18. The birth, i. e. the circumstances of the birth or nativity. Such condensed expressions are common in every language. On this wise. In the following manner. Was espoused. Between the time of betrothal and marriage celebration, was commonly an interval of ten or twelve months (Deut. 20:7). During this period they were spoken of as man and wife, although there was no intercourse between them, not even an interchange of conversation. Any violation of the vow of fidelity was punished, as though the marriage relation had been consummated; and if the bridegroom was unwilling to fulfil his engagement, he had to be absolved from his promise, by giving a bill of divorce, as though to his wife. Came together, in the full marriage relation of man and wife. She was found, i. e. was discovered to be. Of the Holy Ghost, i. e. through the agency of the Holy Ghost. This was the true state of the case, but not known to Joseph or her friends. She had kept the vision of the angel (Luke 1: 26) to herself. 19. Husband. See N. on the preceding verse. Just man. One who was disposed to do what was right and proper. Some take just here in the to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. 20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: "for that which is † conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name u Lu. 1: 35. + Gr. begotten. a Lu. 1: 31. t De. 24: 1. sense of kind, benignant (see John, 17: 25; 1 John 1: 9). The two ideas of the word may here be combined. To make her a public example, by repudiating her publicly, or by giving her up to the punishment inflicted upon such as broke the marriage vow (Levit. 20: 10; John 8: 5). Was minded, i. e. intended, purposed. Mere inclination is not here meant. To put her away privily. Provision for this form of divorce was made in Deut. 24: 1. 20. But while he thought on these things, i. e. was reflecting in his mind what course to pursue. Behold. This interjectional word serves to call attention more particularly to what follows, especially if, as here, it is something wonderful. The angel; literally, a messenger, but here, as is in similar connexions, an angel, one of the messengers of Jehovah, employed on errands and agencies connected with the affairs of men. These celestial messengers are represented in the Bible as great, glorious, happy, and innumerable, standing in God's presence, and swift to do His will. In the trial of their obedience, some of the angels fell from their first estate (2 Pet. 2: 4; Jude 6), and are now the subtle, malignant foes of God, and all good beings, striving to destroy or impair the happiness of all over whom they are permitted to have any influence. In a dream. A very common mode, in ancient times, of communica 3; 28: 12; 31: 11, 24; Num. 12: 6; 1 Kings 3: 5. Joseph son of David. A most honorable appellation, and of Messianic import, since Christ was to spring from this most illustrious of Jewish kings. Fear not. Do not doubt or hesitate. To take unto thee, in the full marriage relation. Thy wife, i. e. thy espoused wife. See N. on v. 18. Is of the Holy Ghost, i. e. of divine procreative influence. Being thus formed by the power of God, he became the Son of God, free from that corrupt and sinful nature, which all possess who are descended from Adam by ordinary generation. He was thus prepared to be a Lamb without spot or blemish, a fit offering for the sins of man, and accepted of God, as a substitute for those whom he came to redeem. 21. Jesus. The reason why he was thus called is given in the next clause, for he shall save his people from their sins. By this latter term is meant the dominion of sin over the soul, and its penalty, from both of which Christ, as the Redeemer of man, saves all who believe in him. His people. God's chosen people, the Jews; but in its highest sense, his spiritual children, chosen out of every people or nation where the gospel has been preached. Rom. 9: 25; 2 Cor. 6: 16. ing the prediction of Isaiah. There was, however, a moral necessity that all the predictions respecting Jesus Christ should be fulfilled. What God declares shall take place, must of necessity have a fulfillment. See Luke 22: 37. There is in this sense, then, no objection to the usual interpretation (in order that), which Alford most strenuously maintains. But it answers equally well to the original Greek, to render the words, So there was a fulfillment, i. e. in the birth of Christ, the Scripture referred to in Isaiah had a fulfillment. There was an agreement between the event, and the prophetic declaration of the Scripture respecting it. Of the Lord by the prophet. See 2 Pet. 1:21. "No Scripture proceeds from a private (i. e. human) interpretation of the divine will, for prophecy came not of old by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 23. Behold a virgin, &c. The prophecy here referred to is in Isa. 7: 14. A reference to the chapter in which it is found, will show that typical names were given to children, in token of deliverance from the kings of Israel and Syria. These names are evidently symbolical of the greater deliverance from sin effected by our Savior. The whole circumstances of their birth, their sym22. All this was done, i. e. all these bolic names, and the pledged delivercircumstances of Christ's conception and ance, stood forth as prophetic of the birth took place. That it might be ful- more marvellous birth, the name in its filled. We are not to suppose from this, highest and most literal import, and the that the event here spoken of took salvation greater than any or all templace merely or principally to fulfil this poral deliverances, which should be prophecy. Joseph did not remain in realized in the birth of the true EmEgypt (2:15), in order to secure the ful-manuel, the Savior of the world. The fillment of the prophecy there referred prediction lies in the event referred to Nor did Jesus dwell in Capernaum in Isaiah, with its attending circum(4:14), for the purpose of accomplish- stances, and not simply in the words. to. So in 2: 15, "Out of Egypt have I called my Son," the redemption of Israel from Egyptian bondage is typical of the calling of God's Son from the same region, whither he had been carried to escape the wrath of Herod. In like manner, the passover was symbolical of "Christ our passover." God can as easily and clearly predict or symbolize a future event, by some wondrous transaction in the history of his people, as in direct language. No one should stumble at this symbolical or typical mode of prophecy, especially when God declares that in certain events such prophetic symbols find their fulfillment. They shall call. The subject of the verb is left indefinite in the original: men shall call. Such shall be his universal appellation. The prophecy was fulfilled, not from his having simply been named Emmanuel, but because he was really God with us. In the original prophecy it is, "thou shalt call," but is here changed to suit its greater and final fulfillment. The symbolic name Emmanuel, was first given to the child referred to in Isa. 7: 14; 8: 10, and is here, and in a higher and more appropriate sense, given to Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world. The word being Hebrew, the Evangelist gives its interpretation, a very clear evidence that the gospel was not written in that language, unless it was interpolated by some translator, which is not at all probable. The Hebrews often gave names to their children, indicative of some event, or compounded in some way from the name of God. The or very soon after the dream. 25. And knew her not till, &c. The virginity of Mary before the birth of Jesus is directly asserted. But the limitation of time to that event, together with the expression first born son, while it furnishes no positive proof that she had children afterwards, strongly implies that such was the fact. This is rendered still more probable by what is stated in 13: 55. He called. The verb has no expressed subject in the original, but v. 21 shows that it must be referred to Joseph. CHAPTER II. 1-12. The reader, who would follow in chronological order the events in the life of Jesus, should turn to Luke 2:1-38, and read the incidents of his birth, the appearance of the angels to the shepherds, the circumcision of Jesus, and his presentation in the Temple. Then followS THE VISIT OF THE MAGI at Bethlehem, as here related by Matthew. 1. Bethlehem. A city of Judah, situated about six miles S. by W. of Jerusalem, and celebrated as the birth-place of David, whence its appellation, "city of David," Luke 2:4. It was called sometimes Bethlehem-Judah, to distinguish it from another Bethlehem in Zebulon (Josh. 19: 15; Judges 12: 10), and sometimes Ephratah (Gen. 35:19; Micah 5: 2). The names Bethlehem, house of bread, and Ephratah, fruitful, were doubtless given it from the fertil24. Being raised from sleep. Hav-ity of the surrounding country. Its ing fully awoke. Did as the angel of the Lord, &c. The marriage, probably, was consummated immediately, present population is computed at from two to three thousand. Judea, properly the territory which, in the division . of the land, fell to the tribe of Judah. In the time of our Savior it was employed in a more extensive sense, to include the whole southern portion of Palestine W. of the Jordan. In the days (i. e. during the reign) of Herod the king. This was Herod surnamed the Great, to distinguish him from three others of the same name, who subsequently reigned in whole, or part, over the Jewish nation. He rebuilt and adorned the temple, devised and perfected many public works, and raised Jerusalem to a high pitch of magnificence, but was cruel, jealous and tyrannical. He died at the age of 70, about four years before the beginning of our era, which was fixed in the sixth century, and erroneously made between four and five years too late. Wise men from the east (i. e. living in the east). These were Magi, a name given by the Medes, Persians, and Babylonians, to their priests and wise men. They were learned in astrology and magic, and exercised great authority over the princes, nobles, and common people. The word itself signifies great, powerful. In some respects, they corresponded to the Levites of the Israelitish nation. The word East, as denoting locality, is used in the Bible in general of any country east of Judea. These Magi were probably Persians or Arabians. Jerusalem, the capital of the Jewish nation, celebrated for its temple, its beauty and strength of situation, its memorable siege and destruction by Nebuchadnezzar, and afterwards by Titus, and especially as being the place where our blessed Lord was condemned and crucified. It was originally called Salem (Gen. 14: 8), and afterwards Jebus (Josh. 18 28), of which names Jerusalem is compounded. As it was the capital of God's ancient visible church, it is often taken in the figurative sense of the church, the Redeemer's 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered kingdom, the heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26; Heb. 12: 22; Rev. 3: 12; 21: 2, 10). 2. Where is he, &c. naturally arises, how the Magi knew The inquiry that a child was born in Judea, who was to be king of the Jews. They could not have learned it from magic or astrology. There was indeed a general impression at that time throughout the civilized world, that a remarkable personage was soon to appear, who should bring back the golden age, and restore men to their primitive purity and happiness. But this general notion was too vague to account for the definite knowledge possessed by these Magi, as to the time and place of the birth of this expected person, and es pecially the relation which he was to sustain to the Jews as their king. It is no adequate reason for this remarkable journey and its attendant_circumstances, that Balaam, many hundred years previously, had predicted that a Star should come out of Jacob, and a Sceptre rise out of Israel (Num. 24: 17); or that Daniel predicted the seventy heptades of years before the coming of Messiah (Dan. 9: 24-26). These predictions might account for the general impression that a distinguished person was about to appear, but not for the definite knowledge implied in the question, "Where is he that is born King of the Jews?" They must have acted. under a divine impulse in taking so long a journey, and for so definite an object. He who inspired Balaam to utter so remarkable a prediction respecting the Messiah, could easily incite these Magi to go and do homage to that same Messiah at his appearance. Born King of the Jews. Not obtaining regal power by conquest or political craft, but appointed to his sovereignty by God, being king from his very birth. The term Jews in the New Testament, e2 Ch. 36: 14. scribes he de f2 Ch. 34:13. g Mal. 2: 7. is applied to all the inhabitants of Palestine, although properly belonging to those only of the country of Juda. For we have seen. This sentence stands as the reason why they make the inquiry: He must be born, for we have seen, &c. The better order of the words would be: we in the East (i. e. dwelling in the East), have seen his star. We have no means of knowing whether this was a comet, meteor, or some other luminous appearance. It was evidently a divinely appointed sign to guide them to the place where Jesus lay, and well adapted to arrest their attention as astrologers. They call the star his, not so much from the general notion of astrology, that every person is born under some planet which controls his destiny, as from its office work of guiding them westward to the place of the child's birth. From nice astronomical calculations, some have maintained, that a conjunction took place that year, the 20th of May, between Saturn and Jupiter, and another, on the 27th of October, between the same planets, which caused them to appear as one star of great brightness. The time between these conjunctions, or about five months, would suffice for their journey from Chaldea to Jerusalem, including the time necessary to make preparations for it. Thus the two appearances of the star are accounted for. On their route from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, these planets in this conjunction, would be in the direction of Bethlehem. respect to this astronomical calculation, it may be remarked that while no miraculous interposition need be supposed, when a satisfactory explanation may be obtained from natural causes, yet on the face of this narration, there is evidently something supernatural in the appearance of the star, which directed these Magi to Jerusalem, and especially to Bethlehem, with such precision as to enable them to find, without any inquiry, so far as we know, manded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In the very house in which was the infant Savior. To worship him. Not religious worship, but the homage rendered to a superior, usually accompanied with kneeling or prostration. See v. 11; Mark 15: 19. 3. He was troubled. Although seventy years of age, and having therefore no cause of personal fear from one, who was yet an infant, yet such was his jealousy and apprehension of evil, either to himself or his children, that he was thrown by this inquiry of the Magi into a state of extreme trepidation. Perhaps he feared that the common people, if it were noised abroad that a child of so remarkable a character was born at Bethlehem, would become so excited as to endeavor to subvert his authority, even while their Messiah was yet a child. He dreaded more the natural turbulence of the Jews, than any immediate danger from the child itself. Jerusalem, i. e. its inhabitants. If this refers to Herod's courtiers, as some think, there would be the same cause of alarm to them as to him. But if, as is more likely, reference is had to the citizens in general, their alarm must be attributed to their fear of the renewal of Herod's cruelties, the effect of which they had so often experienced. 4. Chief priests and scribes. These persons composed the Sanhedrim, or supreme council of the Jews. It consisted of seventy members, of which the high priest was president, and grew In out of the institution of the council of seventy elders, appointed by Moses (Num. 11: 16). In the term chief priests, are included, besides the high priest, and those of his immediate connexion, the heads of the twenty-four classes of priests (1 Chron. 24: 1-19). With these were joined the most learned and influential of the scribes, who were the transcribers of the Jewish law, and decided cases which grew out of its doubtful application. This class are often referred to in connexion with the |