The Meaning of Matthew 2:5 Explained

Matthew 2:5

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

YLT: And they said to him, 'In Beth-Lehem of Judea, for thus it hath been written through the prophet,

Darby: And they said to him, In Bethlehem of Judaea; for thus it is written through the prophet:

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

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Matthew 2:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 2:1-8 - The Wise-Men Follow The Star
The expectation of the advent of a great king was far-spread at the time of the Nativity. It was probably founded, so far as the East was concerned, on the prophecies of Balaam and Daniel. See Numbers 24:17; Daniel 7:13-14. There are evidences of the same expectation in the classic literature of the West. Our Lord was the desire of all nations; and the corruption and anarchy of the Roman Empire made the longing still more intense.
God comes to men in the spheres with which they are most familiar; to Zacharias in the Temple, to the shepherds in the fields, to the Wise-Men by a portent in the heavens. He knows just where to find us. "Lift the stone, and I am there." Be sure to follow your star, whatever it be; only remember that it must ultimately receive the corroboration of Scripture, as in the present case, Matthew 2:5. A miracle may be wrought to awaken and start us on our great quest, but the miraculous is withdrawn where the ordinary methods of inquiry will serve. The news of Jesus always disquiets the children of the world; they know that it means division. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 2

1  The wise men from the east enquire after Jesus;
3  at which Herod is alarmed
9  They are directed by a star to Bethlehem, worship him, and offer their presents
13  Joseph flees into Egypt with Jesus and his mother
16  Herod slays the children;
20  himself dies
23  Jesus is brought back again into Galilee to Nazareth

Greek Commentary for Matthew 2:5

And they said unto him [οι δε ειπαν αυτωι]
Whether the ecclesiastics had to search their scriptures or not, they give the answer that is in accord with the common Jewish opinion that the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem and of the seed of David (John 7:42). So they quote Micah 5:2, “a free paraphrase” Alford calls it, for it is not precisely like the Hebrew text or like the Septuagint. It may have come from a collection of testimonia with which J. Rendel Harris has made the world familiar. He had consulted the experts and now he has their answer. Bethlehem of Judah is the place. The use of the perfect passive indicative (γεγραπται — gegraptai) is the common form in quoting scripture. It stands written. [source]
Shall be shepherd [ποιμανει]
The Authorized Version had “shall rule,” but “shepherd” is correct. “Homer calls kings ‹the shepherds of the people‘”(Vincent). In Hebrews 13:20 Jesus is called “the great shepherd of the sheep.” Jesus calls himself “the good shepherd” (John 10:11). Peter calls Christ “the chief shepherd” (1 Peter 2:25). “The Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall be their shepherd” (Revelation 7:17). Jesus told Peter to “shepherd” the lambs (John 21:16). Our word pastor means shepherd. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 2:5

John 7:27 Howbeit [αλλα]
Clearly adversative here. This man Possibly contemptuous use of ουτος — houtos as may be true in John 7:25, John 7:26. Whence he is The Galilean Jews knew the family of Jesus (John 6:42), but they knew Jesus only as from Nazareth, not as born in Bethlehem (John 7:42). When the Christ cometh Prolepsis of ο Χριστος — ho Christos and indefinite temporal clause with οταν — hotan and the present middle subjunctive ερχηται — erchētai rather than the more usual second aorist active ελτηι — elthēi as in John 7:31, a trifle more picturesque. This is a piece of popular theology. “Three things come wholly unexpected - Messiah, a godsend, and a scorpion” (Sanhedrin 97a). The rulers knew the birthplace to be Bethlehem (John 7:42; Matthew 2:5.), but some even expected the Messiah to drop suddenly from the skies as Satan proposed to Jesus to fall down from the pinnacle of the temple. The Jews generally expected a sudden emergence of the Messiah from concealment with an anointing by Elijah (Apoc. of Bar. XXIX. 3; 2Esdr. 7:28; 13:32; Justin Martyr, Tryph. 110). [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 2:5 mean?

- And they said to him In Bethlehem - of Judea thus for has it been written through the prophet
Οἱ δὲ εἶπαν αὐτῷ Ἐν Βηθλέεμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας οὕτως γὰρ γέγραπται διὰ τοῦ προφήτου

Οἱ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπαν  they  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
αὐτῷ  to  him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Βηθλέεμ  Bethlehem 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: Βηθλέεμ  
Sense: a village about six miles (0 km) south of Jerusalem.
τῆς  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰουδαίας  of  Judea 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: Ἰουδαία  
Sense: in a narrower sense, to the southern portion of Palestine lying on this side of the Jordan and the Dead Sea, to distinguish it from Samaria, Galilee, Peraea, and Idumaea.
οὕτως  thus 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὕτως  
Sense: in this manner, thus, so.
γέγραπται  has  it  been  written 
Parse: Verb, Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γράφω 
Sense: to write, with reference to the form of the letters.
διὰ  through 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
προφήτου  prophet 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.