Matthew 2:16-18·~1 min
Weeping and Great Mourning
Herod, enraged that the Magi did not return, orders the death of the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who are two years old and under. The account then turns to Jeremiah, beginning the lament with a voice heard in Ramah.
W16hen Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. 17Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18“A voice is heard in Ramah,
Section summaryHerod answers the Magi’s absence with rage and orders the death of Bethlehem’s boys two years old and under. The narrative then turns to Jeremiah, beginning a lament over Ramah and the grief that follows the violence.
Role in the chapterThis section places Herod’s violence beside the prophet’s lament.