Matthew Chapter 2

(Tap footnote to read it.  Old Testament quotations are underlined.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.¹"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings – agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. )

The Magi Visit

1. Now, Jesus was born in Bethlehem¹the Hebrew word “Bethlehem” translates as “house of bread”, aka: a bakery. God arranged it so the bread of life (Jesus) was born in a town named “bakery”. of Judea in the days of Herod the king. And Behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem
2. saying: “Where is the One who was born King of the Jews? For we perceived His star in the east and came to bow down at His feet.”²“bow down at… …feet” is one word in Greek, often translated “worship”. It comes from the Greek words: “pros” (meaning “towards”) and “kyneo” (meaning “to kiss”). It literally refers to bowing down on your hands and knees and kissing the ground in front of a superior or authority figure. Some Egyptian pictographs have the hand outstretched, as if to send the “kiss” toward the one being revered.
3. And having heard this, King Herod was perplexed and deeply shaken,³“perplexed and deeply shaken” is a single word in Greek, with that exact definition. and all Jerusalem with him.
4. And having gathered all the chief priests and scribes⁴“scribes” In the New Testament, this Greek word is typically applied to those learned in the Mosaic Law. of the people, he was asking them where the Anointed is born.
5. And they answered him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for it’s *written through the prophet this way:
6. “And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. For the One leading will go out from you, He who will shepherd My people Israel.”⁵quotation/allusion to Micah 5:2
7. Then having secretly called the Magi, Herod learned from them the precise time of the star’s appearing.
   
8. And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said: “Having traveled there, search carefully for the young child. And as soon as you find Him, report back to me so that having come, I also might bow down at His feet.”⁶“bow down at… …feet” is one word in Greek, often translated “worship”. It comes from the Greek words: “pros” (meaning “towards”) and “kyneo” (meaning “to kiss”). It literally refers to bowing down on your hands and knees and kissing the ground in front of a superior or authority figure. Some Egyptian pictographs have the hand outstretched, as if to send the “kiss” toward the one being revered.
9. And they listened to the king and traveled there.  And behold, the star which they saw in the east was going before them until it arrived, then it stood over where the child was.
10. And having seen the star, they rejoiced with extremely great joy.
11. And having gone into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother. And having fallen down they bowed low at His feet.⁷“bowed low at… …feet” is one word in Greek, often translated “worship”. It comes from the Greek words: “pros” (meaning “towards”) and “kyneo” (meaning “to kiss”). It literally refers to bowing down on your hands and knees and kissing the ground in front of a superior or authority figure. Some Egyptian pictographs have the hand outstretched, as if to send the “kiss” toward the one being revered. And having opened their store of treasures, they offered Him gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
12. And having been divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their land by another way.

The Escape to Egypt

13. Now, after they left, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph saying, “After waking up, take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt and live there until I tell you, for Herod intends to seek the child to kill Him.”
14. And having been woken, he took the child and His mother by night and fled into Egypt.
15. And he was living there until the death of Herod so it might be fulfilled, what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “I called My Son out of Egypt.”⁸quotation/allusion to Hosea 11:1

Herod’s wrath

16. Then Herod – having seen that he was mocked by the Magi – was greatly enraged.  And having sent orders, he killed all the boys in Bethlehem and all in its districts, from two years old and under according to the precise time that he learned from the Magi.
17. Then it was fulfilled: what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying:
18. “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much wailing, Rachel weeping for her children and she wasn’t wanting to be comforted because they are no more.”⁹quotation/allusion to Jeremiah 31:15
19. Now, when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
20. saying: “After waking up, take the child and His mother and travel into the land of Israel, for the men seeking the life of the child have died.
21. And having been woken, he took the child and His mother and entered into the land of Israel.
22. But having heard that Archelaus is reigning as king over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was frightened to go there. And having been divinely warned in a dream, he departed into the regions of Galilee.
23. And having arrived, he settled down in a city called Nazareth so what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, that He will be called a Nazarene.¹⁰quotation/allusion to Isaiah 11:1 “Nazarene” refers to the inhabitants of the town of Nazareth, which likely takes it’s name from the Hebrew word “Netzer”. Netzer refers to a shoot that springs up from a stump and thus this is likely a reference to Isaiah 11:1, which foretells that the Messiah will be a “netzer” from the trunk of Jesse (David’s father). Thus, in this sense Jesus was a “netzer-ene” (Nazarene, with “ene” indicating origin; thus, originating from a netzer.)

 

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