Star of Bethlehem
Matthew suggests that the magi knew from the star that the "king of the Jews" had already been born even before they entered Jerusalem. They gave Jesus gold, frankincense, and myrrh as presents. The magi were told in a dream not to go back to Jerusalem. So, they "left for their own country by another road". When Herod found out that he had been tricked, he ordered all male children in Bethlehem who were 2 or younger to be killed. Joseph was warned in a dream to escape. He took his family to Egypt to be safe. The Gospel connects the escape to a verse from the Old Testament, which is seen as a prophecy: "Out of Egypt I called My Son." The Old Testament verse was about how the Hebrews went away from Egypt, led by Moses. Because of this, the quote seems to suggest that Matthew thought that Jesus' life was like the story of the Jewish people. Judea could have symbolized Egypt and Herod represented pharaoh. After Herod died, God called Joseph and his family back from Egypt, and they settled in to Nazareth in Galilee.