20. Els yw 'lapafa, into the land of Israel) Joseph was allowed to choose the town or district, but not the country of their abode ; since it behoved that Emmanuel should come to years of man hood (adolescere) in His own land. — rsdvqxaei, they are dead) The plural concisely signifies, that Herod is dead, and that there are not any others who entertain evil designs.1 — o/ £tr»0m j rriv •^vxfiv, who sought the life) literally, who sought the soul. A phrase employed by the LXX.
22. Baatevsi, is reigning) Archelaus was reigning, whether with or without the name of king. — !po/3jj0»j, was afraid) Anxious about the child, fearful lest Archelaus should emulate his father's hatred. — Ix.*?, thither) The Hebrew not?, thither, is frequently rendered Jx^by the LXX. — avsX&fTv, to depart) Mary and Joseph also, without doubt, had previously dwelt at Nazareth. — tig ru. pipy, into the parts) From hence may be inferred the poverty of Joseph, who had not a fixed abode which he could return to as a matter of course. — r%s FaX/Xa/aj, of Galilee) This did not prevent attentive souls from knowing the real birthplace of Christ.
23. 'EX6uv xaruxqffiv tic,, he came to and took up his abode at) [E. V., he came and dwelt at], i.e., he came to dwell at, or he dwelt at. The same mode of expression occurs at ch. iv. 13. Thus, in Gen xiii. 18, the LXX. have sXduv xaruixr^f ittpl rqv dptv, he came and dwelt by the oak. — Na^a^sr, Nazareth) In Hebrew', mH- The final n is rendered in Greek by T. — Na£wp«/bs, a Nazarene) Our Lord spent His private life — that is, by far the greatest portion of His years — in the town of Nazareth, from whence the surname of Nazarene was given to Him in the common speech of men, whether devoted or hostile to Him, and in the title on the cross. This is what the prophecy here cited by St Matthew had long ago intimated. Some seek for the whole force of this prediction in an allegorical interpretation of the etymology of the word Nazareth ; and this indeed should clearly be sought for in 1T3, a diadem, etc., not from ~i¥3, to keep or hide,2 which Jewish animosity employs maliciously; for the Hebrew V (Tzade)
1 What a vast host of enemies rising against Christ, from then till now. has perished utterly. — B. G. V.
2 See Prov. vii. 10. where a harlot is spoken of as ^ r^ss, subtle of heart. -(I.E.)