But Herod having died, behold, an angel of [the] Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
Joseph had taken the Child and His mother to Egypt to escape a king who wanted Him dead. Now word comes that the danger is over. The verse turns on two small facts: a king dies, and God speaks. Commentators see in that pair how easily God deals with those who fight Him, and how surely He guides those who obey Him.
Herod was not fighting Joseph. He was fighting God. One writer shows how quickly that ended.
Herod, however, was fighting against God, who defeated his purpose by sending His angel to Joseph in a dream for the second time... God frustrated Herod's wicked plan with ease, and not long after He dealt with Herod himself just as easily. Matthew does not waste words on his end. He simply tells us that "when Herod died," the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream for the third time. The angel told him to return to the land, because death had removed the would-be murderer.
Herod was no son of Israel. One writer traces his line, and the old hatred that ran in it.
He was an Idumean, a descendant of Edom — that is, of Esau. Esau struggled against Israel before they were born, and tried to kill him when they were grown men. Esau's descendants tried to stop the march of the Israelites through the wilderness, and attacked them again and again in the land. Now they were making a last desperate effort to destroy the Messiah, the true Israel. This Herod ordered the murder of his own wives and sons. He planned a general massacre of the nobles "to make the people mourn," and he slaughtered the poor little infants of Bethlehem. All the while he advertised his piety and patriotism by making the people build the most splendid temple in the world.
He kept killing to the end, and named his heir with his last breath.
He died under the unmistakable judgment of God, like his grandson Herod Agrippa. As he lay dying, he raised himself up in his bed. He gave the order for the execution of Antipater, named Archelaus as his successor to the throne, then fell back and died.
The angel comes to Joseph, not to Mary. One writer shows what hung on Joseph's legal place in the family.
Notice that only Matthew records the appearances of Jehovah's angel to Joseph (Matthew 1:20; Matthew 2:19). In Luke 1:26-38 God sent the angel Gabriel not to Joseph but to Mary... Joseph's legal position as His reputed father was far from unimportant. Until Joseph passed away, no one could view Him beyond dispute as the promised Son and Heir of David's throne.
Egypt was not a detour. One writer sees the Lord walking Israel's own road again, stage by stage.
Christ retraces in His own Person the pathway of Israel, and He begins that history in Egypt, out of which He comes when Herod was dead. You then find Him at the Jordan, which Israel also crossed. And in the fourth chapter of Matthew we find Him in the wilderness, where Israel utterly failed, but He did not fail. In all this pathway of Jesus you are on truly historic ground.
Herod dies; the angel speaks; Joseph moves. One writer points to the hand behind that order.
But he dies, called away to face the righteous judgment seat of the God he has defied. Then once more an angel directs Joseph to return to Israel. The calm, measured control of God's hand shows beautifully in every step.
Not everyone who went down to Egypt went at God's bidding. The same writer sets three earlier journeys beside Joseph's.
Lack of faith led Abram to Egypt (Genesis 12:10). Stubborn rebellion against God's word led the remnant of Judah there in Jeremiah's day (Jeremiah 43:1-7). But in Genesis 46:2-4 God told Jacob to go there, and here Joseph goes by the word of God. This is our one safe guide at all times.
- Threat. Herod came from Edom's line. One writer calls his attack on the Messiah the last desperate move in a family feud that goes back to Esau.
- Removal. God broke Herod's plan with ease, and dealt with Herod himself just as easily. Matthew gives his end in a phrase: "when Herod died."
- Word. With the threat gone, the angel speaks a third time — and speaks to Joseph. Joseph's legal fatherhood secured the Child's claim to David's throne.
- Path. Herod's death brings the Lord up out of Egypt. There He starts retracing Israel's history — Egypt, Jordan, wilderness — and does not fail where Israel failed.
- Guide. Abram went to Egypt through lack of faith, and Judah's remnant through rebellion. Joseph moves only at God's word — the one safe guide at all times.
Arise, take to [thee] the little child and its mother, and go into the land of Israel for they who sought the life of the little child are dead.
God's word to Joseph in Egypt does more than clear the way home: the men who wanted the Child dead are gone, and the Child lives. Three questions follow — how God guards His Son, why the angel words the message this way, and what "the land of Israel" means while foreign rulers hold the country.
Herod plotted to destroy one Child, and God stopped him. Matthew spends only a few words on the death of the king who filled the earlier verses with fear.
Herod, however, was fighting against God, who defeated his purpose by sending His angel to Joseph in a dream for the second time. How easily God frustrated Herod's wicked design! And just as easily, not long after, He dealt with Herod himself. Matthew does not waste words in describing his end. He simply tells us that "when Herod died," the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream for the third time. The angel told him to return to the land, for death had removed the would-be murderer.
The angel speaks of "those who sought the child's life," in the plural. God had used almost the same words once before, when He sent Moses back to Egypt.
Moses now returns to ask permission to go back into Egypt, and God had prepared the way. The Lord watches over His servant. He notes the feelings of his heart. He even anticipates his fears by saying, "Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead." (Compare Matt. 2:20.)
The angel does not name the country the way people around them named it. Kelly shows how much that title carries.
It is sweet to find the words "the land of Israel" here. It was not just the country as people knew it, where poor Jews lived by the permission of their Gentile rulers. How few look on it as "the land of Israel" now! But God's thoughts are toward His people in connection with the glory of His Son. If Jesus had His earthly link there, if Emmanuel had now been born of the virgin, why not call it the land of Israel? God's purpose was to drive out completely the Gentile power that was now trampling it down.
The call home is also a call out of Egypt. Jesus walks His people's road in His own Person, and here He leaves Egypt as they did.
Christ retraces the pathway of Israel in His own Person. He begins that history in Egypt, and He comes out of it when Herod died. You then find Him at the Jordan, which Israel also crossed. And in the fourth chapter of Matthew we find Him in the wilderness, where Israel utterly failed, but He did not fail. In all this pathway of Jesus you are on truly historic ground. He was the true Israel.
The angel names the Child before His mother, and Joseph keeps that order when he obeys. Commentators treat this as deliberate, and trace God's calm hand through each step.
God's calm, measured control shows beautifully in every step. So Joseph takes the young child and his mother (notice that the child is again mentioned first), and returns to the land.
That order is not a small detail.
Does not inspiration shine brightly on the sacred page? Is it not beautiful to see the careful way in which Scripture guards the honour of Jesus? Here we see the reverence of heaven's messengers. We also see the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the sacred record, and that is so very striking.
Joseph waits in Egypt until the word comes, then moves the moment it does.
He did what he was told to do. He never ran ahead of the heavenly vision, and he never lagged behind it. So he fulfilled his great mission, and he glorified God and justified Him in His choice and training of him.
- Dead. The men who hunted the Child are in the grave; the Child they hunted is on His way home. God dealt with Herod as easily as He had defeated his plan.
- Called. The same words once sent Moses back to Egypt. Here they call the Son out of it, so He walks Israel's road as the true Israel who does not fail.
- Land. God sends Joseph not to a country named by its rulers but to "the land of Israel." He names it by His promise, not by who occupies it.
- Guarded. In the angel's word and in Joseph's act, the Child comes before His mother. Scripture's careful order guards the honour of Jesus.
- Obeyed. Joseph neither runs ahead of the word nor drags behind it — at every step his guide is what God has said.
And he arose and took to [him] the little child and its mother, and came into the land of Israel;
Herod is dead, and the same angel who sent the family into Egypt now sends them back. It is one short line of obedience, but it carries the promised King home — and it raises the question of what welcome waits for Him.
The verse records no debate and no delay. Joseph hears the word and moves, as he had from the first.
As Joseph began, so he continued. Consider the carrying of the Young Child and His mother into Egypt, their stay there, and their return to the land. In each we see the same simple obedience and trust. He did what he was told to do. He never went ahead of the heavenly vision, and he never lagged behind it. So he fulfilled his great mission, and he glorified and justified God in His choice and training of him.
The angel names the Child before His mother. Joseph keeps the same order when he obeys.
Note how the angel, too, is careful to put the words in that special order. It emphasises the wonder of our Lord's incarnation. By night Joseph took the young Child and His mother, and departed into Egypt.
Matthew does not say Judea or Galilee. He uses the name that ties the country to God's own people and His promises. It fits, because the King has come.
It is sweet to find "the land of Israel" occurring here. It was not just the country as men knew it, a place where poor Jews lived by permission of their Gentile masters. How few look on it as "the land of Israel" now! But God's thoughts are toward His people in connection with the glory of His Son. If Jesus had His earthly tie there, if Emmanuel was now born of the virgin, then why not call it the land of Israel? God's purpose was to drive out completely the Gentile foot that was now treading it down.
The journey out of Egypt is more than an escape reversed. Writers see a whole nation's history repeated in one Person.
Christ retraces in His own Person the pathway of Israel. He begins that history in Egypt, and He comes out of it when Herod died. You then find Him at the Jordan, which Israel also crossed. And in the fourth chapter of Matthew we find Him in the wilderness, where Israel utterly failed, but He did not fail. In all this pathway of Jesus you are on truly historic ground. He was the true Israel.
The reason the family can return is that the men who wanted the Child dead are gone. God never had to struggle with Herod.
How easily God defeated Herod's wicked plan! And just as easily, not long after, He dealt with Herod himself. Matthew does not waste words in describing his end. He simply tells us that "when Herod died," the angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream for the third time. The angel told him to return to the land, for death had removed the would-be murderer.
One steady hand runs through each move of the family — the going, the staying, the coming back.
Then again an angel directs Joseph, by God's power, to return to Israel. Every step beautifully shows the calm, measured control of God's hand.
He comes back to His own land, yet no throne waits for Him. The next verses turn Him aside to Galilee.
Can the Son of David, in entering it, approach the throne of His fathers? No: He must take the place of a stranger among the despised of His people. God directs Joseph in a dream, and Joseph carries Him into Galilee. The Jews looked on the people of Galilee with deep contempt.
The homecoming happens in silence, unmarked by the nation it concerned most.
And Israel sent no swift messenger to bring Him back from Egypt. But God called His Son out of Egypt. As none had noticed when He fled, so no one seems to have noticed His return.
- Word. God speaks, and Joseph moves — no questions, no delay, never ahead of the guidance and never behind it.
- Care. The angel names the Child before His mother — word order that marks the wonder of who He is.
- Control. Death removes Herod, not a battle. God's calm hand shows in every step — the going and the returning.
- Land. He comes back to "the land of Israel." That name recalls God's promises, and it fits because His Son has an earthly tie there.
- Welcome. None. He returns unnoticed and takes the place of a stranger among a despised people. He walks Israel's own road as the true Israel who did not fail.
but having heard that 'Archelaus reigns over Judaea, instead of Herod his father,' he was afraid to go there; and having been divinely instructed in a dream, he went away into the parts of Galilee,
Joseph brings the child back to the land of Israel, but Herod's death has not made it safe — his son Archelaus now rules Judea. So God sends the family north instead, into the region the Jews looked down on.
The throne changes hands, but nothing changes for the King. Archelaus was no better than his father. Joseph's own fear ran in the same direction as God's warning.
He no doubt meant to live in Judea again. But he is troubled by news that Herod's son Archelaus had taken the throne, and his character was no better than his father's. So he was afraid to live anywhere in Judea. Again God stepped in through a dream, with a warning that matched Joseph's fears; and they go to Galilee instead.
The deeper issue is not one dangerous man but a nation with no room for its own Messiah.
If the people would only bow and receive Him to take His place as their King, how blessed their lot! But would Israel receive Jehovah-Jesus now returning from Egypt? — There was no readiness for Him yet. One Herod passed away; another followed.
This dream was not the first. God had already guided this family, and by more than one method.
Then for the fourth time God instructed him by a dream. So he, Mary and the young child were shepherded back to Nazareth, where he had first come from, as Luke tells us. It is instructive to see how God guided all these early movements. He used circumstances, such as the decree of Augustus and the news about Archelaus. He also used dreams. So the schemes of the enemy came to nothing. The "porter" held the door of the "sheepfold" open so that the true Shepherd might enter, despite all that he could do.
Joseph was afraid, and the verse says so. One writer sees God answering that fear instead of scolding it, and finds the same kindness in ordinary lives.
There may be fear and weakness in Joseph. But the Lord will meet this with His provisions, as He met the decisive, victorious faith of the men from the East with His comfort... And I think many of us, in our small histories, have known the same tenderness toward our weakness. When, through lack of faith, or lack of heart for Jesus, we could not reach His height, He has met us on our level by His providence.
The land they return to has a name full of promise. Yet the Son of David gets no throne in it.
We should notice that the land is named here by the name that recalls the privileges God gave. It is neither Judea nor Galilee; it is "the land of Israel." But can the Son of David, entering it, approach the throne of His fathers? No: He must take the place of a stranger among the despised of His people. God directs Joseph in a dream, and he carries Him into Galilee. The Jews held its people in complete contempt, because they were not in regular contact with Jerusalem and Judea.
Within Galilee, the town they settle in stood lowest of all.
Nazareth was the most scorned of places. The men of Judea itself looked down on Nazareth, and the Galileans despised it too, though it was part of their own district. Later we read of an honest Israelite who, when he heard that Jesus was there, exclaimed, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" So one place in Palestine fitted the rejection that was Christ's portion more than any other. That place was Nazareth.
The move to Nazareth adds a second mark to the first.
But when they returned they found another usurper filling the throne, and Joseph, with the holy Child Jesus, turned aside to live at Nazareth. At the very beginning of His pathway He had been the rejected One; now He becomes the despised One.
- Threat. Herod died, but the danger lived on. Archelaus had his father's character, so Judea stayed closed to the child.
- Fear. Joseph's dread of Judea was real weakness. God did not scold him for it. He met him on his level.
- Guidance. God led this family two ways at once: through news and events, and through dreams. The warning matched what Joseph already feared.
- Place. Galilee meant contempt, and even Galileans despised Nazareth. God settled the Son of David among the people His own nation looked down on.
- Purpose. Rejected at His birth, despised where He grew up: this detour set the road He walked all His life.
and came and dwelt in a town called Nazareth; so that that should be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, He shall be called a Nazaraene.
Matthew ends his account of Jesus' childhood with a puzzle. He says the move to Nazareth fulfilled the prophets, yet no Old Testament verse contains the words he quotes.
Matthew names no single prophet here. Commentators say that wording matters.
The method of citation is worth noting here. It is not one particular prophet, but "the prophets." From this we gather that no single inspired writer said these words. It is the spirit of the prophets that speaks of Him. One prophet says, "with a rod they strike the judge of Israel on the cheek." Another says, "He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief." Others tell what they would give Him for food, what drink for His thirst, and how He would be taunted to the very last. Read them together, and we can understand this use of the prophets. It was the well-understood language of contempt in that day: in other words, He should be called a Nazarene.
Calling someone a Nazarene was more than giving an address.
A Nazarene is an inhabitant of Nazareth. That city is in Galilee, which is called Galilee of the Gentiles, because so many Gentiles lived there. The Pharisees and scribes in Jerusalem hated and despised Galilee, and Nazareth most of all. Its people carried the nickname Am-horatzim, that is, ignorant men. Even the Galileans looked down on the town and despised everybody who lived there... To that mean, despised place the Son of God is to go; there He who was rich in all eternity found His home... The rejection began at the very start, and in that little town He spent thirty years of His life.
The family did not pick Nazareth. Archelaus held Judea, and God warned Joseph away — so God arranged the shame of the address.
When He is called out of Egypt, He cannot go to Jerusalem, nor to Bethlehem either. He was to be despised and rejected: the prophets had said so, and their words must be fulfilled. Archelaus reigned in Judea; a usurper was still there. Joseph, warned by God, turns aside to Nazareth, and Jesus lived there with them. So the word of the prophets was fulfilled: our Lord proved to the full what it was to be the most despised of men. He knew it above all on the cross, but it was His all through.
Commentators differ over whether the town's name itself carries the prophecy.
Nazareth, it seems, had a poor name everywhere, and especially among the Pharisees and traditionalists. It had no history, no memories, and no great names to make it famous. Its own name seems to be a feminine form of netzer, a "sprout" or "shoot," and may even point to this. The name spoke of lowliness, yet of life. It is the same word as in Isaiah 11:1, where the Messiah is called the "rod" or "shoot from the stump of Jesse." Here His greatness and His lowliness stand together.
Others doubt that link.
Some try to solve the problem by tracing the word "Nazarene" back to the Hebrew word "Netzer" — a branch — and so connecting it with Isaiah 11:1, where this word is found. But the other prophets do not use it in that sense, so it would seem to be ruled out of our passage... If we look instead for a moral meaning, we may find it in Nathanael's words, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" It would then mean that, as the prophets testify, Christ should be despised and rejected by men.
Nazarene looks like another word in English, and readers have long confused the two.
There are two words, "Nazarene" and "Nazarite." Nazarene refers to where He was brought up; there is no connection between the two, only they are a little mixed up in the English.
The scornful label did not stop with Jesus. His followers carried it too.
These words are not found in the Old Testament, but the thought they convey is in the prophets generally — that the Messiah would be despised and reproached: compare Psalm 69, Isaiah 53. His disciples suffered the same reproach: Paul had to hear himself called "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes."
- Plural on purpose. Matthew cites "the prophets," not a prophet — he is gathering their united message, not a single sentence.
- That message: contempt. They foretold a Messiah struck, taunted, despised and rejected. "Nazarene" was the everyday word for contempt.
- A chosen address. Archelaus held Judea, and God warned Joseph away. So Jesus made His home in the most looked-down-on town of a looked-down-on region.
- Lowliness with life. Some tie Nazareth to netzer, the shoot from Jesse's stump — greatness and lowliness in one name. Others hear only the scorn the prophets foretold. Commentators differ.
- The reproach passes on. Nazarene is not the word Nazarite. It is a nickname of shame, and His followers inherited it: Paul was charged as a ringleader of the Nazarenes.