Tell me more ×  Matthew 2:14-15 (NASB) reads:  14So Joseph got
up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night,
and left for Egypt. 15He remained there until the death of
Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord
through the prophet: “OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON.”  This is a
reference to Hosea 11:1 (NASB):  When Israel was a youth I loved
him, And out of Egypt I called My son.  Matthew is referring to
Jesus, but Hosea is referring to Israel. How did Matthew
understand Jesus' travel to Egypt as fulfilling the prophecy
about Israel?  share|improve this question add comment  2
Answers  There were many things that Matthew did not understand
about the ministry of Christ until after Jesus death, burial,
resurrection, and ascension. The references that the prophets
made about the Messiah were likely high on that list. The beauty
of most of the references about the messiah is that they were
already understood in the historical context which they flowed
out of. This being an excellent