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Matthew Chapter 2

Matthew Chapter 2

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
The Magi Visit
  1. Now, Jesus having been born in Bethlehemfnthe Hebrew word “Bethlehem” translates as “house of bread”, aka: a bakery. God arranged it so the bread of life (Jesus) was born in a town named “bakery”. of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem
  2. saying: “Where is the One who was born King of the Jews? For we perceived His star in the east and came to worship Him.
  3. And having heard this, King Herod was perplexed and deeply shaken,fn“perplexed and deeply shaken” is a single word in Greek, with that exact definition. and all Jerusalem with him.
  4. And having gathered all the chief priests and scribesfn“scribes” In the New Testament, this Greek word is typically applied to those learned in the Mosaic Law. of the people, he was asking them where the Anointed is born.
  5. And they answered him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for it’s *written through the prophet this way:
  6. “And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the leaders of Judah. For the One leading will go out from you, He who will shepherd My people Israel.”fnquotation/allusion to Micah 5:2
  7. Then having secretly called the Magi, Herod learned from them the precise time of the star’s appearing.
  8. And having sent them to Bethlehem, he said: “Having traveled there, search carefully for the young child. And as soon as you find Him, report back to me so that having come, I also might worship Him.
  9. And they listened to the king and traveled there.  And behold, the star which they saw in the east was going before them until it arrived, then it stood over where the child was.
  10. And having seen the star, they rejoiced with extremely great joy.
  11. And having gone into the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother.  And having fallen down, they worshiped Him.  And having opened their store of treasures, they offered Him gifts of gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
  12. And having been divinely warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they returned to their land by another way.
The Escape to Egypt
  1. Now, after they left, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph saying, “After waking up, take the child and His mother and flee to Egypt and live there until I tell you, for Herod intends to seek the child to kill Him.”
  2. And having been woken, he took the child and His mother by night and fled into Egypt.
  3. And he was living there until the death of Herod so it might be fulfilled, what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “I called My Son out of Egypt.”fnquotation/allusion to Hosea 11:1
Herod’s wrath
  1. Then Herod – having seen that he was mocked by the Magi – was greatly enraged.  And having sent orders, he killed all the boys in Bethlehem and all in its districts, from two years old and under according to the precise time that he learned from the Magi.
  2. Then it was fulfilled: what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying:
  3. “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and much wailing, Rachel weeping for her children and she wasn’t wanting to be comforted because they are no more.”fnquotation/allusion to Jeremiah 31:15
  4. Now, when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
  5. saying: “After waking up, take the child and His mother and travel into the land of Israel, for the men seeking the life of the child have died.
  6. And having been woken, he took the child and His mother and entered into the land of Israel.
  7. But having heard that Archelaus is reigning as king over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was frightened to go there. And having been divinely warned in a dream, he departed into the regions of Galilee.
  8. And having arrived, he settled down in a city called Nazareth so what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, that He will be called a Nazarene.fnquotation/allusion to Isaiah 11:1 “Nazarene” refers to the inhabitants of the town of Nazareth, which likely takes it’s name from the Hebrew word “Netzer”. Netzer refers to a shoot that springs up from a stump, and thus this is likely a reference to Isaiah 11:1, which foretells that the Messiah will be a “netzer” from the trunk of Jesse (David’s father). Thus, in this sense, Jesus was a “netzer-ene” (Nazarene, with “ene” indicating origin; thus, originating from a netzer.)

 

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