Matthew 2:15

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

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.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

and was there until the death of

Herod; that it might be fulfilled

which was spoken by the Lord

through the prophet, saying,

"Out of Egypt I called my son."

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 2:15

Herod is believed to have died in March of 4 BC.[1] The Gospel gives little detail about the Holy Family's time in Egypt, but there are a number of apocryphal tales filling in this period. These stories of the time in Egypt have been especially important to the Coptic Church, which is based in that country. Throughout Egypt there are a number of churches and shrines that claim to mark an area where the Holy Family stayed. The most important of these is the church of Abu Serghis that claims to be built on the place the family had its home.

This verse contains Matthew's third direct quote from the Old Testament.[2] This brief line is from Hosea 11:1, referring to God's call to Israel as his firstborn son (cf. Exodus 4:22) 'out of Egypt at the time of Exodus'.[1] Matthew's emphasis here is 'the truth that Jesus is the embodiment and fulfillment of the mission and identity of Israel', because 'everything that God called Israel to be, Jesus is'.[3] Long observes the faint outlines of a prominent theological theme in Matthew, that is, 'the hidden hand of God ruling human history'; whereas the course of human affairs seems to be at random, beneath the surface is the 'narrative of grace and redemption, firmly written by the hidden hand of God'.[3]

• Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt: a 2005 book by Anne Rice

• Bruce, F.F. (2014). Matthew. Volume 1. BookBaby. ISBN 9781909680296.
• Long, Thomas G. (1997). Matthew. Westminster Bible companion. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664252571.

• Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
• Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
• The use of Hosea 11:1 in Matthew 2:15 (pdf)