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Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying,
Matthew 2:17 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB Then that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
  • BSB Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:
  • NKJV Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
  • NASB Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
  • NLT Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Matthew notes that this tragedy fulfilled the words of Jeremiah the prophet. Even the massacre falls within God's foreknowledge.

Overview

Matthew introduces a fulfillment formula to frame the grief of Bethlehem within Scripture. He does not say God caused the evil but that the prophetic word anticipated such sorrow on the way to redemption. God's purposes advance even through scenes of deep human anguish.

Cross-references & the web

No cross-references recorded for this verse.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Pastoral

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 2:17YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 2:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.