Matthew 2 18

Matthew 2:18 kjv

In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

Matthew 2:18 nkjv

"A voice was heard in Ramah, Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, Refusing to be comforted, Because they are no more."

Matthew 2:18 niv

"A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more."

Matthew 2:18 esv

"A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more."

Matthew 2:18 nlt

"A cry was heard in Ramah ?
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead."

Matthew 2 verses

Matthew 2 18 Meaning

Matthew 2:18 depicts a profound lamentation over the children massacred by King Herod in Bethlehem and the surrounding region. It is presented as a fulfillment of the prophet Jeremiah's words (Jer 31:15), where the matriarch Rachel, symbolic mother of Israel, is depicted weeping inconsolably for her lost descendants. This verse underscores the deep grief associated with this tragic event, linking it to the historical suffering of God's people and portraying even heaven (through Rachel's symbolic weeping) acknowledging the pain. The implication is that even the harsh realities of this world, like child mortality under a wicked king, fit into God's sovereign plan and the prophetic narrative surrounding the Messiah's advent.

Matthew 2 18 Context

Matthew 2:18 describes the immediate aftermath of King Herod the Great's decree to slaughter all male children aged two years and under in Bethlehem and its vicinity (Mat 2:16). This horrific act was prompted by Herod's fear of a newly born "king of the Jews," whom the Magi had sought (Mat 2:1-4). Having been outwitted by the Magi, who returned to their country without reporting Jesus's whereabouts, Herod reacted with extreme brutality. The verse, a direct quotation from Jeremiah 31:15, connects this historical massacre to the ancient suffering of Israel. In Jeremiah's original context, Rachel's weeping signified the exiles being led away from their homeland into Babylon, passing by Ramah, where her tomb was located. Matthew reinterprets this prophetic lament, applying it to the tragic loss of innocent lives in Bethlehem due to the Messiah's birth. This emphasizes Matthew's recurrent theme that Jesus's life, even in its most challenging aspects, fulfilled Old Testament prophecy, thereby authenticating His messianic identity.

Matthew 2 18 Word analysis

• A voice (Φωνὴ - Phōnē): Signifies a sound, a proclamation, often implying a divine or authoritative utterance or a strong outcry. Here, it denotes a loud, lamenting sound, a significant audible expression of deep sorrow.
• was heard (Ἠκούσθη - Ēkousthē): Aorist passive indicative. Indicates that the voice was truly, objectively perceived; it was not merely an inner feeling but an external, undeniable auditory event, emphasizing the reality of the pervasive grief.
• in Ramah (Ἐν Ῥαμᾷ - En Rhama): Geographic location north of Jerusalem. While the massacre occurred in Bethlehem (south), Rachel's tomb was historically near Bethlehem (Gen 35:19-20), and Ramah was a point of departure for Israelite exiles (Jer 40:1). Matthew uses Ramah, echoing Jeremiah, to symbolically encompass the broader region and link the current suffering to past national calamities and the ancestral homeland.
• weeping (Κλαυθμὸς - Klaithmos): Refers to loud wailing, audible crying, an external manifestation of deep sorrow. It implies public and unrestrained lament.
• and great mourning (καὶ ὀδυρμὸς πολὺς - kai odyrmos polys): An intensifying phrase. Odyrmos denotes lamentation, grief expressed through gestures and cries. Polys (great, much) emphasizes the overwhelming nature and sheer volume of the collective grief, highlighting the tragedy's magnitude.
• Rachel (Ῥαχὴλ - Rachēl): The revered matriarch, mother of Joseph and Benjamin, symbolic mother of the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and thus, of all Israel. Her weeping signifies the anguish of the nation as a whole, deeply rooted in its ancestral identity.
• weeping (κλαίουσα - klaiousa): Present participle, active voice. Continual, ongoing action of weeping. It underscores Rachel's perpetual, profound maternal grief over her children's fate.
• for her children (τὰ τέκνα αὐτῆς - ta tekna autēs): Literally "the children of her." Tekna refers to born offspring. This specifies the focus of Rachel's weeping: the very descendants of Israel, emphasizing the innocence and vulnerability of those who perished.
• and she refused (Καὶ οὐκ ἤθελεν - Kai ouk ēthelen): Imperfect tense, active voice. Signifies an unwillingness or an inability to be persuaded. Her refusal indicates the depth of her despair, a sorrow too profound to accept any consolation.
• to be comforted (Παρακληθῆναι - Paraklithēnai): Passive infinitive from parakaleō, meaning "to call alongside," "to encourage," or "to console." The inability to receive comfort speaks to an unmitigated, absolute sorrow where earthly solace is insufficient.
• because they are no more (ὅτι οὐκ εἰσίν - hoti ouk eisin): A stark, concise, and definitive reason for the inconsolable grief. Ouk eisin translates to "they are not," or "they do not exist." It speaks to the utter absence, the death, of the children, making the mourning complete and unrelieved.

• "A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning": This phrase immediately evokes the prophetic lament from Jeremiah, setting a tone of national sorrow and aligning the current events with Israel's ancient history of suffering and divine warning. It paints a vivid auditory picture of widespread grief.
• "Rachel weeping for her children; and she refused to be comforted": This imagery powerfully personifies the anguish of a mother nation. Rachel, who wept to have children (Gen 30:1), now weeps for their loss, signifying a depth of grief that transcends human ability to console, marking a truly catastrophic event.
• "because they are no more": This concise clause delivers the chilling reality behind the lamentation. It signifies not merely absence or exile (as in Jeremiah's primary context) but irrevocable death, emphasizing the finality of the tragedy for those specific children.

Matthew 2 18 Bonus section

• Typological Fulfillment: Matthew's use of Jeremiah 31:15 is a prime example of typological fulfillment, where an Old Testament event or statement (Rachel mourning the exile) serves as a "type" or pattern for a New Testament event (mothers mourning the massacre of innocents). The underlying theme of national suffering and loss is echoed and brought to its fulfillment in a new, albeit similarly painful, historical event directly linked to the Messiah's coming.
• Significance of Bethlehem: Bethlehem, known as the "City of David" and destined to be the birthplace of the Messiah (Mic 5:2), paradoxically becomes a site of immense grief and slaughter shortly after the Christ Child's birth. This irony underscores the opposition Jesus faced from the outset.
• The Innocents as First Martyrs: Though not canonized or martyred for confessing Christ directly, the Bethlehem infants are often considered the first martyrs (Feast of the Holy Innocents), shedding their blood as a result of the birth of Christ. Their innocent suffering for Christ's sake establishes a profound theological link to the future suffering of His followers.

Matthew 2 18 Commentary

Matthew 2:18 functions as a theological interpretation of the brutal slaughter of Bethlehem's children by Herod, aligning this horrific event with divine prophecy. By quoting Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew portrays Rachel, the symbolic mother of Israel, lamenting for her lost descendants. While Jeremiah's original prophecy referred to the pain of the Babylonian exile, Matthew re-contextualizes it to declare that the birth of the Messiah, surprisingly, ushered in immense suffering, a testament to the world's opposition to God's reign from its very inception. This fulfillment, though dark and painful, serves Matthew's broader purpose of demonstrating Jesus's identity as the prophesied Messiah. The inconsolable weeping highlights the profound human tragedy, yet within Matthew's narrative, it becomes part of the divine tapestry, proving that God's plan unfolds even amidst human wickedness and profound sorrow. It shows that Christ's coming brought division and hardship, a sword as well as peace, foreshadowing His path of suffering unto ultimate glory.