FEATURES
of the law , he asked them where the Mes si ah was to be born . 5 “ In Beth le hem in Ju dea ,” they re plied , “ for this is what the proph et has writ ten :
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“ ‘ But you , Bethlehem , in the land of Judah , are by no means least among the rulers of Judah ; for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel .’ a ” house , they saw the child with his moth er Mary , and they bowed down and wor shiped him . Then they opened their trea sures and pre sent ed him with gifts of gold , frank in cense and myrrh . 12 And hav ing been warned in a dream not to go back to Her od , they re turned to their coun try by anoth er route .
The Escape to Egypt
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When they had gone , an an gel of the Lord ap peared to Jo seph in a dream . “ Get up ,” he said , “ take the child and his moth er and es cape to Egypt . Stay there un til I tell you , for Her od is go ing to search for the child to kill him .”
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So he got up , took the child and his moth er dur ing the night and left for Egypt , 15 where he stayed un til the death of Her od . And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the proph et : “ Out of Egypt I called my son .” b
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Then Her od called the Magi se cret ly and found out from them the ex act time the star had appeared . 8 He sent them to Beth le hem and said , “ Go and search care ful ly for the child . As soon as you find him , re port to me , so that I too may go and wor ship him .”
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Af ter they had heard the king , they went on their way , and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them un til it stopped over the place where the child was . 10 When they saw the star , they were over joyed . 11 On com ing to the
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a 6 Micah 5:2,4 |
b 15 Hosea 11:1 |
m a TThew 2:15 | 1531
2:4 called together all the people ’ s chief priests Herod is not demonstrating piety or respect for the priests in this instance ; they functioned as his own cabinet and body of advisers . He requires their expertise to determine the Messiah ’ s birthplace . teachers of the law Refers to trained interpreters of the Law of Moses . Their reply in vv . 5 – 6 reflects a tradition stemming from Isa 11:1 – 2 ; Isa 11:10 ; and Mic 5:2 , where the Messiah is said to originate from the clan of Jesse ( David ’ s father ) in Bethlehem . 2:6 no means least Matthew ’ s reading of Mic 5:2 reflects neither the original Hebrew nor the Septuagint ( Greek ) translation . However , it is likely that multiple Greek translations were available at this time . Despite the variations in the text , the sense is the same : Bethlehem ’ s importance comes from its connection to David and the Davidic Messiah . See the table “ Jesus ’ Fulfillment of OT Prophecy ” on p . 1573 . will shepherd Ancient Near Eastern rulers often are portrayed as shepherds . The same imagery is used throughout the OT ( see Eze 34:23 and note ; Jer 23:1 – 4 ; note on Jn 10:1 – 42 ). 2:7 the exact time the star had appeared Indicates that time had already passed since Jesus ’ birth . Compare note on 2:16 . 2:8 As soon as you find him , report to me The Magi likely came to Herod expecting to find the child in his palace . 2:11 they bowed down and worshiped him This was a common custom in the ancient Near East for honoring kings , who were viewed as divine figures . gold , frankincense and myrrh These were costly luxury items suitable as gifts for the birth of an important or royal figure .
2:13 – 15 Joseph is warned in a dream to flee with his family to Egypt . They hide there until Herod dies , and then return home .
2:15 was fulfilled The ordinary expectations of the Messiah would not have included fleeing into Egypt , but
Shepherds visit Jesus .
Mary and Joseph present Jesus at the temple .
Simon and Anna prophesy about Jesus .
The Magi come to Bethlehem .
Herod kills all male children in Bethlehem .
Angels appear to shepherds .
Jesus is circumcised .
The Magi ask Herod in Jerusalem about the “ king of the Jews .”
Joseph , Mary and Jesus flee to Egypt .
An angel appears to Joseph in Egypt .
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Three detailed life-of-Jesus event timelines chronicling his infancy and early ministry , the journey to Jerusalem , and the passion and resurrection
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