Matthew — Chapter 2
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1Now 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,
2Saying, 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.
3When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
6And 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.
7Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
8And 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.
9When 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.
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11And 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.
12And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13And 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.
14When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:
15And 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.
16Then 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.
17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
18In 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.
19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20Saying, 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.
21And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22But 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:
23And 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.
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Wise-men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
2Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
3And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.
5And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet,
6And thou Bethlehem, land of Judah, Art in no wise least among the princes of Judah: For out of thee shall come forth a governor, Who shall be shepherd of my people Israel.
7Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared.
8And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out exactly concerning the young child; and when ye have found [him,] bring me word, that I also may come and worship him.
9And they, having heard the king, went their way; and lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.
10And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped him; and opening their treasures they offered unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.
12And being warned [of God] in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
13Now when they were departed, behold, an 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 tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
14And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt;
15and was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son.
16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the Wise-men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had exactly learned of the Wise-men.
17Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying,
18A voice was heard in Ramah, Weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; And she would not be comforted, because they are not.
19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
20Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead that sought the young child`s life.
21And he arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither; and being warned [of God] in a dream, he withdrew into the parts of Galilee,
23and came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets, that he should be called a Nazarene.
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, in the time of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem
2saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him.
4After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
5“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:
6‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7Then Herod privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared.
8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.”
9After listening to the king they left, and once again the star they saw when it rose led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.
10When they saw the star they shouted joyfully.
11As they came into the house and saw the child with Mary his mother, they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their treasure boxes and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back by another route to their own country.
13After they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to look for the child to kill him.”
14Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to Egypt.
15He stayed there until Herod died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”
16When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men to kill all the children in Bethlehem and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.
17Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18“A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud wailing, Rachel weeping for her children, and she did not want to be comforted, because they were gone.”
19After Herod had died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
20saying, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.”
21So he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to 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. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.
23He came to a town called Nazareth and lived there. Then what had been spoken by the prophets was fulfilled, that Jesus would be called a Nazarene.
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
2“Where is he who is born King of the Jews? For we saw his star in the east, and have come to worship him.”
3When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ would be born.
5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is written through the prophet,
6‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’”
7Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned from them exactly what time the star appeared.
8He sent them to Bethlehem, and said, “Go and search diligently for the young child. When you have found him, bring me word, so that I also may come and worship him.”
9They, having heard the king, went their way; and behold, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the young child was.
10When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.
11They came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Opening their treasures, they offered to him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12Being warned in a dream that they shouldn’t return to Herod, they went back to their own country another way.
13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.”
14He arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt,
15and was there until the death of Herod; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and under, according to the exact time which he had learned from the wise men.
17Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
18“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; she wouldn’t be comforted, because they are no more.”
19But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying,
20“Arise and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who sought the young child’s life are dead.”
21He arose and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream, he withdrew into the region of Galilee,
23and came and lived in a city called Nazareth; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”
Summary
Wise men from the East worship the newborn King, Herod massacres Bethlehem's infants in jealous rage, and Joseph flees with his family to Egypt — fulfilling prophecy at every turn.
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
- Bethlehem: Located 5 miles south of Jerusalem in Judea. Birthplace of Jesus and King David. Fulfills Micah 5:2.
- Jerusalem: Herod's capital, where the Magi first inquired about the newborn King. About 5 miles north of Bethlehem.
- Egypt: The holy family fled south into Egypt to escape Herod's massacre, fulfilling Hosea 11:1 ("Out of Egypt I called my son").
- Nazareth: A small village in Galilee (northern Israel), where the family settled upon return, fulfilling "He shall be called a Nazarene."
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Guzik examines who the Magi were, the significance of the three gifts, Herod's character, the typological meaning of the Egypt flight, and the four fulfilled prophecies.
- Charles Spurgeon: Sermon: "The Star and the Wise Men" on vv.1-2 (MTP Vol. 37, No. 2201) "They came to worship Him. Not to examine Him, not to debate Him, not to evaluate Him — to worship Him. They had traveled hundreds of miles on the basis of a star and a prophecy. That is faith. And when they found Him, they fell down. That is the only appropriate response." Sermon: "The Gifts of the Magi" on v.11 (MTP Vol. 56, No. 3218) "Gold for a king — He is King. Frankincense for a priest — He is our High Priest. Myrrh for burial — He came to die. The Magi brought gifts that told the whole story of Christ without knowing it."
Reflection
- 1. The Magi traveled hundreds of miles, following a star, to worship a child they had never met. They gave their best gifts. What does your worship cost you? Is it convenient worship or costly worship?
- 2. The three gifts — gold (king), frankincense (priest), myrrh (death) — told the whole story of Christ. What gifts has God given you that, when offered to Him, tell His story through your life?
- 3. Joseph received a warning in a dream and "arose... by night" (v.14) — immediate obedience, no delay. When God warns you about something — through Scripture, through the Spirit, through wise counsel — how quickly do you act?
- 4. Herod was threatened by a baby. Power always feels threatened by Christ. Where in your life does the lordship of Christ threaten something you're holding onto — control, comfort, reputation, a relationship?
- 5. The chief priests and scribes knew exactly where the Messiah would be born (v.5-6) — they quoted the prophecy accurately — but they didn't go to Bethlehem. Knowledge without response is worse than ignorance. Where do you have accurate knowledge of what God wants that you're not acting on?
- 6. The Magi "fell down and worshipped him" (v.11) — before He had done any miracles, before He had preached any sermons. They worshipped based on who He was, not what He had done for them. Is your worship of Christ based on His identity or on what He does for you?
- 7. God warned the Magi in a dream not to return to Herod (v.12). They obeyed a dream from God over the command of a king. When God's direction conflicts with human authority, how do you navigate that? What principles guide you?
- 8. The massacre of the innocents (v.16) — innocent children died because of Herod's fear of Jesus. The coming of Christ into the world brought both salvation and suffering. How do you hold together the reality that following Christ can bring both blessing and cost?
- 9. Jesus spent His early years as a refugee in Egypt — a foreign land, fleeing political violence. How does knowing that Jesus experienced displacement, danger, and being an outsider affect how you view people in similar circumstances today?