Matthew 2:12-15

2:12 After being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, ¹  they went back by another route to their own country.

The Escape to Egypt

2:13 After they had gone, an ²  angel of the Lord ³  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 ⁴  is going to look for the child to kill him.” 2:14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during ⁵  the night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He stayed there until Herod ⁶  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ⁷ 

Matthew 2:19-22

The Return to Nazareth

2:19 After Herod ⁸  had died, an ⁹  angel of the Lord ¹⁰  appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 2:20 saying, “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.” 2:21 So ¹¹  he got up and took the child and his mother and returned to the land of Israel. 2:22 But when he heard that Archelaus ¹²  was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, ¹³  he was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the regions of Galilee.

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

² 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).

³ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

⁴ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Herod the Great was particularly ruthless regarding the succession to his throne.

³ tn The feminine singular genitive noun νυκτός (nuktos, “night”) indicates the time during which the action of the main verb takes place (ExSyn 124).

⁴ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

⁵ sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

⁵ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. When Herod the Great died in 4 b.c., his kingdom was divided up among his three sons: Archelaus, who ruled over Judea (where Bethlehem was located, v. 22); Philip, who became tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis (cf. Luke 3:1); and Antipas, who became tetrarch of Galilee.

⁶ 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).

⁷ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the angel’s instructions.

⁷ sn Archelaus took after his father Herod the Great in terms of cruelty and ruthlessness, so Joseph was afraid to go there. After further direction in a dream, he went instead to Galilee.

⁸ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.