Matthew 2:19-23 (Nazareth)
Jesus and His
Family Return to Nazareth
Matthew 2:19–23; Luke 2:39–40
Mt 2:19–21After Herod
died, an angel of the
Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20saying, “Get
up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those
who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21So he got up, took the
child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.
22But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned in a dream, he withdrew to the region of Galilee Lk 2:39ato their own town of Nazareth, Mt 2:23bto fulfill what was spoken through the prophets, that He will be called a Nazarene. Lk 2:40The boy grew up and became strong, filled with wisdom, and God’s grace was on Him..[1]
[1]
Knight, G. W. (2001). A simplified harmony of the Gospels (pp.
23–24). Holman Bible Publishers.
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and told him, "Get up and take the baby and his mother back to Israel, for those who were trying to kill the child are dead."
So he returned immediately to Israel with Jesus and his mother. But on the way he was frightened to learn that the new king was Herod's son, Archelaus. Then, in another dream, he was warned not to go to Judea, so they went to Galilee instead and lived in Nazareth. This fulfilled the prediction of the prophets concerning the Messiah, "He shall be called a Nazarene."
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Anything Good?
Nazareth sat in the hilly area of southern Galilee near the crossroads of great caravan trade routes. The Roman garrison in charge of Galilee was housed in this small town. The people of Nazareth had constant contact with people from all over the world, so world news reached them quickly. These people had an attitude of independence that many of the Jews despised. This may have been why Nathanael commented, "Nazareth!… Can anything good come from there?" (John 1:46). Obviously it was not wise for Nathanael to be prejudiced against the entire town, for someone truly good did live there: Jesus the Messiah. Be careful not to make quick or prejudicial judgments because of where people live or originate.
Herod the Great died in 4 b.c. of an incurable disease. Rome trusted him but didn't trust his sons. Herod knew that Rome wouldn't give his successor as much power, so he divided his kingdom into three parts, one for each son. Archelaus received Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Herod Antipas received Galilee and Perea; Herod Philip II received Trachonitis.
The Herods of the New Testament
The Herods were a dynasty of Roman rulers in Palestine during New Testament times. Four different Herods are mentioned in the Gospels:
• Herod the Great (ruled 37 to 4 b.c.), who tried to murder the baby Jesus;
• Herod Archelaus (ruled 4 b.c. to a.d. 6), son and successor of Herod the Great as ruler over Judea;
• Herod Antipas (ruled 4 b.c. to a.d. 39), who executed John the Baptizer (Mark 6:17–29) and who returned Jesus for sentencing by Pilate (Luke 23:6–12); and
• Herod Philip (ruled 4 b.c. to a.d. 33), ruler in extreme northern Galilee when Jesus began His public ministry (Luke 3:1, 19–20).
Two additional Herods mentioned in the New Testament are Herod Agrippa I (ruled a.d. 37–44), who executed James, the leader of the Jerusalem church (Acts 12:1–19); and Herod Agrippa II (ruled a.d. 50–100), before whom the apostle Paul made his defense at Caesarea (Acts 25:13–26:32)
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