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Tuesday, October 22nd, 2024
the Week of Proper 24 / Ordinary 29
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Read the Bible

King James Version

Matthew 2:5

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Bethlehem;   Heathen;   Jesus, the Christ;   Magi;   Miracles;   Prophecy;   Wisdom;   Wise Men;   Scofield Reference Index - Kingdom;   Thompson Chain Reference - Bible Stories for Children;   Children;   Home;   Pleasant Sunday Afternoons;   Religion;   Stories for Children;   The Topic Concordance - Government;   Jesus Christ;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Judea, Modern;   Prophecies Respecting Christ;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Herod;   Magi or Wise Men;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Edom;   Herod;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Decrees;   Foreigner;   Jerusalem;   Magic;   Micah, Theology of;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Herod the Great;   Jesus;   Judea;   Magic;   Stars;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Micah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Archaeology and Biblical Study;   Bethlehem;   Epiphany;   Foreknowledge;   Herod;   Antiochus IV;   Jesus, Life and Ministry of;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Midrash;   Prophecy, Prophets;   Wisdom and Wise Men;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Bethlehem;   Herod;   Jesus Christ;   Magi;   Magic, Divination, and Sorcery;   Mss;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Dates (2);   Entry into Jerusalem;   Flight;   Interpretation;   Matthew, Gospel According to;   Nazareth ;   Necessity;   Providence;   Scripture (2);   Star (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Herod the Great;   Herod, Family of;   Magi ;   Star in the East;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Herodians;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Bethlehem;   Gospel;   Magi;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Ma'gi;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Eclipse;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Bethlehem;   Joseph, Husband of Mary;   King, Christ as;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Providence;   Quotations, New Testament;   Zoroastrianism;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Christianity in Its Relation to Judaism;   Jesus of Nazareth;  

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
They answered, "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea, just as the prophet wrote:
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they sayde vnto hym: at Bethlee in Iury. For thus it is written by the Prophet.
International Standard Version
They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea. For that is what was written by the prophet:
New American Standard Bible
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
New Century Version
They answered, "In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures:
Update Bible Version
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written through the prophet,
Webster's Bible Translation
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Amplified Bible
They replied to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for this is what has been written by the prophet [Micah]:
English Standard Version
They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
World English Bible
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written through the prophet,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea; for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou,
Weymouth's New Testament
"At Bethlehem in Judaea," they replied; "for so it stands written in the words of the Prophet,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden to hym, In Bethleem of Juda; for so it is writun bi a profete,
English Revised Version
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,
Berean Standard Bible
"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
Contemporary English Version
They told him, "He will be born in Bethlehem, just as the prophet wrote,
American Standard Version
And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written through the prophet,
Bible in Basic English
And they said to him, In Beth-lehem of Judaea; for so it is said in the writings of the prophet,
Complete Jewish Bible
"In Beit-Lechem of Y'hudah," they replied, "because the prophet wrote,
Darby Translation
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it is written through the prophet:
Etheridge Translation
But they said, In Beth-lechem of Jehuda; for so it is written in the prophet:
Murdock Translation
And they said: In Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it is written in the prophet:
King James Version (1611)
And they said vnto him, In Bethlehem of Iudea: For thus it is written by the Prophet;
New Living Translation
"In Bethlehem in Judea," they said, "for this is what the prophet wrote:
New Life Bible
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea. The early preacher wrote,
New Revised Standard
They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they saide vnto him, At Beth-leem in Iudea: for so it is written by the Prophet,
George Lamsa Translation
They said, In Bethlehem of Judah, for thus it is written in the book of the prophet:
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, they, said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea, - for, so, is it written through the prophet:
Douay-Rheims Bible
But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet:
Revised Standard Version
They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they saide vnto him: At Bethlehem in Iurie. For thus it is written by the prophete.
Good News Translation
"In the town of Bethlehem in Judea," they answered. "For this is what the prophet wrote:
Christian Standard Bible®
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they told him, “because this is what was written by the prophet:
Hebrew Names Version
They said to him, "In Beit-Lechem of Yehudah, for thus it is written through the prophet,
Lexham English Bible
So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet,
Literal Translation
And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet,
Young's Literal Translation
And they said to him, `In Beth-Lehem of Judea, for thus it hath been written through the prophet,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they sayde vnto hym: at Bethleem in Iury. For thus it is written by the Prophet:
Mace New Testament (1729)
they answered him, in Bethlehem of Judea: for these are the words of the prophet;
THE MESSAGE
They told him, "Bethlehem, Judah territory. The prophet Micah wrote it plainly: It's you, Bethlehem, in Judah's land, no longer bringing up the rear. From you will come the leader who will shepherd-rule my people, my Israel."
New English Translation
"In Bethlehem of Judea," they said, "for it is written this way by the prophet:
New King James Version
So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:
Simplified Cowboy Version
They all told him it was supposed to be in Bethlehem based on what a wise fellow of God had said,
New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
Legacy Standard Bible
And they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:

Contextual Overview

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, 2 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. 3 When Herod the king had heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. 5 And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet, 6 And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel. 7 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Genesis 35:19, Joshua 19:15, Ruth 1:1, Ruth 1:19, Ruth 2:4, Ruth 4:11, 1 Samuel 16:1

Reciprocal: Judges 17:7 - General 2 Chronicles 11:6 - Bethlehem 2 Chronicles 15:3 - a teaching Matthew 2:1 - Bethlehem Matthew 21:13 - It is Matthew 27:9 - Jeremy Mark 1:2 - written John 7:27 - no man John 7:42 - not

Cross-References

Genesis 2:9
And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Genesis 2:11
The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
Genesis 2:12
And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
Genesis 3:23
Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Genesis 4:2
And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
Genesis 4:12
When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
Job 5:10
Who giveth rain upon the earth, and sendeth waters upon the fields:
Psalms 104:14
He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;
Psalms 135:7
He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries.
Jeremiah 14:22
Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O Lord our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they said unto him,.... They answer without any hesitation, it being a generally received notion, and a thing well known among them,

in Bethlehem of Judea; and give their reason for it; for

thus it is written by the prophet, that is, the prophet Micah, in whose prophecy, Micah 5:2 it stands, and is as follows:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

By the prophet - The Sanhedrin answered without hesitation. The question where he would be born had been settled by prophecy. This prophecy is found in Micah 5:2. In that prophecy both the place of his birth and the character of the Messiah are so clearly set forth that there was no room to doubt. It will be observed that there is a considerable difference between the passage as quoted by the Sanhedrin and as it stands in Micah. The main point, however, is retained - the place of his birth. We are not concerned, therefore, in showing how these passages can be reconciled. Matthew, moreover, is not responsible for the correctness of the quotation. He affirms only that the chief priests and scribes gave this answer to Herod, and that Herod was satisfied. Admitting that they did not quote the passage correctly, it does not prove that Matthew has not reported their answer as they gave it, and this is all that he pretends to give.

Art not the least - In Micah, “though thou be little.” Though a small place so far as population is concerned, yet it shall not be small, or be the least in honor; for the Messiah shall be born there. His birth gave the place an honor which could not be conferred on the larger cities by all their numbers, their splendor, and their wealth. The birth of a distinguished personage was always supposed to give honor and importance to a city or country. Thus, seven cities contended for the honor of giving birth to Homer; Stratford-upon-Avon is distinguished as the birthplace of Shakespeare; and Corsica as the birthplace of Napoleon.

A Governor - A ruler. This is one of the characters of the Messiah, who is the king of his people, John 18:37. The word “rule” here means to rule as a shepherd does his flock, in faithfulness and tenderness. Compare John 10:11; Isaiah 40:10-11; Isaiah 9:7.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 2:5. In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet — As there have been several confused notions among the Jews, relative not only to the Messiah, and his character, but also to the time of his birth, it may be necessary to add, to what has already been said on this subject, the following extracts from the Talmudists and Gemarists, quoted by LIGHTFOOT. At the close of a long dissertation on the year of our Lord's birth, (which he places in the 35th of the reign of Herod, not the last or 37th as above,) he says: "It will not be improper here to produce the Gemarists themselves openly confessing that the Messias had been born, a good while ago before their times. For so they write: After this the children of Israel shall be converted, and shall inquire after the Lord their God, and David their king: Hosea 3:5. Our rabbins say, That is King Messias, If he be among the living, his name is David, or if dead, David is his name. R. Tanchum said, Thus I prove it: He showeth mercy to David his Messiah. (Psalms 18:50.) R. Joshua ben Levi saith, His name is tsemach, a Branch. (Zechariah 3:8.) R. Juban bar Arbu saith, His name is Menahem. (That is, παρακλητος, the Comforter.) 'And that which happened to a certain Jew, as he was ploughing, agreeth with this business. A certain Arabian travelling, and hearing the ox bellow, said to the Jew at plough, O Jew, loose thy oxen, and loose thy ploughs, והא יליר מלכא משיחא for behold! The temple is laid waste. The ox belloweth the second time; the Arabian saith to him, O Jew, Jew, yoke thy oxen, and fit thy ploughs: For behold! King Messiah is born. But, saith the Jew, What is his name? Menahem, saith he (i.e. the Comforter.) And what is the name of his Father? Hezekiah, saith the Arabian. To whom the Jew, But whence is He? The other answered, From the palace of the king of Bethlehem Judah. Away he went, and sold his oxen and his ploughs, and became a seller of infants' swaddling clothes, going about from town to town. When he came to that city, (Bethlehem,) all the women bought of him, but the mother of Menahem bought nothing. He heard the voice of the women saying, O thou mother of Menahem, thou mother of Menahem, carry thy son the things that are here sold. But she replied, May the enemies of Israel be strangled, because on the day that he was born, the temple was laid waste. To whom he said, But we hoped, that as it was laid waste at his feet, so at his feet it would be built again. She saith, I have no money. To whom he replied, But why should this be prejudicial to him? Carry him what you buy here, and if you have no money today, after some days I will come back and receive it. After some days, he returned to that city, and saith to her, How does the little infant? And she said, From the time you saw me last, spirits and tempests came, and snatched him away out of my hands. R. Bon saith, What need have we to learn from an Arabian? Is it not plainly written, And Lebanon shall fall before the powerful one? (Isaiah 10:34.) And what follows after? A branch shall come out of the root of Jesse. (Isaiah 11:1.)

"The Babylonian doctors yield us a confession not very unlike the former. R. Charinah saith: After four hundred years are passed from the destruction of the temple, if any one shall say to you, Take to thyself for one penny a field worth a thousand pence, do not take it. And again, After four thousand two hundred thirty and one years from the creation of the world, if any shall say to you, Take for a penny a field worth a thousand pence, take it not. The gloss is, For that is the time of redemption, and you shall be brought back to the holy mountain, to the inheritance of your fathers; why, therefore, should you misspend your penny?

"You may fetch the reason of this calculation, if you have leisure, out of the tract Sanhedrin. The tradition of the school of Elias, the world is to last six thousand years, c. And a little after, Elias said to Rabh Judah, The world shall last not less than eighty-five jubilees: and in the last jubilee shall the Son of David come. He saith to him, Whether in the beginning of it, or in the end? He answered him, I know not. Whether is this whole time to be finished first, or not? He answered him, I know not. But Rabh Asher asserted, that he answered thus, Until then, expect him not, but from thence expect him. Hear your own countrymen, O Jew! How many centuries of years are passed by and gone from the eighty-fifth jubilee of the world, that is, the year MMMMCCL, and yet the Messias of your expectation is not yet come!

"Daniel's weeks had so clearly defined the time of the true Messias, his coming, that the minds of the whole nation were raised into the expectation of him. Hence, it was doubted of the Baptist, whether he were not the Messias, Luke 3:15. Hence it was, that the Jews are gathered together from all countries unto Jerusalem, Acts 2:0:, expecting and coming to see, because at that time the term of revealing the Messias, that had been prefixed by Daniel, was come. Hence it was that there was so great a number of false Christs, Matthew 24:5, c., taking the occasion of their impostures hence, that now the time of that great expectation was at hand, and fulfilled: and in one word, They thought the kingdom of God should presently appear, Luke 19:11.

"But when those times of expectation were past, nor did such a Messias appear as they expected, (for when they saw the true Messias, they would not see him,) they first broke out into various, and those wild, conjectures of the time and at length, all those conjectures coming to nothing, all ended in this curse (the just cause of their eternal blindness) של מתשכי קצי הפת רות, May their soul be confounded who compute the times!" They were fully aware that the time foretold by the prophets must be long since fulfilled and that their obstinacy must be confounded by their own history, and the chronology of their own Scriptures; and therefore they have pronounced an anathema on those who shall attempt to examine, by chronological computations, the prophecies that predict his coming. Who can conceive a state of wilful blindness or determined obstinacy superior to this!


 
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