King James Version
Matthew 2
23 verses with commentary
The Visit of the Wise Men
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The mention of 'Bethlehem of Judaea' fulfills Micah 5:2's prophecy about the Messiah's birthplace. The 'wise men from the east' (Greek: magoi) were likely Persian or Arabian astrologers who studied prophecy, possibly influenced by Daniel's legacy in Babylon. Their arrival 'in the days of Herod the king' dates Jesus' birth to before 4 BC when Herod died.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
II.
(1) **In the days of Herod the king.**—The death of Herod took place in the year of Rome A.U.C. 750, just before the Passover. This year coincided with what in our common chronology would be B.C. 4—so that we have to recognise the fact that our common reckoning is erroneous, and to fix B.C. 5 or 4 as the date of the Nativity.
No facts recorded either in St. Matthew or St. Luke throw much light...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet--**(Is 7:14).
**saying--**as follows.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The question 'Where is he that is born King of the Jews?' acknowledges Jesus' royal status from birth, contrasting with Herod who became king by political maneuvering. The phrase 'we have seen his star in the east' suggests supernatural revelation, possibly the Shekinah glory or a conjunction of planets that God used to direct them. Their purpose 'to worship him' shows they recognized His deity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Where is he . . .?**—The Magi express here the feeling which the Roman historians, Tacitus and Suetonius, tell us sixty or seventy years later had been for a long time very widely diffused. Everywhere throughout the East men were looking for the advent of a great king who was to rise from among the Jews. The expectation partly rested on such Messianic prophecies of Isaiah as Isaiah 9, 11, pa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23. Behold, a virgin--**It should be "the virgin" meaning that particular virgin destined to this unparalleled distinction.
**shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which, being interpreted, is, God with us--**Not that He was to have this for a proper name (like "Jesus"), but that He should come to be known in this character, as God manifested ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Herod's troubled reaction reveals the fundamental conflict between earthly kingdoms and God's kingdom. As a usurper with no legitimate claim to David's throne, Herod feared any rival. His trouble parallels the world's ongoing hostility to Christ's rule. That 'all Jerusalem' was troubled shows how even God's people can prefer corrupt stability over God's righteous King when self-interest is threate...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Herod the king.**—When the Magi reached Jerusalem, the air was thick with fears and rumours, The old king (the title had been given by the Roman Senate in B.C. 40) was drawing to the close of his long and blood-stained reign. Two years before he had put to death, on a charge of treason, his two sons by Mariamne, his best-loved wife, through sheer jealousy of the favour with which the people ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep--**and all his difficulties now removed.
**did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife--**With what deep and reverential joy would this now be done on his part; and what balm would this minister to his betrothed one, who had till now lain under suspicions of all others the most trying to a chaste and holy woman--suspicions, t...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
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KJV Study Commentary
Herod's consultation with chief priests and scribes—the religious experts—demonstrates that biblical knowledge alone does not produce saving faith. These men could quote Scripture accurately but remained hostile to the Messiah Scripture proclaimed. This illustrates the Reformed doctrine that saving faith requires divine illumination of the heart, not merely intellectual comprehension.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **The chief priests and scribes.**—The chief priests were probably the heads of the twenty-four courses into which the sons of Aaron were divided (2Chronicles 23:8; Luke 1:5), but the term may have included those who had, though only for a time, held the office of high priest. The “scribes” were the interpreters of the Law, casuists and collectors of the traditions of the Elders, for the most ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25. And knew her not till she had brought forth her first-born son: and he called his name JESUS--**The word "till" does not necessarily imply that they lived on a different footing afterwards (as will be evident from the use of the same word in 1Sa 15:35; 2Sa 6:23; Mt 12:20); nor does the word "first-born" decide the much-disputed question, whether Mary had any children to Joseph after the birt...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
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KJV Study Commentary
The quotation from Micah 5:2 demonstrates God's sovereign decree specifying the exact location of Messiah's birth 700 years in advance. Bethlehem, though small and insignificant, was chosen by God to produce both King David and the greater David, Jesus Christ. This shows God's pattern of using the weak and despised things to accomplish His purposes (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **In Bethlehem of Judæa.**—The words of the people in John 7:42 show the same belief thirty years later. The Targum, or Jewish paraphrase, of Micah 5:2, inserts the very words, “Out of thee the Messiah shall come.”
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. rule: or, feed
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KJV Study Commentary
The priests and scribes accurately quote Micah 5:2, proving knowledge of Scripture doesn't guarantee faith. The phrase 'thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least' reverses Bethlehem's insignificance—from smallest town to birthplace of the Ruler who will 'rule' (literally: shepherd) God's people. This connects Jesus to David, the shepherd-king from Bethlehem.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **And thou Bethlehem. . . .**—The Evangelist is not quoting the prophecy of Micah himself, but recording it as it was quoted by the scribes. This in part explains the fact that he does not give either the version of the LXX., or a more accurate rendering of the Hebrew, but a free paraphrase. As the Targum, just referred to, belongs to this period, it is perfectly possible that the writer of it...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 2 Mt 2:1-12. Visit of the Magi to Jerusalem and Bethlehem.
**The Wise Men Reach Jerusalem--**The Sanhedrim, on Herod's Demand, Pronounce Bethlehem to Be Messiah's Predicted Birthplace (Mt 2:1-6).
**1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea--**so called to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, near the Sea of Galilee (Jos 19:15); called also Beth-lehem-jud...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
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KJV Study Commentary
Herod's cunning questioning reveals how earthly powers attempt to manipulate divine revelation for their purposes. His feigned worship masked murderous intent, demonstrating the depth of human depravity and self-deception. This illustrates how the unregenerate heart uses religious language to cloak evil motives, showing the doctrine of total depravity in action.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **When he had privily called.**—True to his nature to the last—himself probably a believer in astrology, and haunted by fears of what the star portended—the king’s next measure is to ascertain the limits of his danger. The English “what time the star appeared” is not quite accurate. Literally, *the time of the star that was appearing*—*i.e.,* at what time the star, which was still visible (Mat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews?--**From this it would seem they were not themselves Jews. (Compare the language of the Roman governor, Joh 18:33, and of the Roman soldiers, Mt 27:29, with the very different language of the Jews themselves, Mt 27:42, &c.). The Roman historians, Suetonius and Tacitus, bear witness to an expectation, prevalent in the East, that out of Jude...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Herod's request appears reasonable but conceals homicidal intent. This demonstrates that evil often masquerades as piety, requiring spiritual discernment to detect. The irony is profound: Herod asks to 'worship' the King he plans to murder, showing how religious profession without heart transformation is worthless. God would sovereignly protect Christ despite this scheme.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) Bethlehem was but a short six miles from Jerusalem. “Diligently,” better, as before, *exactly.* So far as the mission became known, it would impress the people with the belief that he too shared their hopes, and was ready to pay his homage to the new-born King.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled--**viewing this as a danger to his own throne: perhaps his guilty conscience also suggested other grounds of fear.
**and all Jerusalem with him--**from a dread of revolutionary commotions, and perhaps also of Herod's rage.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 2
Chapter Outline
The wise men's search after Christ.(1-8)
The wise men worship Jesus.(9-12)
Jesus carried into Egypt.(13-15)
Herod causes the infants of Bethlehem to be massacred.(16-18)
Death of Herod, Jesus brought to Nazareth.(19-23)
**Verses 1-8**
Those who live at the greatest distance from the means of grace often use most diligence, and learn to know t...
Read full commentary →When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
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KJV Study Commentary
The star's reappearance and movement to stand over Christ's location demonstrates supernatural guidance, not merely natural astronomy. God used extraordinary means to direct the magi to the Savior, showing His sovereign control over creation to accomplish redemptive purposes. The star's precision in identifying the specific house illustrates God's particular providence, not just general oversight.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Which they saw. . . .**—The words would seem to imply that they started in the evening, and, as they started, saw the star in the direction of Bethlehem. In popular language it served to guide them, and so led them on. We need not suppose that they found the child whom they sought in the “manger” described by St. Luke. There had been time for the crowds that had been gathered by the census t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together--**The class of the "chief priests" included the high priest for the time being, together with all who had previously filled this office; for though the then head of the Aaronic family was the only rightful high priest, the Romans removed them at pleasure, to make way for creatures of their own. In this class pr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-12**
What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God. We may well think what a disappointment it was to them, when they found a cottag...
Read full commentary →When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
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KJV Study Commentary
The magi's 'exceeding great joy' at finding Christ demonstrates the proper response to divine revelation. Their journey, likely months long across hundreds of miles, shows persevering faith that endures hardship to reach Christ. This contrasts sharply with Jerusalem's religious leaders who had Scripture but lacked desire to walk five miles to Bethlehem to see the Messiah.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea--**a prompt and involuntary testimony from the highest tribunal; which yet at length condemned Him to die.
**for thus it is written by the prophet--**(Mi 5:2).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-12**
What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God. We may well think what a disappointment it was to them, when they found a cottag...
Read full commentary →And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh. presented: or, offered
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KJV Study Commentary
Finding 'the young child with Mary his mother' emphasizes Jesus' humanity while the Magi's falling down to 'worship' acknowledges His deity. The gifts are symbolic: gold for royalty, frankincense for divinity (used in temple worship), and myrrh for His death (used in burial). These expensive gifts likely funded the family's flight to Egypt and return.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Opened their treasures.**—The word points to caskets, or chests, which they had brought with them.
**Gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.**—These were natural enough as the traditional gifts of homage to a ruler. Compare the gifts sent by Jacob to Joseph (Genesis 43:11), and Psalm 45:8, for the myrrh and spices; Psalm 72:15, for the gold; Isaiah 60:6, for gold and incense. The patristic inter...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda--**the "in" being familiarly left out, as we say, "London, Middlesex."
**art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, &c.--**This quotation, though differing verbally, agrees substantially with the Hebrew and the Septuagint. For says the prophet, "Though thou be little, yet out of thee shall come the Ruler"...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-12**
What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God. We may well think what a disappointment it was to them, when they found a cottag...
Read full commentary →And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
God's warning to the magi in a dream demonstrates His sovereign protection of His Son and His ability to communicate directly with seeking hearts, even among Gentiles. The magi's obedience to God's revelation over Herod's command shows proper priorities: obeying God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Their silent departure thwarted Herod's scheme, showing how God uses ordinary human obedience to accompl...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Being warned of God.**—Following the order of events in our minds, it seems probable that after their homage on the evening of their arrival, they retired, possibly to the “inn” of Bethlehem, and were then, in their sleep, warned not to return to Jerusalem the following day, but to make their way to the fords of Jordan, and so to escape from the tyrant’s jealous pursuit. So ends all that we...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men--**Herod has so far succeeded in his murderous design: he has tracked the spot where lies his victim, an unconscious babe. But he has another point to fix--the date of His birth--without which he might still miss his mark. The one he had got from the Sanhedrim; the other he will have from the sages; but secretly, lest his object should be su...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-12**
What joy these wise men felt upon this sight of the star, none know so well as those who, after a long and melancholy night of temptation and desertion, under the power of a spirit of bondage, at length receive the Spirit of adoption, witnessing with their spirits that they are the children of God. We may well think what a disappointment it was to them, when they found a cottag...
Read full commentary →The Flight to Egypt
And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The angel's command to 'flee into Egypt' shows God's providential care using Egypt (former place of bondage) as a place of refuge. The urgency 'by night' reflects imminent danger. God's foreknowledge of Herod's intention to 'destroy' the child demonstrates divine protection of the Messiah despite human opposition.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **The angel.**—Better, *an angel.* The interval of time between the departure of the Magi and Joseph’s dream is not specified. Probably it was very short. As with the Magi, the dream may have come as an echo of his waking thoughts, an answer to the perplexities with which their visit and the other wonders of the time had filled his spirit.
**Flee into Egypt.**—The nearness of Egypt had always...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently--**"Search out carefully."
**for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also--**The cunning and bloody hypocrite! Yet this royal mandate would meantime serve as a safe conduct to the strangers.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-15**
Egypt had been a house of bondage to Israel, and particularly cruel to the infants of Israel; yet it is to be a place of refuge to the holy Child Jesus. God, when he pleases, can make the worst of places serve the best of purposes. This was a trial of the faith of Joseph and Mary. But their faith, being tried, was found firm. If we and our infants are at any time in trouble, l...
Read full commentary →When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
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KJV Study Commentary
Joseph's immediate nighttime departure demonstrates urgent obedience to God's Word, prioritizing divine command over comfort and convenience. Egypt, once the place of Israel's bondage, now becomes refuge for the ultimate Deliverer—an ironic reversal showing God's redemptive purposes transforming former places of judgment. This flight also fulfills the pattern of Israel's history being recapitulate...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **He took the young child and his mother.**—The form adopted here, as in the preceding verse, is significantly reverential. In a narrative of common life the natural expression would have been “his wife and the young child.”
**And departed into Egypt.**—The brevity with which this is told is, to a certain extent, an argument for the non-mythical character of the narrative of which it forms a ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. When they had heard the king, they departed--**But where were ye, O Jewish ecclesiastics, ye chief priests and scribes of the people? Ye could tell Herod where Christ should be born, and could hear of these strangers from the far East that the Desire of all nations had actually come; but I do not see you trooping to Bethlehem--I find these devout strangers journeying thither all alone. Yet Go...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-15**
Egypt had been a house of bondage to Israel, and particularly cruel to the infants of Israel; yet it is to be a place of refuge to the holy Child Jesus. God, when he pleases, can make the worst of places serve the best of purposes. This was a trial of the faith of Joseph and Mary. But their faith, being tried, was found firm. If we and our infants are at any time in trouble, l...
Read full commentary →And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'Out of Egypt have I called my son' quotes Hosea 11:1, originally about Israel's exodus. Matthew sees a typological fulfillment—as Israel was God's 'son' called from Egypt, so Jesus (the true Israel) recapitulates Israel's experience but succeeds where they failed. Jesus' stay 'until the death of Herod' protected God's redemptive plan.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Until the death of Herod.**—The uncertainty which hangs over the exact date of the Nativity hinders us from arriving at any precise statement as to the interval thus described. As the death of Herod took place a little before the Passover, B.C. 4 (according to the common but erroneous reckoning), it could not have been more than a few months, even if we fix the Nativity in the previous year...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy--**The language is very strong, expressing exuberant transport.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 13-15**
Egypt had been a house of bondage to Israel, and particularly cruel to the infants of Israel; yet it is to be a place of refuge to the holy Child Jesus. God, when he pleases, can make the worst of places serve the best of purposes. This was a trial of the faith of Joseph and Mary. But their faith, being tried, was found firm. If we and our infants are at any time in trouble, l...
Read full commentary →The Massacre of the Infants
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Herod's infanticide reveals the depth of human depravity and the hatred earthly kingdoms have for God's kingdom. This massacre demonstrates how sin, unchecked, leads to monstrous evil—even murdering innocent children to preserve power. Yet God's sovereign purposes prevailed; Christ was preserved. This atrocity also prefigures the world's ongoing hostility to Christ and His people.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) The fact of the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem is not mentioned by Josephus, or by any other writer, and has on that ground been called in question. It is admitted, however, on all hands, that it was an act every way in harmony with Herod’s character. Tormented with incurable disease, and yet more incurable suspicion; so fiendish in his cruelty, that he gave orders for the execution of...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. And when they were come into the house--**not the stable; for as soon as Bethlehem was emptied of its strangers, they would have no difficulty in finding a dwelling-house.
**they saw--**The received text has "found"; but here our translators rightly depart from it, for it has no authority.
**the young child with Mary his mother--**The blessed Babe is naturally mentioned first, then the m...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-18**
Herod killed all the male children, not only in Bethlehem, but in all the villages of that city. Unbridled wrath, armed with an unlawful power, often carries men to absurd cruelties. It was no unrighteous thing with God to permit this; every life is forfeited to his justice as soon as it begins. The diseases and deaths of little children are proofs of original sin. But the mur...
Read full commentary →Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
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KJV Study Commentary
Matthew sees Jeremiah 31:15's prophecy fulfilled in the massacre, using a 'fuller sense' (sensus plenior) hermeneutic. Rachel, buried near Bethlehem, represents motherly grief over Israel's children. This fulfillment connects Christ's advent to Israel's entire history of suffering under judgment, yet the broader context of Jeremiah 31 promises restoration and the New Covenant—ultimately fulfilled ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed--**or, "withdrew."
**to their own country another way--**What a surprise would this vision be to the sages, just as they were preparing to carry the glad news of what they had seen to the pious king! But the Lord knew the bloody old tyrant better than to let him see their face again.
Mt 2:13-23. The Fli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-18**
Herod killed all the male children, not only in Bethlehem, but in all the villages of that city. Unbridled wrath, armed with an unlawful power, often carries men to absurd cruelties. It was no unrighteous thing with God to permit this; every life is forfeited to his justice as soon as it begins. The diseases and deaths of little children are proofs of original sin. But the mur...
Read full commentary →In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jeremiah 31:15's full context includes God's promise: 'Refrain thy voice from weeping...there is hope in thine end' (Jeremiah 31:16-17). The weeping mothers of Bethlehem, like Rachel, represent genuine grief, yet God's purposes of redemption stand firm. Christ's preservation through this massacre demonstrates God's sovereign protection of His elect and His redemptive plan.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **In Rama was there a voice heard.**—Here again we have an example of St. Matthew’s application of a passage that had a direct bearing upon the events of the time when it was delivered to those which his narrative had brought before him. The tomb of Rachel, “in the way to Ephrath, which *is* Bethlehem” (Genesis 35:19), had been, probably from the day when the “pillar” which marked it was firs...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother--**Observe this form of expression, repeated in Mt 2:14--another indirect hint that Joseph was no more than the Child's guardian. Indeed, personally considered, Joseph has no spiritual significance, and very little place at all, in the Gospel histo...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 16-18**
Herod killed all the male children, not only in Bethlehem, but in all the villages of that city. Unbridled wrath, armed with an unlawful power, often carries men to absurd cruelties. It was no unrighteous thing with God to permit this; every life is forfeited to his justice as soon as it begins. The diseases and deaths of little children are proofs of original sin. But the mur...
Read full commentary →The Return to Nazareth
But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
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KJV Study Commentary
Herod's death demonstrates God's sovereign justice—tyrants may rage, but their days are numbered by divine decree. The timing of the angel's message shows God's providential care, protecting His Son until the threat passed. This illustrates the principle that no weapon formed against God's purposes shall prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt--**doubtless the same night.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-23**
Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for awhile, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to them he must return. 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 Jo...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'they are dead which sought the young child's life' echoes Exodus 4:19 when God told Moses to return to Egypt, creating a typological parallel between Moses and Christ. Both were deliverers threatened by infanticide, preserved by God's providence. This connection reinforces Christ as the greater Moses who leads God's people from bondage to sin and death.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **They are dead.**—The use of the plural is noticeable, as Herod alone had been named. Possibly, however, others may have been implicated in the scheme; or the turn of the phrase may have been suggested to the reporter of the dream by the parallel language of Exodus 4:19, in reference to Moses.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. And was there until the death of Herod--**which took place not very long after this of a horrible disease; the details of which will be found in Josephus [Antiquities, 17.6.1,5,7,8].
**that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying--**(Ho 11:1).
**Out of Egypt have I called my son--**Our Evangelist here quotes directly from the Hebrew, warily departing fro...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-23**
Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for awhile, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to them he must return. 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 Jo...
Read full commentary →And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
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KJV Study Commentary
Joseph's obedient return to Israel demonstrates continued trust in God's guidance despite previous danger. The phrase 'land of Israel' emphasizes the covenantal significance of the promised land as the setting for Messiah's ministry. Joseph's faithful obedience shows that true faith perseveres in following God's leading, even when circumstances have been threatening.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. Then Herod, &c.--**As Deborah sang of the mother of Sisera: "She looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Have they not sped?" so Herod wonders that his messengers, with pious zeal, are not hastening with the news that all is ready to receive him as a worshipper. What can be keeping them? Have they ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-23**
Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for awhile, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to them he must return. 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 Jo...
Read full commentary →But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea 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:
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KJV Study Commentary
Joseph's fear of Archelaus demonstrates godly prudence that combines faith with wisdom. God's subsequent dream warning shows that trusting God doesn't mean ignoring legitimate dangers or abandoning discernment. The divine redirection to Galilee placed Jesus in the region where He would conduct most of His ministry, showing how God's providence works through human decisions informed by both reason ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **Archelaus.**—Strictly speaking, this prince, who, under his father’s will (made just before his death), governed Judæa, Samaria, and Idumæa, was never recognised as a king by the Roman Emperor, but received the inferior title of Ethnarch. Antipas had Galilee and Peræa, Philip the region of Trachonitis. Popularly, however, the higher title was still used of him as we find it in 14:9 of the T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying--**(Jr 31:15, from which the quotation differs but verbally).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-23**
Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for awhile, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to them he must return. 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 Jo...
Read full commentary →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.
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KJV Study Commentary
Matthew's statement about Nazareth fulfilling prophecy is puzzling since no specific Old Testament text says 'He shall be called a Nazarene.' Most likely, this references the Hebrew 'netzer' (branch) in Isaiah 11:1, or reflects Nazareth's despised status (John 1:46), showing Christ identified with the rejected and lowly. This demonstrates Christ's humiliation in taking on human nature in its weake...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **He shall be called a Nazarene.**—For an account of Nazareth, see Note on Luke 1:26. Here it will be enough to deal with St. Matthew’s reference to the name as in itself the fulfilment of a prophetic thought. He does not, as before, cite the words of any one prophet by name, but says generally that what he quotes had been spoken by or through the prophets. No such words are to be found in th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not--**These words, as they stand in Jeremiah, undoubtedly relate to the Babylonish captivity. Rachel, the mother of Joseph and Benjamin, was buried in the neighborhood of Bethlehem (Ge 35:19), where her sepulchre is still shown. She is ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 19-23**
Egypt may serve to sojourn in, or take shelter in, for awhile, but not to abide in. Christ was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, to them he must return. 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 Jo...
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