saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Matthew 2:20

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“saying, ‘Having arisen, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for they have died – those seeking the soul of the Child’” (CG).

In the previous verse, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt. This occurred after the death of Herod. In the appearance, he was “saying, ‘Having arisen, take the Child and His mother.’”

The words are addressed in the second person singular. Rather than, “All of you arise and go,” the angel is speaking to Joseph about what he is to do. Once he is up and about, he is to take the Child and His mother. As in verse 13, the focus is on the Child, while Mary is of secondary attention. Understanding this, the narrative continues with, “and go to the land of Israel.”

In verse 13, Joseph had been told to flee to Egypt. Now, he is told to go to the land of Israel. There is no rush or urgency in the words, something that must have been quite reassuring to Joseph. He bore a great responsibility, and he would have probably been quite happy in receiving these words. From there, the angel continues with, “for they have died – those seeking the soul of the Child.”

The words bring about a lot of curious speculation. First, note the differences between verse 13 and verse 20 –

“Having arisen, take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt. And you are there until if I should tell you. For Herod is about to seek the Child to destroy Him.”

“Having arisen, take the Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for they have died – those seeking the soul of the Child.”

It was Herod who intended to kill the Child. But now, the angel speaks of “those” who sought to destroy Him. There are several views on what the words are saying –

“The plural is very often used where the conception of a species is to be expressed, and then denotes the subject, not according to number, but chiefly according to the category to which it belongs.” Meyers NT Commentary

That is supported by the words of Bengel, saying, “The plural concisely signifies, that Herod is dead, and that there are not any others who entertain evil designs.”

Cambridge says it is a euphemism, the reference being Herod alone. Barnes concurs and adds a second possibility. He says, “This either refers to Herod alone, as is not uncommon, using the plural number for the singular; or it may refer to Herod and his son Antipater. He was of the same cruel disposition as his father, and was put to death by his father about five days before his own death.”

Numerous others suggest it is given as a parallel to the words of the Lord to Moses in Exodus 4 –

“Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, ‘Go, return to Egypt; for all the men who sought your life are dead.’” Exodus 4:19

Whichever option is correct, it is a notable statement that Joseph would have understood and accepted.

Life application: In Exodus 2:15, only Pharaoh was noted as seeking to kill Moses. However, the text says “all the men” later in Exodus 4:19. Only speculation can be made as to who any others may have been, and we can’t go inserting things into the Bible to form a conclusion. The same is true with this verse in Matthew.

The possibilities for what is meant have been set forth, and there may be others as well. But each of these is only a possibility and should be noted as such. As seen above, Joseph would have known what the intent was. Even if he didn’t at first, he could have asked, and that part of the conversation was simply not recorded.

The important point to remember is that the story bears all the marks of a literal historical account, and it is detailing to us information about the life of Jesus. Therefore, let us consider it as such and revel in what God has done. He is making marvelous parallels between the calling forth of Israel from the bondage of Egypt and the calling forth of Jesus as well.

Moses and those with him stopped and received the law on the way to Israel. Jesus is being drawn directly back to Israel to fulfill the law that Moses received. In doing so, He will usher in a New Covenant and a new plan and direction for the people of God. Great is the Lord who has done all these things!

Lord God, Your word is a glorious treasure trove of wonder and delight concerning the track of man back to You through the redemptive process that You have set forth. One step at a time, we are being instructed on what You have done and are doing to accomplish that. And it is all centered on Jesus. Thank You for our beautiful Savior, Jesus. Amen.