HEBREW GOSPEL OF MATTHEW - CHAPTER 4

CHAPTER 2 (Part 2) — Section 004 [MT 2:13–15]

פרק רביעי

Note on Textual Divisions & Concordance Markers

The section titles (פרק ראשון, פרק שני, etc.) follow the authentic internal layout of Shem-Tob's Hebrew text, which organizes the Gospel of Matthew into 116 structural pericopes. The traditional 28-chapter and verse divisions ([MT 2:13–15]) did not exist in ancient manuscripts; they were devised centuries later by Western scholars (Stephen Langton in 1205 and Robert Estienne in 1551) to build Latin concordances. The standard chapter/verse citations are included in brackets solely as a concordance reference for readers navigating standard printed Bibles.

#	Shem-Tob Hebrew Text	Literal Translation
13	והמה הולכים והנה מלאך ה״ נראה אל יוסף קום וקח את הנער ואת אמו וברח למצרים ושם תעמוד עד אמרי אליך כי הורודוס יבקש את הנער להרוג׃	And they were walking, and behold, a messenger of the Name appeared unto Yosef: "Arise and take the youth and his mother, and flee unto Mitzrayim, and there you shall stand until my speaking unto you, for Hordos will seek the youth to kill [him]."
14	ויקח את הנער ואת אמו׃	And he took the youth and his mother;
15	ויהי שם עד מת הורוד״וס לגמור מה שנאמר על פי הנביא וממצרים קראתי לבני׃	and he was there until the death of Hordos, to finish what was said by the mouth of the prophet: "And out of Mitzrayim I called to my son."

Consonantal & Paleographic Notes

• פרק רביעי (Fourth Section): Preserves the authentic internal Hebrew division heading designating this brief flight into Egypt (MT 2:13–15) as an independent pericope (Section 4 of 116). The manuscript cleanly closes Section 4 at verse 15 before introducing the slaughter in Bethlehem as Section 5 (פרק חמישי).
• Designation of the Child as הנער (The Youth): In verses 13 and 14, the child is designated on the parchment as הנער (ha-na'ar — the youth/lad) rather than ילד (yeled — small child/infant). In Semitic usage, this indicates physical growth and progression beyond infancy.
• Spatial & Kinetic Commands (Verse 13):
  • והמה הולכים: "And they were walking / departing."
  • קום וקח... וברח: String of immediate physical imperatives: "Arise, take... and flee!"
  • ושם תעמוד: Literally "and there you shall stand / stay fixed," from the root עמד (amad — to stand firmly, remain stationed).
  • עד אמרי אליך: Pure Semitic temporal phrasing: "until my saying / speaking unto you."
• Hordos & Scribal Double Primes: Written as הורודוס in verse 13, and abbreviated with double primes as הורוד״וס in verse 15.
• מלאך ה״ (Messenger of the Name): The letter Hey with double primes (Gershayim) represents HaShem ("The Name"), standing in place of the Tetragrammaton.
• Verse 15 (לגמור & על פי הנביא): The completion of prophecy uses the kinetic root גמר (gamar — to finish, complete, bring to its full end) accompanied by the anatomical Hebrew idiom על פי הנביא ("by the mouth of the prophet").