there was less danger.
We must always bear in mind the purpose of God, in training his Son, from the commencement, under the discipline of the cross, because this was the way in which he was to redeem his Church. He bore our infirmities, and was exposed to dangers and to fears, that he might deliver his Church from them by his divine power, and might bestow upon it everlasting peace. His danger was our safety: his fear was our confidence. Not that he ever in his life felt alarm; but as he was surrounded, on every hand, by the fear of Joseph and Mary, he may be justly said to have taken upon him our fears, that he might procure for us assured confidence.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CRITICAL NOTES
Mat. 2:22. Archelaus.Succeeded to Juda, Samaria and Idumea, but Augustus refused him the title of king till it should be seen how he conducted himself, giving him only the title of Ethnarch. Above this, however, he never rose. The people, indeed, recognised him as his fathers successor; and so it is here said that he reigned in the room of his father Herod. But after ten years defiance of the Jewish law and cruel tyranny, the people lodged heavy complaints against him, and the Emperor banished him to Vienne in Gaul, reducing Juda again to a Roman province. Then the sceptre clean departed from Judah (Brown). Galilee, where Antipas, brother of Archelaus, was ruling under the title of Tetrarch. He was a tyrant too, but not so savage as Archelaus (Morison).
Mat. 2:23. Nazareth.Said to signify the Protectress (Heb. natsar), a small town of central Galilee, on the edge of the plain of Esdraelon, beautifully situated on the side of a steep hill, within a sheltered valley. Nazarene.The meaning of this passage was probably as clear to the contemporaries of St. Matthew as the other references to prophecy (Mat. 2:15; Mat. 2:17); for us it is involved in doubt.
1. Nazarene cannot = Nazarite: the word differs in form, and in no sense could Christ be called a Nazarite.
2. The quotation is probably not from a lost prophecy. One meaning of the word Nazorus is an inhabitant of Nazareth, but the word either
1. Recalls the Hebrew word netser a branch, a title by which the Messiah is designated, Isa. 11:1; or:
2. Connects itself in thought with the Hebrew natsar, to save or protect, and so has reference to the name and work of Jesus; or:
3. Is a synonym for contemptible or lowly, from the despised position of Nazareth. The play upon words which 1 and 2 involve is quite characteristic of Hebrew phraseology. The sound of the original would be either
1. He whom the prophet called the Netser dwells at Netser (see Smiths Bib. Dict.); or:
2. He who is called Notsri (my protector) dwells at Natsaret (the protectress) (Carr).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.Mat. 2:19-23
Settled obscurity.The main idea of the last passage in comparison with the passage which preceded it was that of contrast. The main idea of the present passage in comparison with the last is that of continuation. Things are found to remainthings are meant to remainnotwithstanding some changes, very much as they were. What the infant Jesus was seen to become in the last story, He is seen to continue in this. We may see this exhibited:
1. In the circumstances of His return from Egypt.
2. In its immediate consequences.
3. In its final result.
I. In the circumstances of His return.There is a clear correspondence between thesecertain minor differences only exceptedand those of the previous flight. Take the differences first: Herod was alive on the former occasion. Not only is he now no longer alive, but the same is true also of all who had sought the young Childs life (Mat. 2:20). The word flee, also, was used on the former occasion; the word go only on thisprobably because the occasion was not an urgent one as before. Also, probably, for the same reason, we read nothing now of going by night. But, these exceptions excepted, all else is very much as before. The same kind of messenger or angel; the same sphere of appearance, in a vision or dream; the same kind and style of injunction; the same gracious vouchsafing of reasons in support of it; and the same ready and implicit obedience thereto, are found here as before (Mat. 2:19-21). In all respects the Child is to go back as it had previously come. With much care and clearness of injunction, there was nothing of the royal, in the first of these cases. There is neither less nor more, in either respect, in this last.
II. In the immediate consequences of this return.
1. On their negative side.The direct route from Egypt to the land of Israel (Mat. 2:21), would bring Joseph and his charges first to the territory of Juda (Mat. 2:22). Possibly, also, there were other reasons which would bring Joseph there first. He might naturally think of going back first to the exact locality he had left. He was connected with it, as we know (Luk. 2:4), by his ancestry. Also by the way in which the story of Jesus had been connected with it so far. He might even be thinking, for the same reasons, of making that place his abode. If such were his intentions, they seem to account exactly for what we read of him next, viz. that when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Juda in the room of his father Herod (Mat. 2:22), he was afraid to go thither. He was afraid to do, that is to say, (so it seems to mean), what he had thought of doing before. Anyway we find that he was checked in this way from taking a step which would have had (if taken) a certain kind of kingly appearance about it. Going back to Bethlehem with its many associations, might not have amounted to much in the then lowly estate of the house of David; but it might also have looked like a tacit assertion of the royalty of their rights. Even so much as this, therefore, at that time, was not to be done.
2. On their positive side.When thus checked, Joseph, of course, would be in some doubt. If not thither, then whither? So he would ask. We know that he had connections in Galilee; as also that it was from Galilee, some time before, that he had come up to Bethlehem to be taxed (Luk. 2:4). Also we know from other sources (Jos., Ant., XVII. viii. 1), that Galilee was not included in the jurisdiction of this son of Heroda man already distinguished for his cruelty (ibid., ix. 3)but in that of his brother Antipas. If these things led Joseph, of themselves (as seems not improbable) to think of going to Galilee, the idea was confirmedor may have been altogether suggestedby a fourth communication from heaven. Being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee, into that despised province, that is to say, that obscure locality, where he would be almost as much of an exile, and quite as far from anything kingly, as in Egypt itself. So directly did God thus order again, that Jesus should still be as He was.
III. The final result.There is an air
1. Of great deliberation in what we read about this. He came and dwelthe took up his abodehe settled downin that part of the world. He did so alsoit is further notedin a city called Nazareth; as though to bid us observe that he did so, notwithstanding its name; notwithstanding the well-known ill repute of its name (cf. Joh. 1:46). For all this the Evangelist would have us observe that this was the place which he choseso far, but so far only, like him we read of in Gen. 13:11. There is an air
2. Of even greater deliberation in what accompanies this. To dwell in such a cityto be brought up in such a citywould either mean no distinction at all, or else distinction of a most unenviable description. Yet this, we are reminded, is just what God Himself had planned of old about the Messiah. The prophets had foretold in many places that He was to bear a name of special reproach. It was the fulfilment of such passages that God had in view in the choice of this place. He meant Jesus of Bethlehem not to be known as such, but as Jesus of Nazareth among men. He meant Davids Sonfor a time at any rateto be lost in the crowd. He meant to continue, in a word, what He had begun to indicate, when He bade Joseph take that infant King, and flee for His life!
From the passage thus considered we see:
1. How deliberate sometimes are Gods ways.As with Moses who was forty years in the wilderness (Act. 7:30) before being sent to effect the deliverance of Israel; as with John the Baptist (Luk. 1:80), so with that Greater than either whom we are told about here. He is purposely sent into, and left in obscurity for nearly thirty years of His lifenearly a generation in fact (Luk. 3:23). The sudden blaze of Luk. 2:46-47, only makes this the more strange. How was it that One who could speak so well on that occasion was afterwards in silence so long?
2. How significant they are here.When we see a lamp of great brilliancy lit and rejoiced in, and then immediately taken down and hid under a bushel, and afterwards kept there, though still unseen, with sedulous care, what do we expect if the master of the house is one who knows what he does? Evidently, that he has some great purpose in view! Most probably, also, that that purpose is of too profound a nature to be understood by us yet!
HOMILIES ON THE VERSES
Mat. 2:19. Joseph.
I. A pattern of self-abnegating submission.
II. An example of its rewards.The angel ever comes again to those who have once obeyed and continue to wait.A. Maclaren, D.D.
Mat. 2:22. Josephs new fear.
1. No wonder the children of wicked parents are suspected till their regeneration appear. Joseph fears lest Archelaus should be father-like or father-worse.
2. When God will comfort a man He removeth one doubt as well as another. Cf. chap. Mat. 1:20. The Lords warrant and clear direction doth quiet the mind.David Dickson.
Mat. 2:23. The prophets mission.The prophets are not primarily poets; poetry is not their professional office: they only happen by the way to be poetically gifted; they have another function to the purposes and uses of which they bend all their imaginative gifts.
I. They are intensely and supremely practical.They have practical ends to serve, practical objects to achieve; they are statesmen directing, controlling the natural mind to political issues; they are furthering alliances, carrying out policies, making history.
II. They are preachers.Aiming at the conscience rather than the imagination, claiming the will rather than the emotions.
III. They have an official commission to fulfil to which all their poetical capacities are directednot merely exercising the gift of genius of singling out the truth implanted in them by God, that is the high mission of every poet; but a formal and certified commission to convey orders, to declare a Divine message, to promote a definite, deliberate counsel of God, to point forward to a certified and warranted goal of national history.Canon Scott-Holland.
Prophecy.What are the conditions and assumptions which are involved in prophecy?
I. It assumes one God, enduring, unchanging, supreme, who inhabiteth eternity.
II. The one God is holy.He has a fixed spiritual character which constitutes His unitya character which is consistent and true and rational, working by definite vital principles, a character of deliberate purpose, of certified aim, not wilfully wayward, not incalculably uncertain, but firmloving for ever what He has once loved, and hating for ever what He has once hated.
III. He is a God who reveals Himself to man.This revelation of Himself must be adapted to the measure of mans capacity; it must be progressive, educational, disciplinary. The I am can but gradually reveal what it will be, and yet all that it will reveal itself to be will be only an unveiling of the eternal I am. And history is the medium of this unveiling.
IV. A specialised history.Gods purpose is definite and real; it cannot remain vague, primeval, tentative, and diffused. It must disentangle itself, sharpen its outlines, shape its materials, push its way forward.
V. As the mind of God opens it points more and more to a fixed fulfilment.Ibid.
Jesus at Nazareth.Equally rich was the present life on which the eyes of the boy Jesus looked out. Across Esdraelon, opposite to Nazareth, there emerged from the Samarian hills the road from Jerusalem, thronged annually with pilgrims, and the road from Egypt with its merchants going up and down. The Midianite caravans could be watched for miles coming up from the fords of Jordan; and the caravans from Damascus wound round the foot of the hill on which Nazareth stands. Or if the village boys climbed the northern edge of their home, there was another road almost within sight, where the companies were still more brilliantthat direct highway between Acre and the Decapolis, along which legions marched, and princes swept with their retinues, and all sorts of travellers from all countries went to and fro. The Roman ranks, the Roman eagles, the wealth of noblemens litters and equipages cannot have been strange to the eyes of the boys of Nazareth, especially after their twelfth year, when they went up to Jerusalem, or with their fathers visited famous Rabbis, who came down from Jerusalem, peripatetic among the provinces. Nor can it have been the eye only which was stirred. For all the rumour of the Empire entered Palestine close to Nazareththe news from Rome about the Emperors health, about the changing influence of the great statesmen, about the prospects at court of Herod, or of the Jews, about Csars last order concerning the tribute, or whether the policy of the procurator would be sustained. Many Galilan families must have had relatives in Rome; Jews would come back to this countryside to tell of the life of the worlds capital. Moreover, the scandals of the Herods buzzed up and down these roads; pedlars carried them, and the peripatetic Rabbis would moralise upon them. And the customs, too, of the neighbouring Gentilestheir loose living, their sensuous worship, their absorption in business, the hopelessness of the inscriptions on their tombs, multitudes of which were readable (and some are still) on the roads round Galileeall this would furnish endless talk in Nazareth, both among men and boys. Here, then, He grew up and suffered temptation, who was tempted in all points like as we are, yet without sin. The perfect example of His purity and patience was achievednot easily as behind a wide fence which shut the world outbut amid rumour and scandal and every provocation to unlawful curiosity and premature ambition. A vision of all the kingdoms of the world was as possible from Nazareth as from the Mount of Temptation. The pressure and problems of the world outside Gods people must have been felt by the youth of Nazareth as by few others; yet the scenes of prophetic missions to itElijahs and Elishaswere also within sight. But the chief lesson which Nazareth has for us is the possibility of a pure home and a spotless youth in the very face of the evil world.Professor G. A. Smith in Expositor.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
‘But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,’
This comment contains within it the idea of the inevitability of Herod’s death. It was to be expected in view of what he had done. For death comes to all who sin. And immediately after it God sprang into action. The angel of the Lord again appears to Joseph, this time in a dream in Egypt. God was about to effectively call His Son out of Egypt, the next stage in His process of salvation.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The evangelist now returns to the story of the Savior:
v. 19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
v. 20. 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. Herod died at Jericho in the year 750 after the founding of Rome. And his son Antipater, heir apparent to the throne, who had inherited his father’s cruel disposition, had been put to death at the tyrant’s command, five days before he himself yielded up his soul. So they whose murderous designs were most apparent were no longer living. The angel therefore gave Joseph the command to return to the land of Israel. No immediate danger threatened the Savior’s life. No apprehension need be felt regarding His safety. There is nothing, no person to fear: Go! Note again that Matthew always gives to the Christ-child the prominent position to which His divinity entitles Him. He is to be kept foremost in the minds and hearts of all readers.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mat 2:19. But when Herod was dead It will be worth the reader’s while to peruse the particular and affecting account which Josephus has given of the dreadful death of this inhuman tyrant, whom God so remarkably made a terror to himself, as well as to all about him. See Antiq. l. xvii. c. 6. Jewish War, l. i. c. 33. and Univ. History, vol. x. p. 638.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Reader! pause over this verse, and contemplate the awful death of this man. Ah Herod! is this the termination of all thy grandeur? Hast thou so shortly after followed thy murdered subjects to the grave? If the Reader would see a striking representation of such an end as this of Herod’s, he may find it, Isa 14:4-20 . I cannot refrain from quoting what Eusebius hath related in his Ecclesiastical History (and which he had from Josephus) concerning the dreadful close of Herod’s life. He saith “that a burning fever seized him, with an intolerable itching over his whole body. He was visited with grievous wounds, which putrefied, and bred worms. So that his whole body became so horridly offensive, that none could approach him. And such was his unbounded rage, as to be the dread of every one. Finding death drawing nigh, he attempted to destroy himself, but was prevented. At length he expired in agonies.”
It is worthy remark, that three, out of the four Herods we read of in the New Testament were such awful characters. This was the first. The second is but just mentioned by the name of Philip. Mar 6:17 . The third was he who caused the beheading of John the Baptist Mat 14:1-2 . And the fourth was eaten by worms before his death. Act 12 . Reader! doth the LORD manifest to his dear children in poor circumstances, his contempt of riches, by bestowing them so often upon the most worthless of men? Oh! for grace to bless him for a sanctified use of humble poverty. 1Co 1:26-27 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
Ver. 19. But when Herod was dead ] Not long after this butchery at Bethlehem he fell into a foul and loathsome disease, whereof he died: a so did Sulla, that bloody man before him; b so did Maximinus, and others after him. John de Roma, a cruel monk and inquisitioner (who used to fill boots with boiling grease, and so putting them upon the legs of those whom he examined, to tie them backward to a form, with their legs hanging down over a small fire, &c.), was smitten by God with an incurable disease, so loathsome that none could come near him, so swarming with vermin and so rotten, that the flesh fell away from the bones by piece meal, &c. Twiford (who was executioner of Frith, Bayfield, Bainham, Lambert, and other good men) died rotting above ground, that none could abide him. (Acts and Mon.) So did Alexander the cruel keeper of Newgate, and John Peter his son-in-law, who commonly, when he would affirm anything, used to say, If it be not true, I pray God I rot ere I die. Stephen Gardner rejoicing upon the news of the bishops burnt at Oxford, was suddenly seized by the terrible hand of God as he sat dining; continuing for the space of fifteen days in such intolerable torment, that he could not have any bowel movements, or otherwise, anything that he received; whereby his body being miserably inflamed (who had inflamed so many good martyrs before) was brought to a wretched end; his tongue hanging out all black and swollen, as Archbishop Arundel’s did before him. (Acts and Mon.) But to return to Herod; when he saw he should die indeed, that there might be no mourning at his funeral, he commanded the Jewish nobility (whom he had imprisoned for that purpose in the Castle of Hippodromus) to be all slain as soon as ever he was dead. (Josephus.) And being at the point of death, he commanded his son Antipater to be executed in the prison, whom but a little while before he had declared heir of the kingdom. In November, 1572, appeared a new star in Cassiopeia, and continued sixteen months. Theodore Beza wittily applied it (saith Mr Camden, Elizabeth) to that star at Christ’s birth, and to the infanticide there, and warned Charles IX to beware in this verse,
” Tu vero, Herodes sanguinolente, time. “
“And thou blood heard, truly fear”
The fifth month after the vanishing of this star, the said Charles, after long and grievous pains, died of exceeding bleeding. Constans fama est illum, dum e variis corporis partibus sanguis emanaret, in lecto scepe volutatum, inter horribilium blasphemiarum diras, tantam sanguinis vim proiecisse, ut paucas post horas mortuus fuerit: persecutors (as they say of the devil) go out with a stench. Arius (saith one) voiding out his guts, sent his soul, as a harbinger to hell, to provide room for his body: he was brought to confusion by the prayers of Alexander, the good Bishop of Constantinople, and his death was precationis opus, non morbi, work of pray not of death. (Socrat.) So, likely, was Herod’s.
Behold, an angel ] Glad of an office to serve the saints, Heb 1:14 . They rejoice more in their names of office than of honour: to be called angels, watchmen, Dan 4:23 &c., than principalities; powers, &c. It was long ere Joseph heard from heaven, but God’s time he knew was the best. And although he leave his people, to their thinking, yet he forsakes not. No, that he doth not, saith the author to the Hebrews. . Heb 13:5 .
a Lento calore torrebatur. Ipsa quoque verenda putrefacta scatebant vermiculis. Joseph.
b Sulla saevus ita ut esset, Plutarch. In rustico praedio pediculari morbo periit, .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mat 2:19-21 . Joseph’s return . . : Herod died in 750 U. C. in his 70th year, at Jericho, of a horrible loathsome disease, rotten in body as in soul, altogether an unwholesome man ( vide Joseph, Bell, i. 33, 1 5; Antiq., xvii. 6, 5; Euseb., H. E., i. 6, 8). The news of his death would fly swiftly, and would not take long to reach Egypt.There would be no need of an angel to inform Joseph of the fact. But his anxieties would not therefore be at an end. Who was to succeed Herod? Might he not be another of the same type? Might disorder and confusion not arise? Would it be safe or wise to return to Palestine? Guidance was again needed, desired, and obtained. : the guidance is given once more in a dream ( ). The anxious thoughts of the daytime are reflected in the dream by night, and the angelic message comes to put an end to uncertainty.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Mat 2:19-23
19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20″Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child’s life are dead.” 21So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
Mat 2:19 “an angel of the Lord” See note at Mat 1:20.
Mat 2:22 “Archelaus” Archelaus was another cruel member of the Herod family whom Joseph did not trust. He ruled the southern part of Herod the Great’s territories (Judah, Samaria, and Idumea) from 4 B.C. – A.D. 6 when the Romans banished him to Gaul because of his cruelty.
Mat 2:23 “He shall be called a Nazarene” The village where Jesus grew up was called Nazareth. It is not mentioned in the OT, the Talmud, or in Josephus. It apparently was not settled until the time of John Hyrcanus (i.e., Hasmonaen), who ruled from 134-104 B.C. The presence of Joseph and Mary from this village implies that a clan of David’s line settled here.
There may be an etymological connection between the names Nazareth and the Messianic title “Branch,” which is netser in Hebrew (cf. Isa 11:1; Jer 23:5; Jer 33:15; Zec 3:8; Zec 6:12; Rev 5:5; Rev 22:16). This interpretation is evidenced by the fact that no prophet ever foretold of Jesus being born or raised in Nazareth, but they did predict the coming of a special anointed Davidic king (i.e., Isa 7:14; Isa 9:1-7; Isa 11:1-5; Dan 2:44; Dan 7:13-14, see Special Topic at Mat 8:20).
It was apparently a term of reproach because of its location far from Jerusalem in a Gentile area (cf. Joh 1:46 and Act 24:5, even though this, too, was prophecy cf. Isa 9:1). This may be why it was included on the board above Jesus on the cross (i.e., Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews).
SPECIAL TOPIC: JESUS THE NAZARENE
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Mat 2:19-23
6. THE RETURN TO NAZARETH
Mat 2:19-23
19 But when Herod was dead.-Herod died a few weeks after the flight into Egypt; we have no way of knowing just when Joseph and Mary took the babe to Egypt, hence no way of knowing how long they remained there before the death of Herod. Herod died at Jericho just before the Passover in the year 750 after the building of Rome, four years before the date from which we reckon our time. It has been calculated that the Passover occurred on April 12 that year and that Herod died seven to fourteen days before the Passover. He was buried within the bounds of Bethlehem, where he had murdered the innocent children.
An angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt.-This is the third time that the angel of the Lord has appeared to Joseph according to Matthew’s record; the angel in a dream told him to take Mary to be his wife; the angel told him to take Mary and the child and flee into Egypt; and now the angel appears again to him and tells him to return from Egypt. Herod had died in his seventieth year, and now the child was safe, hence the angel instructs Joseph to return to his native land. God, ever mindful of his own, now apprizes Joseph by a dream that he may safely return to the land of Israel, for Herod is dead.
20 Arise and take the young child and his mother.-This time Joseph is to arise and take the child and his mother and “go”; in going down into Egypt Joseph was told to take the young child and his mother and “flee into Egypt.” Joseph patiently and faithfully obeys all orders; he proves himself to be a worthy guardian of the young child and his mother. He is to “go into the land of Israel.” This is indefinite as to the exact location; it was definite enough for Joseph while in Egypt; he is to go out of Egypt and go to “the land of Israel.”
They are dead that sought the young child’s life.-“They” may include Herod and his wicked son Antipater; Antipater was killed five days before his father Herod died; “they” may also include the government officers of Herod who would pass out of office with the death of Herod. We infer from this that there were more than Herod involved in seeking the death of the young child. The angel informed Joseph that all who were seeking the child’s life were dead. Some think that only the death of Herod is referred to here; others think that Herod had enlisted the sympathy and services of others in seeking to destroy the young child. If Antipater is included in the statement, we may assume that he had shared his father’s hostility to the child.
21 He arose and took the young child and his mother.-We are impressed with the promptness with which Joseph obeyed the orders which he had received. God is pleased with such prompt obedience. Joseph is guided by the direction of God in going into Egypt and in returning from Egypt; he is as prompt in his obedience in returning from Egypt, when all dangers have passed, as he was in going down into Egypt when the dangers were numerous; Joseph is an example of prompt obedience to God under all circumstances. Joseph came into the land of Israel and it seems that he intended to return to Bethlehem of Judea. Some think that it was the intention of Joseph to rear the infant King in the city of his birth until the time should come when they would expect him to occupy Jerusalem, “the city of the great King.” Joseph would naturally come to Judea first in returning from Egypt as Judea was in the southern part of “the land of Israel.”
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea.-After the death of Herod, his kingdom was divided among his three sons by Augustus Caesar. Archelaus was given Judea, Idumea, and Samaria; Herod Antipas obtained. Galilee and Perea; while Philip received Badanea, Trachonitis, and Auranitis. Herod and Philip received the title of “tetrarch, but Archelaus received the title of “ethnarch.” The title of king was conferred later on Archelaus. The title of king was to be conferred on Archelaus provided he proved himself worthy; however, nine years after he received his portion he was banished by Augustus Caesar. Upon the death of Herod, Archelaus was proclaimed king by the army, but it was not confirmed by Augustus Caesar. Archelaus was a wicked ruler; his reputation was no better than that of his father.
When Joseph learned that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in Herod’s place, “he was afraid to go thither.” He probably knew the reputation of Archelaus, and thought that he would take vengeance on him and his family. He knew that Archelaus was wicked enough to destroy the young child, and he did not know but that he had it in mind to do so. Joseph was surprised and disappointed at learning that Archelaus was reigning over Judea. He was afraid to remain in Judea with the holy child. If Joseph went to Bethlehem, that would remind Archelaus of him who was “born King of the Jews,” while if Joseph carried his family to a distance, Archelaus would still imagine that the child was dead.
Being warned of God in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee.-He turned aside and did not go to his intended destination; it is possible that he took another road when he heard of Archelaus reigning over Judea and went to Galilee. This is the fourth revelation that Joseph has received concerning the child and his care over it; it implies a high tone of spirituality of Joseph. The watchfulness of Joseph for the safety of the child serves as the natural groundwork for divine communication, and the repeated revelations to him in dreams emphasize divine guidance in caring for the child. These four dreams occurred at considerable intervals of time. While Joseph was afraid to dwell in Judea under the authority of Archelaus, he did not make a move until God warned him in another dream to go into Galilee.
Galilee was the northern division or portion of “the land of Israel.” At this time Palestine was divided into three divisions-Judea in the southern part, Samaria occupied the central portion, and Galilee composed the northern division. Joseph turned aside “into the parts of Galilee,” Archelaus had no authority over Galilee. Herod Antipas was the ruler over this country. He was a different man and governed with more leniency than did his brother Archelaus. Herod Antipas and Archelaus were at enmity with each other at this time; this was a most favorable circumstance for Joseph and his family.
23 And came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth.-Nazareth was Joseph’s former home; it was a small town or a large village. It was “called Nazareth”; “Nazareth” means a shoot, or branch, or protectress; it was about twenty miles east of the Mediterranean Sea and sixteen miles west of the Sea of Galilee. And so it came to pass that Jesus was brought up in Nazareth. Nazareth is not mentioned in the Old Testament; very few towns and events are recorded of the northern territory of Palestine. At this time this town had a mean reputation. Later Nathanael asked, “Can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (Joh 1:46.) Nathanael lived in “Cana in Galilee” (Joh 21:2), which was only a few miles distance from Nazareth.
Nazareth had no reputation at that time. It was situated about fifty-five miles north of Jerusalem in an elevated basin such as is frequently found in Samaria and Galilee. This basin is about a mile long and is less than a half mile wide; it opens southward by a narrow and winding pass into the great plain of Esdraelon; on the western side of the valley of Nazareth lies the modern town that bears that name. Higher up the slope is a limestone cliff thirty or forty feet high, which may well have been the “brow of the hill whereon their city was built,” from which the mob proposed to cast Jesus when they had rejected him as their prophet. (Luk 4:29.) It was here that the righteous Joseph and the meek Mary lived and where Jesus “advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.” (Luk 2:52.) Here lived the child, the boy, the youth, and the man who was in due time to come forth from this obscure village as the Redeemer and Savior of the world. It was here that Jesus wrought (Mar 6:3) at the humble calling of the carpenter’s trade; it was at Nazareth that he worshiped on the Sabbath in the synagogue of the Jews.
That it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets.-Notice that the plural is used here of “the prophets”; no particular prophet had spoken of Jesus dwelling in Nazareth. It is thought that Matthew quotes the general sentiment of the prophets, that he is giving the equivalent of their language and not their exact language. Many of the prophets had predicted the humble life of Jesus , this is expressed in the proverbial statement that he should be “called a Nazarene.” “A Nazarene” is a term of contempt. (John 1 46; 7:52.) The very name of Nazareth suggested insignificance; in the Hebrew it meant to sprout or shoot. This name is prophetically given to the Messiah. (Isa 11:1.) The figure of the tree is continued by Isaiah and is applied to the Jewish state. As David sprang from the humble family of Jesse, so the Messiah, the second David, shall arise out of great humiliation. The fact that Jesus grew up at Nazareth was sufficient reason for his being despised; he was not a lofty branch on the summit of a stately tree; not a recognized and honored son of the royal house of David, now fallen, but an insignificant “sprout” from the roots of Jesse; a Nazarene, of an insignificant village.
The chronological order of the events as recorded by Matthew seem to be as follows: Soon after the birth of Christ the wise men arrived from the east; their visit was soon followed by the flight into Egypt and the sojourn there for a short time, which must have been very brief, as Herod’s death occurred soon afterward; the return from Egypt to the land of Israel, and then to the parts of Galilee and to Nazareth, where Jesus resided for about thirty years. Luke records the presentation in the temple which must have taken place some time before the flight into Egypt. By living in Nazareth Jesus came to be known as the Nazarene, and this name fulfilled the idea expressed by the prophet as belonging to the Messiah. Jesus was “the Branch,” “the Shoot,” and by his Nazareth name fulfilled the prediction that, though of lowly origin, the small, despised shoot would become a great tree. Some prefer to take the meaning of Nazareth to be one who protects or saves; the name Nazarene then would have reference to Jesus’ work as a Savior.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
angel
(See Scofield “Heb 1:4”)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Herod: Psa 76:10, Isa 51:12, Dan 8:25, Dan 11:45
an: Mat 2:13, Mat 1:20, Psa 139:7, Jer 30:10, Eze 11:16
Reciprocal: Gen 28:12 – he dreamed Exo 2:23 – the king Num 12:6 – a dream 1Ki 3:5 – in a dream Mat 2:15 – until Mat 18:10 – their
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
2:19
Verse 19. Sometimes angels were sent in visible form to communicate with man on behalf of God, and at others they came only In an inspired dream which was the way it was done to Joseph in Egypt when It was necessary to give him information.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mat 2:19. When Herod was dead. Herod died at Jericho about the time of the Passover (April) in the year 750 after the building of Rome, four years before the date from which we reckon our time. The common Christian era was not fixed until five hundred years later. (See Introd., 8.) The length of the stay in Egypt has however been variously reckoned from a few weeks to three years in accordance with the various dates assigned to the Nativity. The Evangelist adds no comment on Herods character, no terms of reproach. He can learn little, who will not of himself make proper inferences. Josephus describes the horrible death of Herod, amid alternate designs of revenge and fits of despair.
Mat 2:20. They are dead, etc. A similar expression is used (Exo 4:19) in a revelation made to Moses, with which Joseph was certainly acquainted.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Observe, 1. Herod’s death: like a bloody persecutor, he is sent unlamented to his grave. Historians say, that out of his body issued forth such impure streams of blood that the loathsomeness and pain made him attempt the killing of himself. God seldom suffers persecuters to pass in quiet to their graves; they rarely die the common death of all men, having no other balm at their funeral than their own blood.
Observe, 2. The happy consequence of Herod’s death. Christ is now called home without danger: Herod being sent to his grave, the coast is clear for the return of the holy family. The death of persecutors is the delivery of the persecuted.
Observe, 3. An angel is dispatched to acquaint Joseph with Herod’s death.
O! how cheerfully do those glorious spirits execute the commands of their sovereign Master! With what delight do they carry the message of God’s kindness to their fellow-creatures!
Lord, what an argument is this of thy love unto us, that in this our pilgrimage state thou allowest us thine own royal guard to attend and preserve us!
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mat 2:19. When Herod was dead His death, of which Josephus has given us a very affecting account, happened, according to some, within three or four months of his perpetrating the above-mentioned bloody act, and was a fearful instance of that vengeance which God, even in this world, sometimes takes on his enemies, and those of his people. He died eaten with worms, at the age of seventy-one, after a reign of forty years, having endured such excruciating, lingering, and loathsome diseases, as rendered him intolerable to himself and others also. And his innate cruelty being thus exasperated, he became more barbarous than ever, and just before his death caused Antipater, his son and the heir apparent of his kingdom, to be executed on some groundless suspicion. God, it seems, made him, in a remarkable manner, a terror to himself and to all round about him. Eusebius, the ancient ecclesiastical historian, thought his death so great an illustration of the gospel history, that he has inserted it at large in his work. An angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
Probably the same angel which had appeared to him before, and directed him to flee into Egypt, and abide there till he should bring him word again. That word is now brought him, and in obedience to it he returns with the child and his mother into the land of Israel. Let us, in like manner, remember, it is Gods part to direct, and ours to obey. Nor can we be out of the way of safety and comfort while we are in the way of duty, following his directions, and steering our course by the intimations of his pleasure. For, the preservation of the holy child Jesus may be considered as a figure of Gods care over his Church and people, in their greatest dangers. He doth not often, as he easily could, strike their persecutors with immediate destruction, but he provides a hiding place for his children, and by methods not less effectual, though less pompous, preserves them from being swept away even when the enemy comes in like a flood. Egypt, that was once the seat of persecution and oppression to the Israel of God, is now a refuge to his Son: and thus all places will be to us what Divine Providence will be pleased to make them. When, like Joseph and Mary, we are cut off from the worship of his temple, and, perhaps, removed into a strange land, he can be a little sanctuary to us, and give us, in his gracious presence, a rich equivalent for all we have lost. Doddridge.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
XV.
THE CHILD JESUS BROUGHT
FROM EGYPT TO NAZARETH.
(Egypt and Nazareth, B. C. 4.)
aMATT. II. 19-23; cLUKE II. 39.
a19 But when Herod was dead [He died in the thirty-seventh year of his reign and the seventieth of his life. A frightful inward burning consumed him, and the stench of his sickness was such that his attendants could not stay near him. So horrible was his condition that he even endeavored to end it by suicide], behold, an angel of the Lord [word did not come by the infant Jesus; he was “made like unto his brethren” ( Heb 2:17), and being a child, “he spake as a child” ( 1Co 13:11), and not as an oracle] appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt [Joseph had obeyed the command given at Mat 2:13, and God kept the promise contained therein. God ever keeps covenant with the obedient], saying, 20 Arise [Happy Joseph! his path was ordered of God. Let us also seek such ordering. “in all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths– Pro 3:6] and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel [The phrase “land of Israel” originally meant all Palestine, but during the period of the kingdom of the ten tribes it was restricted to their portion of the country. After the captivities and the return of Judah from Babylon the phrase resumed its original meaning, and hence it is here used to include all Palestine. As Jesus was “not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” ( Mat 15:24), it was fitting that he return thither from Egypt]; for they [“They” is doubtless the plural of majesty; though it may include others unknown to us, who were employed by him or advised him] are dead [How prophetic the words! Christ’s enemies die, but he lives on. How innumerable this host of opposers! Persecutors, oppressors, infidels, critics, literatures, [53] organizations, principalities, and powers, a vast and motley array of forces, have sought the life of Jesus, have made a great noise in the world, and died away in silence. Pharoahs, Neros, Diocletians, many a Charles, Torquemada and Bloody Mary have come up and gone down, but the king of Israel lives on] that sought the young child’s life. 21 And he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came [The length of his sojourn in Egypt is uncertain. It is variously estimated at from two weeks to more than seven months] into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard [Joseph heard this on entering Palestine. As he knew of Herod’s death by revelation, and hence before any one else in Egypt, there was no one there to tell him who succeeded Herod] that Archelaus [By his last will and testament Herod divided his kingdom among three of his sons, and Augustus Csar consented to the provision of this will. Archelaus, under the title of Ethnarch, received Juda, Iduma, and Samaria; Antipas, under the title of Tetrarch, received Galilee and Pera; and Philip, under the title of Tetrarch, received Trachonitis (with Itura), Batana, and Auranitis. Each of these sons bore the name of Herod, like their father. Augustus withheld from Archelaus the title of king, promising it to him “if he governed that part virtuously.” But in the very beginning of his reign he massacred three thousand Jews at once, in the temple, at the time of the Passover, because they called for justice upon the agents who performed the barbarities of his father’s reign. Not long after this a solemn embassy of the Jews went to Rome, and petitioned Augustus to remove Archelaus, and make his kingdom a Roman province. After a reign of nine years, Archelaus was banished to Vienne, in Gaul, where he died in A.D. 6. After him Juda had no more native kings, and the scepter was clean departed from Judah. The land became a Roman province, and its governors were successively Quirinius, Coponius, Ambivius, Annius Rufus, Valerius Gratus, and Pontius Pilate] was reigning over Juda in the room of his father Herod [These words sound like an echo of those employed by the [54] embassy just referred to, for it said to Augustus concerning this man, “He seemed to be so afraid lest he should not be deemed Herod’s own son, that he took special care to prove it”], he was afraid to go thither [As Matthew has spoken of Joseph residing at Bethlehem (and he did reside there for quite awhile after the birth of Jesus), the use of word “thither” implies that Joseph planned to return to that town. Mary had kindred somewhere in the neighborhood ( Luk 1:36, Luk 1:39, Luk 1:40), and doubtless both parents thought that David’s city was the most fitting place for the nurture of David’s heir]; and being warned of God in a dream [God permitted Joseph to follow the bent of his fear. Joseph’s obedience shows him a fit person for the momentous charge entrusted to him], {cthey returned} ahe withdrew [From the territory of Archelaus to that of Antipas, who was a man of much milder disposition. As the brothers were on no good terms, Joseph felt sure that in no case would Antipas deliver him and his to Archelaus] into the parts of Galilee [It means “circuit.” It is the northern of the three divisions of the Holy Land. Its population was very dense, and was a mixture of Jews and Gentiles. Hence all Galilans were despised by the purer Jews of Juda], 23 and he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; ctheir own city [This town lies on a hillside, girt in by fifteen higher hills. It is a secluded nook. Here Jesus grew up in obscurity till he reached his thirtieth year. Here he spent about nine-tenths of his earthly life. Sweet humility! Lowliness is as rare and precious a virtue as pride is a plentiful and repugnant vice] athat it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets [Matthew uses the plural, “prophets,” because this prophecy is not the actual words of any prophet, but is the general sense of many of them. We have noted three kinds of prophecy; this is the fourth kind, viz.: one where the very trend or general scope of Scripture is itself a prophecy], that he should be called a Nazarene. [The Hebrew word netzer means “branch” or “sprout.” It is used figuratively for that which is lowly or despised ( Isa 17:9, Eze 15:1-6, Mal 4:1). [55] See also Joh 15:6, Rom 11:21. Now, Nazareth, if derived from netzer, answered to its name, and was a despised place ( Joh 1:45, Joh 1:46), and Jesus, though in truth a Bethlehemite, bore the name Nazarene because it fitly expressed the contempt of those who despised and rejected him.]
[FFG 53-55]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
THE HOLY FAMILY RETURN FROM EGYPT
19-23, & Luk 2:39-40. And Herod having died. We do not know how long they remained in Egypt, but evidently the period was brief. Scarcely has the wail of the slaughtered infants died away on the air of Bethlehem till the cruel old king, becoming quite ill, goes to Jericho, where he had a palace and a pool, that he may avail himself of the sanitary warm baths for the recovery of his health. Even there he slays Antipater, his only surviving son by his first wife, Mary Anne, whom he had slain, with her other two sons, Alexander and Aristobulus; this dark crime only preceding five days his own exit to meet God and enter upon the awful retributions of eternity. Behold, an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream in Egypt: Arise, take the young child and His mother, and go into Israel, for those seeking the life of the young child are dead. And he, rising, took the young child and His mother, and came into Israel. And hearing that Archelaus rules over Judea in the room of Herod his father, he feared to go thither. Archelaus, being the only surviving son of Herod, received the government nominally by inheritance. We must remember that after the battle of Actium, which left Augustus Caesar sole proprietor of the Roman Empire, which had conquered the whole world, consequently no king in any country could reign till he went to Rome and received his crown at the hand of the emperor; consequently, immediately after the death of Herod, Archelaus went away to Rome, a long and perilous journey for those times, in order that the emperor might crown him king of the Jews. Now it is a simple fact that the emperor positively refused to crown him, so that Archelaus was really never king of Judea. On the contrary, the emperor sent Coponius to Judea, in the capacity of proconsul, thus dismantling the kingdom, and turning it into a Roman province, no longer having its own king, but simply a governor, sent out by the Roman emperor, to rule that country as a Roman province. Now why did this transition take place at this peculiar time? Why, it was a fulfillment of prophecy, which says, The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, till Shiloh [i.e., Christ] comes. Now do you not see this wonderful fulfillment of prophecy? Augustus Caesar had crowned Herod king of the Jews, and why not now crown Archelaus, and let the Jews have their kingdom, instead of reducing them to a state of vassalage by taking away their kingdom, and making them a Roman province? The solution is plain. Shiloh had already come, and the scepter had departed from Judah. Though the Roman emperor knew nothing about these prophecies nor their fulfillment, yet arbitrarily taking the bit in his teeth, he proceeded, undeviatingly, literally to fulfill the prophecies. So are wicked worldly people this day fulfilling the prophecies with astounding accuracy.
Being warned in a dream, he departed into the regions of Galilee. Having come, he dwelt in a city called Nazareth; in order that the word spoken by the prophets may be fulfilled, that He shall be called a Nazarene. (Isa 11:1.)
The village of Nazareth was so obscure and insignificant as never so much as to receive a mention in all the Old Testament Scriptures. It was proverbial for ignorance and poverty, so that the maxim obtained, No good can come out of Nazareth; thus illustrating the universally patent fact that this world is upside down, human estimation all wrong, and the very opposite of the Divine and true. Though Nazareth in human estimation was the most worthless place on the earth, it has come to the front, more celebrated and honored than all the time-honored metropolises on the globe. The same is true of the people. Examine all history. Those who have risen to true eminence have emanated from utter obscurity; while the high-born, as a rule, dwindle into insignificance, never amounting to anything. I did so much enjoy my sojourn in Nazareth, happily reached by Jewish and Christian enterprise, now quite flourishing, with a population of seven thousand. How I did enjoy walking through the house where Jesus dwelt thirty years; visiting Josephs carpenter-shop, where He labored with him at the work-bench; and the old synagogue, where He actually worshipped the God of Israel thirty years! The primitive Christians were called Nazarenes.
And the little child grew and became strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. (Luk 2:40.) No wonder the body of Jesus grew and symmetrically developed with rolling years, as He had no physical infirmities, superinduced by the fall. Consequently He never had any sickness to impede His growth, His physical life throughout being like that of Adam before the fall, perfectly healthy, natural, and free from all ailments of any kind. This conclusion follows as a legitimate sequence from the very fact that He took our nature, without sin and its consequence; i.e., without infirmity. His spiritual development was truly marvelous, from the simple fact that His intellect was perfectly clear and cloudless, never muddled, nor confused, nor in any way thrown off its equilibrium. His affections were perfectly pure, and never contaminated by anything vile. His memory was perfect, so that He never forgot anything, while His judgment was infallible, even while in childhood. Hence He was actually filled with the true wisdom of God peculiar to the heavenly state; while the grace of God, not only filled, but crowned Him.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Mat 2:19-23. The Settlement at Nazareth.By Herods will Archelaus (p. 609) held the title of King till the Emperor Augustus forbade it. In Galilee, another of Herods sons, Antipas (p. 609), was tetrarch. There is here no thought that Nazareth (p. 29) was Josephs previous home. He goes there because (a) Juda might be dangerous, (b) prophecy must be fulfilled. For Mt. the question of the Messiahs birthplace does not arise; Joseph and Mary live in Bethlehem, and it would be there. Lk.s knowledge of Nazareth is better than Mt.s. The closest OT connexion with Mat 2:23 is that Is., Jer., and Zeph. refer to Messiah as the branch (Nezer) of the house of David. Nazarenes was a contemptuous name given to the early Christians; Mt., to consecrate it, snatches at the faintest prophetic allusion (cf. Act 2:22*). It is curious that Nazareth is not mentioned in OT, Josephus, or the Talmud, but that seven miles from the present village there was Bethlehem of Zebulun (Jos 19:15), called in the Talmud Zoriyah (?=Notzeriyah), i.e. the Nazarene (or Galilean) Bethlehem. Did Jesus really belong to this place? The double name Bethlehem-Nazareth might easily account for the variant tradition as to His birthplace.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
2:19 {3} But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
(3) Christ is brought up in Nazareth, after the death of the tyrant by God’s providence: that by the very name of the place it might plainly appear to the world that he is the Lord’s true Nazarite.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. The prophecies about Nazareth 2:19-23 (cf. Luk 2:39)
Matthew concluded his selective account of the events in Jesus’ childhood that demonstrated His messiahship and illustrated various reactions to Him with Jesus’ return to Israel.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
God’s sovereign initiative is again the subject of Matthew’s record. This is the fourth dream and the third mention of the angel of the Lord appearing to Joseph in the prologue. The phrase "the land of Israel" occurs only here in the New Testament. Evidently Matthew used it since it recalls the promises and blessings God gave Jacob and his descendants. [Note: Toussaint, p. 56.]