Matthew 2
New Testament · English Majority Text Version with Greek parallel
Matthew chapter 2 is given here in full, verse by verse, in the English Majority Text Version (EMTV), with the Byzantine Majority Text set beneath each verse. The text follows the Byzantine textual tradition used in the Orthodox Church.
26 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 3 Fathers — Saint John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Saint Augustine.
Matthew 2
1Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East arrived in Jerusalem,Τοῦ δὲ Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, ἐν ἡμέραις Ἡρῴδου τοῦ βασιλέως, ἰδού, μάγοι ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν παρεγένοντο εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα,
2saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East, and have come to worship Him.”λέγοντες, Ποῦ ἐστιν ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; εἴδομεν γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὸν ἀστέρα ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ, καὶ ἤλθομεν προσκυνῆσαι αὐτῷ.
3But when Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.ἀκούσας δὲ Ἡρῴδης ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐταράχθη, καὶ πᾶσα Ἱεροσόλυμα μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ·
4And having gathered together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired from them where the Christ would be born.καὶ συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ, ἐπυνθάνετο παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ποῦ ὁ Χριστὸς γεννᾶται.
5So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ, Ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας· οὕτω γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου,
6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come forth a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”Καὶ σὺ Βηθλεέμ, γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς ἡγεμόσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γὰρ ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος, ὅστις ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ.
7Then Herod, secretly having called the wise men, ascertained from them the time that the star appeared.Τότε Ἡρῴδης, λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους, ἠκρίβωσε παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.
8And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said, “Go and search diligently for the young Child, and as soon as you find Him, report back to me, so that I also may come and worship Him.”καὶ πέμψας αὐτοὺς εἰς Βηθλεὲμ εἶπε, Πορευθέντες ἀκριβῶς ἐξετάσατε περὶ τοῦ παιδίου· ἐπὰν δὲ εὕρητε, ἀπαγγείλατέ μοι, ὅπως κἀγὼ ἐλθὼν προσκυνήσω αὐτῷ.
9When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.οἱ δὲ ἀκούσαντες τοῦ βασιλέως ἐπορεύθησαν· καὶ ἰδού, ὁ ἀστήρ, ὃν εἶδον ἐν τῇ ἀνατολῇ, προῆγεν αὐτούς, ἕως ἐλθὼν ἔστη ἐπάνω οὗ ἦν τὸ παιδίον.
10And when they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.ἰδόντες δὲ τὸν ἀστέρα, ἐχάρησαν χαρὰν μεγάλην σφόδρα.
11And having come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and falling down, they worshiped Him, and opening their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, εἶδον τὸ παιδίον μετὰ Μαρίας τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀνοίξαντες τοὺς θησαυροὺς αὐτῶν προσήνεγκαν αὐτῷ δῶρα, χρυσὸν καὶ λίβανον καὶ σμύρναν.
12And having been divinely instructed in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew into their own country by another way.καὶ χρηματισθέντες κατ᾽ ὄναρ μὴ ἀνακάμψαι πρὸς Ἡρῴδην, δι᾽ ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἀνεχώρησαν εἰς τὴν χώραν αὐτῶν.
13Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, and take along the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you; for Herod is about to seek the young Child to destroy Him.”Ἀναχωρησάντων δὲ αὐτῶν, ἰδού, ἄγγελος Κυρίου φαίνεται κατ᾽ ὄναρ τῷ Ἰωσήφ, λέγων, Ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ φεῦγε εἰς Αἴγυπτον, καὶ ἴσθι ἐκεῖ ἕως ἂν εἴπω σοί· μέλλει γὰρ Ἡρῴδης ζητεῖν τὸ παιδίον, τοῦ ἀπολέσαι αὐτό.
14When he arose, he took along the young Child and His mother by night and withdrew into Egypt,ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ νυκτός, καὶ ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς Αἴγυπτον,
15and was there until the death of Herod, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”καὶ ἦν ἐκεῖ ἕως τῆς τελευτῆς Ἡρῴδου· ἵνα πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου διὰ τοῦ προφήτου, λέγοντος, Ἐξ Αἰγύπτου ἐκάλεσα τὸν υἱόν μου.
16Then Herod, seeing that he had been deceived by the wise men, was greatly enraged; and he sent and executed all the boys in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.Τότε Ἡρῴδης, ἰδὼν ὅτι ἐνεπαίχθη ὑπὸ τῶν μάγων, ἐθυμώθη λίαν, καὶ ἀποστείλας ἀνεῖλε πάντας τοὺς παῖδας τοὺς ἐν Βηθλεὲμ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ὁρίοις αὐτῆς, ἀπὸ διετοῦς καὶ κατωτέρω, κατὰ τὸν χρόνον ὃν ἠκρίβωσε παρὰ τῶν μάγων.
17Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν ὑπὸ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου, λέγοντος,
18“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”Φωνὴ ἐν Ῥαμᾷ ἠκούσθη, θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς, Ῥαχὴλ κλαίουσα τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς, καὶ οὐκ ἤθελε παρακληθῆναι, ὅτι οὐκ εἰσί.
19Now after Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,Τελευτήσαντος δὲ τοῦ Ἡρῴδου, ἰδού, ἄγγελος Κυρίου κατ᾽ ὄναρ φαίνεται τῷ Ἰωσὴφ ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ,
20saying, “Arise, and take with you the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the life of the young Child have died.”λέγων, Ἐγερθεὶς παράλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πορεύου εἰς γῆν Ἰσραήλ· τεθνήκασι γὰρ οἱ ζητοῦντες τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ παιδίου.
21Then he rose and took along the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς παρέλαβε τὸ παιδίον καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς γῆν Ἰσραήλ.
22But hearing that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being divinely instructed in a dream, he withdrew into the regions of Galilee.ἀκούσας δὲ ὅτι Ἀρχέλαος βασιλεύει ἐπὶ τῆς Ἰουδαίας ἀντὶ Ἡρῴδου τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ἐφοβήθη ἐκεῖ ἀπελθεῖν· χρηματισθεὶς δὲ κατ᾽ ὄναρ, ἀνεχώρησεν εἰς τὰ μέρη τῆς Γαλιλαίας,
23And when he arrived, he settled down in a city called Nazareth, so that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”καὶ ἐλθὼν κατῴκησεν εἰς πόλιν λεγομένην Ναζαρέτ· ὅπως πληρωθῇ τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν, ὅτι Ναζωραῖος κληθήσεται.
The Fathers on Matthew 2
Saint John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid, and Saint Augustine comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Matthew 2:1–2Saint John ChrysostomWe have need of much wakefulness, and many prayers, that we may arrive at the interpretation of the passage now before us, and that we may learn who these wise men were, and whence they came, and how; and at whose persuasion, and what was the star.
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 2:1Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea. Being interpreted, "Bethlehem" means "house of bread" and "Judea" means "confession" May we also now become a house of the spiritual bread by means of our confession. In the days of Herod. He mentions Herod so that you, O...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:2Saint John ChrysostomHow then saith Luke, that He was lying in the manger? Because at the birth indeed she presently laid Him there (for, as was not unlikely, in that large assemblage for the taxing, they could find no house; which Luke also signifies, by saying, “Because there was no room, she laid Him” there); but afterwards she took Him up, and held Him on her knees. For no sooner was she arrived at Bethlehem than she brought her pangs to an end,343that thou mayest thence also learn the whole dispensation, and that these things were not done at random, or by chance, but that they all were in course of accomplishment, according to some Divine foreknowledge, and prophetic order.
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 2:2Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid2. Saying, Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east and are come to worship Him. It is said that these Magi were descendants of Balaam the soothsayer; and that when they discovered Balaam’s oracle, "A star shall arise out of Jacob"...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:4–5Saint John ChrysostomSeest thou how all things are done to convict the Jews? how, as long as He was out of their sight, the envy had not yet laid hold of them, and they rehearsed the testimonies of Him with truth; but when they saw the glory that arose from the miracles, a grudging spirit possessed them, and thenceforth they betrayed the truth.
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 2:4Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid4. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. The scribes were the teachers of the people, like those whom we call "scholars." God ordained in His providence that these men be asked,...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:5Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid5. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet. By which prophet? By Micah (Micah 5:2), who said:
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:16Saint John ChrysostomYet surely it was a case not for anger, but for fear and awe: he ought to have perceived that he was attempting impossible things. But he is not refrained. For when a soul is insensible and incurable, it yields to none of the medicines given by God. See for example this man following up his former efforts,363and adding many murders to one, and hurried down the steep any whither. For driven wild by this anger, and envy, as by some demon, he takes account of nothing, but rages even against nature herself, and his anger against the wise men who had mocked him he vents upon the children that had done no wrong: venturing then in Palestine upon a deed akin to the things that had been done in Egypt. For he “sent forth,” it is said, “and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently…
Read Homilies on the Gospel of Matthew →
On Matthew 2:16Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid16. Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the Magi, was exceedingly wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem. As God used Moses to trick Pharaoh, so, too, He used the Magi to trick Herod. For both Herod and Pharaoh were child...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:20Saint AugustineOr may a question perchance be raised as to how Matthew tells us that His parents went with the boy Jesus into Galilee, because they were unwilling to go into Judæa in consequence of their fear of Archelaus; whereas it would...
Read The Harmony of the Gospels →
On Matthew 2:19–20Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid19-20. Behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel. He did not say "flee" but "go," for there was no longer any need for fear. For they are dead which sought the...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:3Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid3. When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Herod was troubled because he was a foreigner and feared for his kingdom; for he knew that he was unworthy of it. But why were the Jews troubled? They ought instead to have rejoiced...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:6Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid6. And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah. Since Bethlehem was small, it was despised, but now it is greatly renowned for Christ Who came forth from it. For all people from the ends of the earth come to venerate this holy...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:7Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid7. Then Herod summoned the Magi secretly. He summoned them secretly on account of the Jews, for he suspected that perhaps the Jews would highly esteem the Child and devise means to save Him as their future liberator. Therefore Herod meets with the Magi secretly. And carefully...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:8Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid8. And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the Child. He did not say, "search for the king" but "search for the Child," for he could not endure even to utter Christ’s name. From this it is clear that he was in a rage against Christ.
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:8–9Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid8-9. And when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also. And when they had heard the king, they departed. The Magi were guileless and thought that Herod, too, spoke without guile. And lo, the star which they saw in the east went before them....
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:10Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid10. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. They rejoiced that they had not been led astray but had found what they were seeking.
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:11Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid11. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother. At the time of His birth, the Virgin laid the Child in the manger as they could not find a house then. But later it is most likely that they found a house, and it is there that the Magi...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:12Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid12. And being warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. Consider the sequence of events. First God guided them to faith by means of the star. Then they came to Jerusalem and He taught them through the prophet Micah that...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:13Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid13. And when they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young Child and His mother. Do you see now the reason why God permitted the Virgin to be betrothed? It is revealed to you here: that Joseph might care for...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:14–15Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid14-15. 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 have I called My Son" (Hosea 11:1). The...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:17Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying. Lest anyone think that the slaying of the children took place against the will of God, the evangelist shows that God both knew of it beforehand and foretold it.
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:18Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid18. In Rama was there a voice heard. Rama is a place in Palestine of high elevation, for the name itself means "high." This place fell by lot to the inheritance of the tribe of Benjamin, who was the son of Rachel, and Rachel was buried in Bethlehem. By "Rachel," therefore,...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:19Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid19. But when Herod was dead. Herod came to a bitter end. For with fever, torment of the bowels, itching, swelling of the feet, rotting of the private parts, breeding of worms, difficulty in breathing, trembling and spasms in every member, he cast off his evil soul.
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:21–22Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid21-22. And he arose, and took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither. Herod left three sons: Philip, Antipas, and Archelaus. He had...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →
On Matthew 2:23Open Matthew 2 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Blessed Theophylact of Ohrid23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth. How is it that Luke says that after the Lord was born, He completed the forty days, was held in the arms of Simeon, and then went down to Nazareth (Lk. 2:22-40)? But here Matthew says that after the return from Egypt He...
Read The Explanation by Blessed Theophylact of the Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew →