Return from Egypt and life in Nazareth
The family returns to Israel and settles in Nazareth after warnings given to Joseph.
Historical context
Matthew 2:23 speaks of the prophets and a Nazorean, but no single Old Testament verse says this verbatim. Proposed wordplays with Isaiah 11:1 are debated and are not assigned a certain verse-to-event link here.
Tradition note
Follow the unity of the incarnate Word's life and Israel's Scriptures, as read in the Church's worship and Christological tradition. The labels distinguish the New Testament's citations from broader applications and typology; original historical contexts remain visible.
Avoid overclaiming
Read each connected passage's original context and boundary. An ordered study of narrative phases, not a calendar to scale or a complete Gospel harmonization. Infancy follows Matthew's sequence, preparation and the final Jerusalem visit chiefly follow the synoptics, and repeated ministry activities are thematic clusters. Some links come from later apostolic teaching or an earlier saying about a later event; each explanation identifies that use. Exact birth and passion dates, Gospel ordering differences, and Daniel timetable calculations are not resolved here. The kingdom-teaching moment is a thematic cluster. Verse and chapter numbering can differ when comparing Hebrew, Septuagint, WEB, and NABRE editions; the tracker keeps WEB reference numbering and notes specific variants. Individual citations carry their own connection kinds even when a passage is used in different ways.
Key points
- Matthew 2:23 speaks of the prophets and a Nazorean, but no single Old Testament verse says this verbatim. Proposed wordplays with Isaiah 11:1 are debated and are not assigned a certain verse-to-event link here.
- Out of Egypt (Fulfillment citation): Matthew 2:19–21 — The narrated return from Egypt completes the sequence anticipated by the fulfillment citation in Matthew 2:15; this is not the separate Nazorean saying in 2:23.
Scripture
- Matthew 2:19–23 — The family returns to Israel and settles in Nazareth after warnings given to Joseph.
- Hosea 11:1–4 — Matthew reads Jesus' return from Egypt through the story of Israel, God's son.