The King Who Was Killing All the Baby Boys at the Time Jesus Was Born

Matthew ii:16
← 2:xv two:17 →
Rubens' Massacre of the Innocents
Book	Gospel of Matthew
Christian Bible part	New Testament

Matthew 2:16 is the sixteenth poetry of the 2d chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Attestation.

Joseph and Mary had been visited by an angel and told that Herod would attempt to kill Jesus, their son. Doing every bit told, they took their infant son and fled past night into Egypt, where they stayed until Herod had died. The 3 Magi were separately warned in a dream of the threat that King Herod posed and went domicile past a different route than they came.

Herod had planned to brand the Magi tell him of the whereabouts of the Christ child. When he heard of the Magi'due south change in course, he grew aroused and tried to kill the babe messiah by killing all the young children in the area, an effect known as the Massacre of the Innocents.

Content [edit]

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

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 former and under, according to the time which he had diligently

inquired of the wise men.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men,

was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children

who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from

two years quondam and under, co-ordinate to the verbal time which he had

learned from the wise men.

The Novum Testamentum Graece text is:

Τότε Ἡρῴδης ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων

ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλεν πάντας τοὺς παῖδας

τοὺς ἐν Βηθλεὲμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι

τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω,

κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσεν παρὰ τῶν μάγων.

For a drove of other versions see BibleHub Matthew two:xvi

Analysis [edit]

Brown notes that the and then, when construction is used throughout Matthew to indicate a modify of scene every bit in this instance where the narrative moves from the Holy Family to King Herod.^[ane]

The discussion empaizein is variously translated every bit deceived or mocked; in reality, Brown notes that the give-and-take is a combination of the two ideas and has no straight English translation.^[2]

Clarke notes that the description of Herod as "exceeding wroth" has been central to Herod's perception and was the foundation for how the king was portrayed in the mystery cycles of the past and in modernistic pop culture.^[3]

Jones notes that "surround" refers to the rural areas around the village of Bethlehem. It does not refer to any other nearby towns or villages. At the fourth dimension, Bethlehem was a small village and it and its surrounding area would have had a very small population.^[4] Albright and Isle of man estimate the village would have had only some 300 people at the time,^[5] Raymond E. Brown estimates it was effectually a chiliad.^[vi] For all these figures, the number of children killed would have been less than xx.^[7] This number clashes with the traditional view of thousands of deaths, just it helps explain why the massacre was non mentioned past whatsoever historians such as Josephus. The killing of all the infants in a small village would accept been simply one of many massacres Herod is recorded to have carried out in his later years.^[8] At the same time, Brown notes that the double word all shows that the writer of Matthew is trying to portray a large massacre.^[ix]

Gundry notes that "two years old and under" properly refers to children who have not entered their second yr, thus those twelve months quondam and younger. That Herod picks this number is considered an of import clue to when Jesus was born.^[x] It is taken to signal that close to a year had elapsed since the birth of Jesus. Herod is believed to take died in iv BC so based on Matthew, Jesus' birth is guessed to have been in five or half-dozen BC.

[edit]

Pseudo-Chrysostom: When the baby Jesus had subdued the Magi, not by the might of His flesh, but the grace of His Spirit, Herod was exceeding wrath, that they whom he sitting on his throne had no power to motion, were obedient to an Babe lying in a manger. Then by their contempt of him the Magi gave further cause of wrath. For when kings' wrath is stirred past fear for their crowns, it is a smashing and inextinguishable wrath. Merely what did he? He sent and slew all the children. As a wounded creature rends whatsoever meeteth it as if the cause of its smart, so he mocked by the Magi spent his fury on children. He said to himself in his fury, 'Surely the Magi take found the Child whom they said should be King;' for a rex in fear for his crown fears all things, suspects all. And then he sent and slew all those infants, that he might secure one among so many.

Augustine: And while he thus persecutes Christ, he furnished an army (of martyrs) clothed in white robes of the same historic period as the Lord.

Augustine: Behold how this unrighteous enemy never could have so much profited these infants past his beloved, as he did past his hate; for every bit much as iniquity abounded against them, and then much did the grace of blessing grow on them.

Augustine: O blest infants! He only will doubt of your crown in this your passion for Christ, who doubts that the baptism of Christ has a do good for infants. He who at His birth had Angels to proclaim Him, the heavens to testify, and Magi to worship Him, could surely have prevented that these should non have died for Him, had He not known that they died not in that expiry, but rather lived in college bliss. Far be the thought, that Christ who came to set men gratuitous, did nothing to reward those who died in His behalf, when hanging on the cantankerous He prayed for those who put Him to decease.

Rabanus Maurus: He is not satisfied with the massacre at Bethlehem, but extends it to the adjacent villages; sparing no age from the child of one night onetime, to that of 2 years.

Augustine: The Magi had seen this unknown star in the heavens, not a few days, but ii years before, every bit they had informed Herod when he enquired. This caused him to set up 2 years one-time and under; every bit it follows, according to the fourth dimension he had enquired of the Magi.

Augustine: Or because he feared that the Kid to whom even stars ministered, might transform His appearance to greater or under that of His own age, or might conceal all those of that historic period: hence it seems to be that he slew all from 1 day to two years former.

Augustine: Or, disturbed past pressure of still more imminent dangers, Herod's thoughts are drawn to other thoughts than the slaughter of children, he might suppose that the Magi, unable to find Him whom they had supposed born, were aback to return to him. Then the days of purification being accomplished, they might get up in prophylactic to Jerusalem. And who does not come across that that one day they may have escaped the attending of a King occupied with and so many cares, and that afterwards when the things done in the Temple came to be spread abroad, so Herod discovered that he had been deceived by the Magi, and then sent and slew the children.

Bede: In this death of the children the precious expiry of all Christ's martyrs is figured; that they were infants signifies, that by the merit of humility solitary can we come to the glory of martyrdom; that they were slain in Bethlehem and the coasts thereof, that the persecution shall exist both in Jerusalem whence the Church originated, and throughout the globe; in those of two years old are figured the perfect in doctrine and works; those under that age the neophytes; that they were slain while Christ escaped, signifies that the bodies of the martyrs may be destroyed past the wicked, but that Christ cannot exist taken from them.

References [edit]

1. ^ Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
2. ^ Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
3. ^ Clarke, Howard W. The Gospel of Matthew and its Readers: A Historical Introduction to the First Gospel. Bloomington: Indiana University Printing, 2003.
4. ^ Jones, Alexander. The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1965.
5. ^ Albright, W.F. and C.S. Isle of man. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Serial. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
6. ^ Brownish, Raymond E. The Nascency of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: Chiliad. Chapman, 1977.
7. ^ Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 123
8. ^ France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. pg. 85
9. ^ Brown, Raymond E. The Nascence of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
10. ^ Gundry, Robert H. Matthew a Commentary on his Literary and Theological Fine art. Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1982.

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Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_2:16

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