Matthew 2:13-23
Below is a rough draft and some preliminary comments regarding Matthew 2:13-23, the Revised Common Lectionary gospel reading for the Sunday after Christmas.
13 Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου
φαίνεται κατ' ὄναρ
τῷ Ἰωσὴφ λέγων, Ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ
καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοι: μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης
ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό.
Then [the Magi] having departed
behold an angel of the lord appears in a dream to Joseph saying, “Arise, take
the child and his mother and flee into Egypt, and be there until I tell you;
for Herod seeks to find the child in order to kill him.
Ἀναχωρησάντων: AAPart gmp, ἀναχωρέω, 1) to go back, return
φαίνεται:
PMI 3s φαίνω, 1) to bring forth into the light ... 2b) to become
evident
λέγων:
PAPart nsm, λέγω,
1) to say, to speak
Ἐγερθεὶς :
PPInf nms, ἐγείρω, 1) to arouse, cause to rise 1a) to arouse from sleep,
to awake
παράλαβε: PAImpv,
2s, παραλαμβάνω,
1) to take to, to take with one's self, to join to one's self 1a) an
associate, a companion
φεῦγε: PAImpv 2s φεύγω, 1) to flee away, seek safety by flight
ἴσθι: PAImpv 2s εἰμί
εἴπω: AASubj 1s λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over,
maintain 1b) to teach 1c) to exhort, advise, to command,
direct
μέλλει: PAI 3s μέλλω, 1) to be about 1a) to be on the point of
doing or suffering something 1b) to intend,
ζητεῖν: PAInf ζητέω, 1) to seek in order to find 1a) to seek a
thing
ἀπολέσαι: AAInf ἀπόλλυμι, 1) to destroy ... 1c) to
kill
1. I’ve had a habit of translating δὲ as “Yet,” in the
rough translation, just to hold off on deciding whether it has the tone of an
‘and’ or perhaps ‘but.’ The way Matthew keeps using here, however, makes me
feel that it is more of a connective word – so I’m using ‘then’ – without
qualifying the connection as either a continuation (and) or contrast (but).
14 ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ νυκτὸς καὶ
ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον,
Then having gotten up he took the
child and his mother at night and departed into Egypt,
ἐγερθεὶς : APPart nms, ἐγείρω,
1) to arouse, cause to rise 1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake
παρέλαβεν:
AAI 3s, παραλαμβάνω, 1) to take to, to take with one's self, to
join to one's self 1a) an associate, a companion 1b) metaph.
ἀνεχώρησεν: AAI 3s, ἀναχωρέω, 1) to go back, return 2) to
withdraw
1. I may be spouting nonsense here, but it just occurred to me
that the verb παραλαμβάνω (to take with oneself) is the direct opposite of
παραδίδωμι, (to give into the hands of another). The two words share the prefix
παρα, and the contrast between λαμβάνω and δίδωμι, take and give, is stark. Παραδίδωμι is often translated as “betray.”
And while it can mean something less intense (such as “Do not be afraid to take Mary your wife” in 1:20), I wonder
if παραλαμβάνω has more of a sense of “rescue” here, more intense than just
“take.” While we tend to imagine that the birth narrative unfolds simply,
Joseph might have been at a genuine crossroad here. Yes, he had a dream telling
him that the birth was God’s way of sending a savior. Yes, Magi from the east
came confirming that dream through their astrological arts. But, Herod is Herod
and if Joseph were to betray Jesus and hand him over into Herod’s hands, which
is what παραδίδωμι means and which is what Judas does eventually, then Herod
would be mollified and Joseph, perhaps, would be rewarded quite handsomely.
Instead, he takes the child out of the hand of Herod παραλαμβάνω - precisely
what the angel commanded him to do in v.13.
15καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρῴδου: ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ κυρίου
διὰ τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος, Ἐξ Αἰγύπτου
ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου.
and was there until the death of
Herod; in order that the word of the lord may be fulfilled through the prophet
who said, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
πληρωθῇ: APSubj 3s πληρόω, 1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the
full λέγοντος: PAPart gsm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
ἐκάλεσα: AAI 1s, καλέω, 1) to call 1a) to call aloud, utter in a
loud voice
1. Hosea 11:1 When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of
Egypt I called my son. Also, Numbers 23:22 and 24:8 use this phrase, “God, who
brings him out of Egypt.” Matthew is making quite the interpretive leap to
assign these referents, which typically are interpreted to mean “Israel,” as
referring to Jesus.
16 Τότε Ἡρῴδης ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ
ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλέεμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς
ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω,
κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσεν
παρὰ τῶν μάγων.
Right then Herod having seen that he
had been deluded by the Magi was exceedingly infuriated, and having ordered he
slayed all the children who were in and around Bethlehem who were two years old
and younger, according to the time which was exacted from the Magi.
ἰδὼν:
AAPart nsm, ὁράω,
1) to see with the eyes 2) to see with the mind, to perceive, know
ἐνεπαίχθη: API
3s, ἐμπαίζω, 1) to play with, trifle with 1a) to mock 1b) to
delude, deceive
ἐθυμώθη:API 3s, θυμόω wroth
(be) to make,to
provoke. Here, passive, to be stirred up into a tumultuous state of mind. HE LOST IT!
ἀποστείλας: AAPart nms, ἀποστέλλω, 1) to order (one) to go to a place
appointed
ἀνεῖλεν: AAI 3s, ἀναιρέω, 1) to take up, to lift up (from the
ground) ... 2b) to put out of the way, kill slay a man
ἠκρίβωσεν: AAI 3s ἀκριβόω, 1) to know accurately, to do exactly 2)
to investigate diligently
1. Matthew uses Τότε to begin
this verse and the next. I am translating it as ‘right then’ only to show that
it is a different term than the δὲ that began vv.13-14.
2. Grammatically, it is unnecessary and redundant to include the
pronoun ‘he’ for ‘he slayed,’ since Herod continues to be the subject. But, I
wanted to emphasize how Matthew equates Herod giving the order with Herod
actually slaying the children, not those who carried out the order.
17τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου
λέγοντος,
Right then the word was fulfilled
according to Jeremiah the prophet who said,
ἐπληρώθη: 1) to make full, to fill up,
i.e. to fill to the full
λέγοντος:
PAPart gsm, λέγω,
1) to say, to speak
18 Φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμὰ ἠκούσθη, κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς: Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα
τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν παρακληθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν.
A cry was heard in Ramah, wailing
and much lamentation; Rachel mourning her children, and was not willing to be
comforted, because they are not.
ἠκούσθη: API 3s, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not
deaf 2) to hear 2b) to attend to, consider what is or has been
said
κλαίουσα: PAPart nfs, κλαίω, 1) to mourn, weep, lament 1a)
weeping as the sign of pain and grief for the thing signified
ἤθελεν:
IAI 3s, θέλω, 1) to will, have in mind, intend 1a) to be
resolved or determined, to purpose 1b) to desire, to wish
παρακληθῆναι: APInf, παρακαλέω, 1) to call to one's side, call for,
summon 2) to address, speak to, (call to, call upon), which may be done
in the way of exhortation, entreaty, comfort, instruction, etc.
εἰσίν: PAI 3p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
1. Ramah is a town of the tribe of Benjamin, situated north of Jerusalem on
the road leading to Bethel;
2. Jeremiah 31:15 “Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard
in Ramah, lamentation and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children;
she refuses to be comforted for her children, because they are no more.” The
weeping in Jeremiah was over the exile, not literal children being slaughtered.
It was part of a chapter that is a call to rejoice, because the exiles would
return.
3. I have always assumed that the reference
to Rachel’s weeping is a way of capturing the grief and mourning of families
over the slaughter of the innocents. I’m noticing here for the first time that
here is no statement that Herod’s order was in fact carried out. And, since the
quote from Jeremiah is about Israel’s exile experience, and not a literal
mother weeping for her literal children, I wonder if Matthew’s intended meaning
is actually about the exile and not the slaughter. I have to ponder that one for a spell.
19 Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἡρῴδου ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου φαίνεται κατ' ὄναρ
τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ
Then Herod having died behold an
angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
Τελευτήσαντος: AAPart gms, τελευτάω, 1) to finish, bring to and end, close 2)
to have an end or close, come to an end
φαίνεται: PMI 3s, φαίνω, 1) to bring forth into the light, cause to shine,
shed light 2) shine 2a) to shine, be bright or resplendent
1. There is no sense of how much time has
elapsed here. The connective tissue between the last verse and this one is simply
the very common conjunction δὲ.
20 λέγων, Ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ πορεύου
εἰς γῆν Ἰσραήλ, τεθνήκασιν γὰρ οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου.
Saying, “Rise take the child and
his mother and go into the land of Israel, for those seeking the soul of the
child have died.”
λέγων:
PAPart nsm, λέγω,
1) to say, to speak
Ἐγερθεὶς :
PPInf nms, ἐγείρω, 1) to arouse, cause to rise 1a) to arouse from sleep,
to awake
παράλαβε: AAImpv
2s, παραλαμβάνω,
1) to take to,
πορεύου: PMImpv 2s, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over,
transfer 1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue
on one's journey
τεθνήκασιν: PerfAI 3s, θνῄσκω, 1) to die, to be
ζητοῦντες: PAPart nmp, ζητέω, 1) to seek in order to find 1a) to seek a
thing
1. τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου could
easily be translated “the life of the child.” I just want to show that the word
often translated as “soul” is used here, not a word referring to biotic life.
21 ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβεν τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰσῆλθεν εἰς
γῆν Ἰσραήλ.
Then having awakened, he took the
child and his mother and went into a land of Israel.
ἐγερθεὶς : APPart nms, ἐγείρω,
1) to arouse, cause to rise 1a) to arouse from sleep, to awake
παρέλαβεν:
AAI 3s, παραλαμβάνω, 1) to take to,
εἰσῆλθεν: AAI
3s, εἰσέρχομαι,
1) to go out or come in: to enter
1. Here’s that word παραλαμβάνω again. See
v.14 n.1 above.
22 ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Ἀρχέλαος βασιλεύει τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀντὶ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ
Ἡρῴδου ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖ ἀπελθεῖν: χρηματισθεὶς δὲ κατ' ὄναρ ἀνεχώρησενεἰς
τὰ μέρη τῆς Γαλιλαίας,
Then having heard that Archeleaus
[was] king of the Judeans after his father Herod, he was afeared to go there; then
being warned in a dream he returned [to] the region of Galilee.
ἀκούσας: AAPart nms, ἀκούω, 1) to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not
deaf 2) to hear
ἐφοβήθη: API 3s φοβέω to terrify, frighten, to put to flight by
terrifying Pass. 1. to be put to flight, to flee, 2. to fear, be afraid;
ἀπελθεῖν: AAInf ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart 1a) to go away in
order to follow any one
χρηματισθεὶς: AAPart nms, χρηματίζω, 1) to transact business, esp. to manage
public affairs 1a) to advise or consult with one about public
affairs ... 2) to give a response to those consulting an oracle, to
give a divine command or admonition, to teach from heaven
ἀνεχώρησενεἰς: AAI 3s, ἀναχωρέω, 1) to go back, return
1. The verb ‘was’ is supplied.
2. Every time I use “afeared” it
sounds like something my Grandfather used to say. I am using it because “was afraid” sounds like an adjective and I’m
trying to catch the spirit of this aorist passive verb ἐφοβήθη. The root φοβ is the root of the English
“phobia.”
3. This is the fourth dream that Joseph has about the child and
his mother. The first was when Joseph had decided to “put Mary away” quietly –
as opposed to shaming her and her family publicly – in Mt. 1:18-25. The second
was after the visit by the Magi (who had their own dream message) and Joseph is
told to take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt in Mt. 2:13-15. The
third is in vv.19-20 above, when Joseph is given the “all clear.” And the last
is here, where Joseph’s fear is confirmed by being ‘warned’ in a dream.
23καὶ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς πόλιν λεγομένην Ναζαρέτ, ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται.
And having come they settled in a
city which is called Nazareth, so that which was spoken through the prophets
would be fulfilled that he shall be called a Nazorean.
ἐλθὼν: AAPart nms, ἔρχομαι, 1) to come 1a) of persons
κατῴκησεν: AAI 3s, κατοικέω, 1) to dwell, settle 1a) metaph. divine
powers, influences, etc., are said to dwell in his soul, to pervade,
prompt, govern it 2) to dwell in, inhabit
λεγομένην: PPPart afs, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over,
maintain
πληρωθῇ: APSubj 3s, πληρόω, 1) to make full, to fill up, i.e. to fill to the
full 1a) to cause to abound, to furnish or supply liberally
ῥηθὲν:
AAPart nsm, λέγω,
1) to say, to speak
κληθήσεται: FPI 3s, καλέω, 1) to call 1a) to call aloud, utter in a
loud voice
Richard
Erickson, No known Old Testament scripture reads exactly Ναζωραίος κληθήσεται,
but neither are such nonspecific 'quotations' otherwise unknown in the New Testament.
1. In vv.21-23a all of the verbs and participles are singular,
with the subject being Joseph. One might expect a “they” along the way, but
Matthew’s emphasis is that Joseph is the one waking, taking, hearing, fearing,
being warned, having come, and settling – with the child and his mother.
2. Where in the world did this reference to the prophets come
from? I went to one site that seems to consider every possible explanation to
be a conspiracy of the devil, or the Roman Catholic Church, except theirs.
Their explanation is that “Nazorean” is etymologically the same as “sprout,” so
it’s a reference to Jesus being a sprout from Isaiah – only that explanation
seems to fly in the face of the clear meaning of the verse, which is about
Jesus ending up physically in Nazareth, not about Jesus being metaphorically
sprouty. Still, it was a good attempt to ward off other suggestions like,
“Maybe Matthew is simply misinformed here.” Some folks’ view of inspiration
would not allow such a possibility.
Here were
some of my thoughts from 2013:
I’m torn
about what Matthew is ultimately communicating in this story. I see some
possibilities.
1. If we
look at the grammatical phrasing, Matthew is telling a story about Joseph. The
angelic visits, the emphasis on Joseph’s decision-making and actions, etc. pull
the attention toward Joseph – more than the story about the massacre of the
innocents, which compels us with its horror; more than the story of the Magi,
which compels us with its majestic juxtapositions; and more than the story of
the birth itself – which is told in passing.
2. At the
same time, if we look at the exceptions, Matthew is separating Joseph from
Jesus with the phrase “the child and his mother,” instead of “his child.” I
have to wonder if Matthew is addressing a burning question of his day, going
back to the genealogy, regarding the lineage of the coming one. As powerful as
lineage is – and in ancient cultures I think lineage was a much greater part of
one’s identity than it tends to be in my own culture – what is more powerful
here is that the Messiah is generated by God, a fulfillment of the words of the
prophets.
3. Then
there is the insight form Richard J. Erickson’s article, “Divine Injustice?
Matthew’s Narrative Strategy and the Slaughter of the Innocents.” Erickson
outlines the story in three major sections: Vv.13-15 is “the flight to Egypt”;
vv.16-18 is “the slaughter of innocents”; and vv.19-23 is “the return to Israel
and Galilee.” Erickson argues that the implied story of Jeremiah’s lament is
that the exiles will return. It’s hard to fit that to a story about children
being slaughtered, to be sure, but the family’s flight to Egypt and then their
return is a fulfillment of the weeping followed by joy.
Here are
my thoughts from 2016:
1. I like
the contrast between παραδίδωμι and παραλαμβάνω (v.14, n.1 above). “Joseph, the
rescuer” is a little more derring-do than “Joseph the fleer.” It also seems to
keep before us Joseph’s own trial of faith, from going against his better
judgment of ‘putting Mary away privately’ to rescuing instead of betraying
Jesus. If we see the gospel as one cloth, this action in the face of violence
is faithful action, unlike the actions of the disciples at the crucifixion.
2. I do
wonder if Matthew intends for us to read Rachel’s weeping for her children as a
reference to Israel/Jesus being forced into exile, rather than a reference to
the “slaughter of innocents.” Hmm ….
I keep thinking about what it was like to come back from Egypt with a toddler and have to face all of the mothers whose babies were slaughtered by Herod. The 'boy who lived' because his family got a message from an angel while the rest of the world didn't?
ReplyDeleteSeems like the equivalent of that email going around saying "thank god I missed my train on 9/11 and was late for work and didn't die in the towers. Miracle!"
Theodicy!