Matthew 2:13-16

The Escape to Egypt

2:13 After 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.” 2:14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during the night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He 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.”

2:16 When 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.


tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Herod the Great was particularly ruthless regarding the succession to his throne.

tn The feminine singular genitive noun νυκτός (nuktos, “night”) indicates the time during which the action of the main verb takes place (ExSyn 124).

sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.

tn Or “soldiers.”

map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.