22 Now all this was done, that it might be | 22 fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall 23 bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with

us.

24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:

25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

directed to Christ.

their sins.
Now all this is come to pass,
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken
by the Lord through the prophet, saying,
Behold, the virgin shall be with child,
and shall bring forth a son,

And they shall call his name 1 Imman-
uel;

which is, being interpreted, God with us. 24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took unto him his wife; and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name JESUS.

25

1 Gr. Emmanuel.

Greek form of Jehoshua, or Joshua, and means "Jehovah Saviour," or "Jehovah Salvation." He was to save from sins, and thus from hell. Salvation includes both forgiveness of sin, and inwrought holiness.

22. Spoken by the Lord through the prophet. The prophet is Isaiah; and the passage quoted is Isa. 7: 14, almost exactly as the Seventy give it. The prophets were inspired to speak of the Messiah and his coming, in order to cheer the hearts of the pious Jews in times of national depression. Such was the case when Isaiah delivered this remarkable prophecy before Ahaz. The definite article is given with "virgin," to mark the one selected by God for this high office of giving birth to the Messiah.

CHAPTER II.

1. The wise men out of the east are directed to Christ by a star. 11. They worship him, and offer their presents. 14. Joseph fleeth into Egypt, with Jesus and his mother. 16. Herod slayeth the children: 20. himself dieth. 23. Christ is brought back again into Galilee to Nazareth.

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,

6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.

1

1

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to 2 Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him. 3 And when Herod the king heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judæa: for thus it is written by the prophet,

1 Gr. Magi. Compare Esth. 1:13; Dan. 2:12. 2 Or, Where is the King of the Jews that is born! 3 Or, through. 1. Bethlehem of Judæa, so called to distinguish it from Bethlehem of Zebulun (Josh. 19: 15). It is six miles south of Jerusalem. Herod the king. This was Herod the Great, now in the last year of his brilliant and cruel reign. He was the son of Antipater, an Idumæan, and had become king of all Palestine by means of his interest with the power of Rome. He had somewhat defended his title to the throne by marrying the heiress of the Maccabean princes of Judah. She had, however, been one of the victims of his cruelty. See on chap. 14: 1. Wise men. The Greek word is "Magi," and refers to the large Persian and Chaldæan caste of priestly philosophers, with whom astronomy, or astrology, was a favorite science.

2. His star. From the description of the movement of this star in the ninth verse ("went before," and "came and stood over"), we conclude that it was a supernatural appearance in star form, an appropriate apparition and guide to those Eastern star-gazers. The phrases would show that it could not have been an ordinary star or any heavenly body. This supernatural appearance led them to start for Judæa, to find the Jewish king foretold by Daniel, whose writings these Magi undoubtedly had, and held in reverence, and whom Daniel's numbers would have induced them to expect about this time (see Dan. chap. 9: 25, 26). In the east; that is, when we were in the east. The star must have appeared on the western horizon.

3. He was troubled. The Jewish people were also expecting their king Messiah to come. The arrival of Magi from distant Chaldæa or Persia, making inquiry concerning him, naturally made the tyrant Herod fearful that a rival was about to rise up, and drive him from the throne.

4. The wily and treacherous monarch procures information from the heads of the priesthood, and the official scribes or teachers of the law, as to the expected birthplace of Messiah. These students of the Scriptures would be able to tell a king who probably knew nothing or little of the sacred volume.

6. The evangelists frequently give the general sense of a prophet in quotation without a verbal exactness, as in this case. This is quoted from Micah 5: 2, but differs in details from both the Hebrew and the Septuagint.

7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9 When they had heard the king, they departed: and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

11 And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

12 And being warned of God in a dream that

Herod's cruelty.

For out of thee shall come forth. a
governor,

Which shall be shepherd of my people
Israel.

7 Then Herod privily called the wise men.
and learned of them carefully 2 what time
8 the star appeared. And he sent them to
Bethlehem, and said, Go and search out
carefully concerning the young child; and
when ye have found him, bring me word,
that I also may come and worship him.
9 And they, having heard the king, went
their way; and lo, the star, which they
saw in the east, went before them, till it
came and stood over where the young
child was. And when they saw the star,
they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
And they came into the house and saw
the young child with Mary his mother;
and they fell down and worshipped him;
and opening their treasures they offered
unto him gifts, gold and frankincense and

10

11

they should not return to Herod, they departed 12 myrrh. And being warned of God in a

into their own country another way.

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod:

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise

men.

13

15

dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.

Now when they were departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I tell thee: for Herod will seek the young child to 14 destroy him. And he arose and took the departed into Egypt; and was there until young child and his mother by night, and the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt did I call my son. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the 1 wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according

16

1 Gr. Magi. 2 Or, the time of the star that appeared.

7. Privily. Ashamed to make more public his anxiety. What time the star appeared. The star had probably appeared more than a year before their arrival. Herod, therefore, supposing the child had been born at the time of the star's first appearance, made two years the age under which the children of Bethlehem should be destroyed. (See verse 16.)

8. Worship him; i.e., may join in yielding the homage due the Messiah. He pretends to take pleasure in the object of the Magi's visit.

11. The action of the Magi indicated religious worship. They would not, if seeking a temporal king of the Jews, have told their story to the tyraut Herod. Besides, frankincense and myrrh were rather divine than regal offerings.

12. Being warned of God. Though the name of God is not in the original, yet the verb is one used regard ing dirine warnings. Other instances of the same verb thus used are in the twenty-second verse of this chapter, in Acts 10: 22, Heb. 8: 51, and 11: 7. A corresponding use of the noun is found in Rom. 11:4. Another way. They perhaps went from Bethlehem southward, and around the southern end of the Dead Sea. In this way they could pass through the eastern portions of Moab and Gilead, to the Euphrates, without the observation of the king.

13. Into Egypt. Egypt was the nearest country to flee to that was beyond Herod's jurisdiction. It was then governed as a province of Rome by a prefect.

14. By night. This shows the care Joseph took to conceal his movements, that Herod might not follow him up in his flight. The journey from Bethlehem to the Egyptian frontier would take five days by the Oriental methods of travelling.

15. Until the death of Herod. That event took place only a few months after our Saviour's birth. Browne, in his "Ordo Sæclorum," fixes Herod's death (by the corrected chronology), April 4, B.C. 4; and our Lord's birth, Dec. 8, B.C. 5; that is, only four months before Herod's death. The infant Jesus may have been but a few weeks old when carried into Egypt. Out of Egypt did I call my Son (Hos. 11:1). Israel was a type of Christ in taking refuge in Egypt and in leaving that land. Out of Egypt each was called to pursue his allotted career, and each was under the fostering care of God. Israel was the church of Christ (compare 1 Cor. 10: 9), and he always identifies himself with his church. From two years old and under. See note on

16. Mocked; i.e., treated lightly, and tricked.

verse 7.