Matthew 2:15

κυρίου for τοῦ κυρίου. See ch. Matthew 1:22.

15. ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρώδου. According to the chronology adopted above this would be for a space of less than two years.

ἴνα πληρωθῇ. See note on ch. Matthew 1:22.

ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου. The history of Israel is regarded as typical of the Messiah’s life. He alone gives significance to that history. He is the true seed of Abraham. In him the blessing promised to Abraham finds its highest fulfilment. (See Lightfoot on Galatians 3:16.) Even particular incidents in the Gospel narrative have their counterpart in the O.T. history. Accordingly St Matthew, who naturally reverts to this thought more constantly than the other Evangelists, from the very nature of his gospel, recognises in this incident an analogy to the call of Israel from Egypt.

The quotation is again from the original Hebrew of Hosea 11:2, and again the LXX. differs considerably. It runs ἐξ Αἰγύπτου μετεκάλεσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτοῦ. Cp. Exodus 4:22-23 υἱὸς πρωτότοκός μου Ἰσραήλ εἶπα δέ σοι ἐξαπόστειλον τὸν λαόν μου ἵνα μοι λατρεύσῃ, where τὸν υἱόν μου would be a closer rendering of the Hebrew than τὸν λαόν μου.