Chapter
Verse

Matthew 2:15

ESV and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
NIV where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: 'Out of Egypt I called my son.'
NASB He stayed there until the death of Herod; this happened so that what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 'OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.'
CSB He stayed there until Herod's death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled: Out of Egypt I called my Son.
NLT and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: 'I called my Son out of Egypt.'
KJV And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

What does Matthew 2:15 mean?

Herod, the king of Israel under the authority of Rome, wanted to kill the baby Jesus. He knew nothing of Jesus, personally. Nor did he know how His parents were. All Herod knew was that he wanted to kill the one the wise men called the newly born "king of the Jews," the promised Messiah of Israel. Herod received this news not as a reason to celebrate, but as a threat to His own power (Matthew 2:3– 8).

Warned by an angel in a dream (Matthew 2:13), Joseph took Mary and Jesus to Egypt until Herod died. At that time, the Roman provinces of Egypt were around two day's journey from Bethlehem. This was outside of Herod's reach. Further into Roman-controlled Egypt was the Nile Delta, which had a large population of Jewish people.

Matthew cites Hosea 11:1, where God says, "When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son." God called Jesus out of Egypt in the sense that Joseph waited to receive a message from the Lord that it was safe to return (Matthew 2:19–20). Matthew presents this as a fulfillment of Hosea's words about God calling Israel out of Egypt. This further deepens the connection between Jesus and God's people, Israel, as Christ's life on earth echoes the nation's historical path.
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