Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 2:13-15

"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 destroy him. And he arose and took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt; 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 did I call my son." — Matthew 2:13-15 (ASV)

Rabanus Maurus: Here Matthew omits the day of purification when the first-born must be presented in the Temple with a lamb, or a pair of turtledoves or pigeons. Their fear of Herod did not embolden them to transgress the Law by failing to present the Child in the temple. As soon as the rumor concerning the Child began to spread, the Angel was sent to tell Joseph to carry Him into Egypt.

Remigius of Auxerre: The fact that the Angel always appears to Joseph in his sleep mystically signifies that those who rest from worldly cares and secular pursuits are worthy of angelic visits.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: The first time, when he wanted to teach Joseph that she was lawfully betrothed, the Angel called the Virgin his betrothed "wife." But after the birth, she is only spoken of as the Mother of Jesus. Just as marriage was rightfully attributed to her in her virginity, so her virginity is considered venerable in her as the mother of Jesus.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: He does not say, "the Mother and her young Child," but, "the young Child and His mother," for the Child was not born for the mother, but the mother was prepared for the Child. How can it be that the Son of God flees from a man? Or who will deliver us from the enemy's hand if He Himself fears His enemies?

First, He had to observe, even in this, the law of the human nature which He took upon Himself; and human nature in its infancy must flee before a threatening power. Next, this shows that Christians, when persecution makes it necessary, should not be ashamed to flee. But why into Egypt? The Lord, who does not keep His anger forever, remembered the woes He had brought upon Egypt. Therefore, He sent His Son there and gave it this sign of great reconciliation, that with this one remedy He might heal the ten plagues of Egypt. The nation that had been the persecutor of this first-born people might now be the guardian of His first-born Son. Just as they had formerly tyrannized cruelly, now they could serve devoutly, not going to the Red Sea to be drowned, but being called to the waters of baptism to receive life.

St. Augustine of Hippo: Listen to the sacrament of a great mystery. Previously, Moses had shut out the light of day from the treacherous Egyptians; Christ, by going down there, brought back light to those who sat in darkness. He fled so that He might enlighten them, not so that He might escape His foes.

The miserable tyrant supposed that the Savior's coming would cause him to be thrust from his royal throne. But this was not so; Christ did not come to harm the dignity of others, but to bestow His own on them.¹

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Egypt was full of idols; for after this search for Him among the Jews, Christ, leaving Judea, goes to be cherished among nations devoted to the most vain superstitions.

St. Jerome: When he takes the Child and His mother to go into Egypt, it is in the night and darkness. When they return to Judea, the Gospel speaks of neither light nor darkness.

Pseudo-Chrysostom: The hardship of any persecution may be called "night," and the relief from it, in the same way, "day."

Rabanus Maurus: For when the true light withdraws, those who hate the light are in darkness; when it returns, they are enlightened again.

St. John Chrysostom: See how immediately on His birth the tyrant is furious against Him, and the mother with her Child is driven into foreign lands. So if you, at the beginning of your spiritual life, seem to face tribulation, you should not be discouraged but bear all things courageously, keeping this example in mind.

The Venerable Bede: The flight into Egypt signifies that the elect are often driven from their homes or sentenced to exile by the wickedness of evil people. Thus He, who we will see later gave the command to His own, "When they persecute you in one city, flee to another," first practiced what He commanded, as a man fleeing before another man on earth—He, whom just a little before a star had proclaimed from heaven to the Magi to be worshiped.²

Remigius of Auxerre: Isaiah had foretold this flight into Egypt: "Lo! the Lord shall ascend on a light cloud, and shall come into Egypt, and shall scatter the idols of Egypt" (Isaiah 19:1). It is the practice of this Evangelist to confirm everything he says. Because he is writing to the Jews, he therefore adds, "that it might be fulfilled..."

St. Jerome: This is not in the Septuagint, but in Hosea, according to the genuine Hebrew text, we read, "Israel is my child, and I have loved him," and, "from Egypt have I called my Son." The Septuagint, however, renders it, "Israel is my child, and I have loved him, and called my sons out of Egypt."³

The Evangelist cites this text because it refers to Christ typically. For it should be observed that in this Prophet and others, the coming of Christ and the call of the Gentiles are foreshadowed in such a way that the thread of history is never broken.⁴

St. John Chrysostom: It is a law of prophecy that in many places things are said of some people but fulfilled in others. As it is said of Simeon and Levi, "I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel" (Genesis 49:7), which was fulfilled not in them, but in their descendants. So here Christ is by nature the Son of God, and so the prophecy is fulfilled in Him.

St. Jerome: Let those who deny the authenticity of the Hebrew copies show us this passage in the Septuagint, and when they have failed to find it, we will show it to them in the Hebrew. We may also explain it in another way, by considering it as quoted from Numbers: "God brought him out of Egypt; his glory is as it were that of a unicorn" (Numbers 23:22).

Remigius of Auxerre: In Joseph, the order of preachers is represented; in Mary, Holy Scripture; and in the Child, the knowledge of the Savior. The cruelty of Herod represents the persecution the Church suffered in Jerusalem. Joseph's flight into Egypt signifies the passing of the preachers to the unbelieving Gentiles, for Egypt signifies darkness. The time he remained in Egypt represents the period between the Lord's ascension and the coming of the Antichrist. Finally, Herod's death signifies the extinction of jealousy in the hearts of the Jews.

1. Serm. 218, App.
2. Hom. in Nat. Innocent
3. Epist., 57. 7
4. Osee, 11, 2