Matthew 2:5 – The Attribution of the Prophecy

The text of Matthew 2:5 records the response of the chief priests and scribes to Herod concerning the birthplace of the Messiah: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written by the prophet.” What follows is a citation from Micah 5:2. The textual question centers not on the substance of the passage, but on how some manuscripts preserve the identification of the prophet.

One thirteenth-century Greek manuscript (4) and a few ancient versions, such as the Syriac and the Bohairic Coptic (syrh copbo), explicitly add the name “Micah” before “the prophet.” This was no doubt an explanatory addition, motivated by a scribe’s desire to clarify the prophet’s identity for readers. The addition itself is factually correct, since the quotation is from Micah 5:2, yet Matthew himself did not provide this detail in his original composition.

Another textual curiosity appears in the Old Latin manuscript ita, where the quotation is mistakenly attributed to Isaiah rather than Micah. Isaiah was the most frequently cited prophet in the New Testament, which may explain why a scribe, either from memory or assumption, mistakenly inserted his name here. This misattribution is best explained as an error rather than a deliberate change, since no textual tradition consistently supports Isaiah as the source.

Thus, the overwhelming manuscript evidence supports the shorter reading without “Micah,” which reflects Matthew’s stylistic pattern. Matthew regularly cites the prophets without always specifying their names (cf. Matthew 1:22; 2:15). The explanatory additions in some later manuscripts are secondary glosses rather than original features of the text.

Matthew 2:15 – “Out of Egypt I Called My Son”

The narrative recounts Joseph, Mary, and the child Jesus remaining in Egypt until the death of Herod (Herod the Great died in 1 B.C.E.). Matthew then explains the divine purpose behind this relocation: “This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I called My son.’”

The quotation is from Hosea 11:1, where the prophet speaks of Israel’s deliverance during the Exodus in 1446 B.C.E.: “When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.” In Hosea, the reference is clearly to the nation of Israel as Jehovah’s son (cf. Exodus 4:22–23). Matthew applies this text to Christ, identifying Jesus as the true Son who embodies and fulfills the calling of Israel.

The Nomina Sacra and “Son”

The textual point of interest in this passage is the Greek word huios (“son”). In the earliest manuscripts, scribes often abbreviated sacred names and titles with a line over the word, a practice known as nomina sacra. Common examples include “God” (theos), “Lord” (kurios), “Jesus” (Iēsous), “Christ” (Christos), “Spirit” (pneuma), and “Son” (huios).

In Matthew 2:15, several important manuscripts preserve huios as a nomen sacrum rather than in full. This is not a textual variant in terms of wording, since the same word appears in either case, but it reveals how scribes viewed the significance of the term. By treating “Son” as a sacred title, scribes indicated that the passage referred uniquely to Jesus as the Son of God rather than merely to Israel as a nation.

This scribal practice provides a window into early Christian interpretation. Hosea’s historical reference was to Israel, but Matthew, by inspiration, applied it to Jesus as the greater fulfillment. The scribes who copied Matthew recognized this Christological dimension, and their reverent treatment of the word “Son” reflects their understanding that Jesus is the true Israel, the true Son whom Jehovah has called out of Egypt.

Theological and Textual Implications

The difference between the full spelling and the nomen sacrum of huios does not affect the wording of the text itself. However, it demonstrates how the early Christian community received and transmitted the text. The sacred abbreviation signaled to readers that Matthew’s application of Hosea’s prophecy was not a simple borrowing but a declaration of Jesus’ identity as the Son of God.

Modern translations often render the quotation with a lowercase “son” because Hosea referred to Israel in the original context. Yet this practice underestimates the way Matthew used the prophecy and how early scribes understood it. The manuscript tradition underscores that “Son” in Matthew 2:15 should be viewed as a Christological title, pointing directly to Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel’s calling.

Matthew 2:18 – “Weeping and Great Mourning”

In Matthew 2:18, the Evangelist cites Jeremiah 31:15 (38:15 LXX): “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted, because they are no more.” The textual issue in this verse concerns whether the quotation should read simply “weeping and great mourning” or whether an additional phrase was included.

The mainline Alexandrian witnesses—Codex Sinaiticus (א, 330–360 C.E.), Codex Vaticanus (B, 300–330 C.E.), Codex Dublinensis (Z, 6th century), 0250, and family 1—support the reading “κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς” (“weeping and great mourning”). This is preserved in the modern critical texts (WH, NU) and followed by major English translations such as the RSV, NRSV, ESV, NASB, NIV, TNIV, NEB, REB, NJB, NAB, NLT, HCSB, and NET.

By contrast, the variant reading “θρῆνος καὶ κλαυθμὸς καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολύς” (“lamentation and weeping and great mourning”) is supported by Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (C), Codex Bezae (D, 400–450 C.E.), Codex Regius (L, 8th century), Codex Washingtonianus (W, c. 400 C.E.), 0233, family 13, 33, and the Byzantine majority text. This expanded reading is reflected in the King James Version, New King James Version, and noted in marginal references of some modern editions.

The origin of the variant is clear. Matthew’s citation differs significantly from the Septuagint of Jeremiah 38:15 (LXX), which reads with the fuller expression including thrēnos (“lamentation”). Scribes who were familiar with the Greek Old Testament often felt compelled to harmonize New Testament quotations with their Old Testament counterparts. The addition of thrēnos here reflects such an attempt at harmonization. This tendency became common from the fourth century onward, when scribes increasingly sought to standardize the text by aligning New Testament citations more closely with the Septuagint.

The shorter reading, supported by the earliest and best Alexandrian manuscripts, is to be regarded as original. Matthew intentionally condensed Jeremiah’s wording in order to adapt it to his narrative context. Later scribes expanded the passage, seeking conformity with the Septuagint rather than preserving Matthew’s inspired variation.

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