And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. (Matthew 2:13)
[Flight to Egypt, Matt. 2:13-18.See Childhood and Youth of Jesus; a Synopsis of the Life of Christ] The manner in which the angel had first appeared to Joseph (ch. 1:20).
Flee into Egypt.
Egypt was now a Roman province, and thus beyond the jurisdiction of Herod. The traditional border of Egypt was the so-called River of Egypt, the Wâdī el-‘Arîsh, some 100 mi. (160 km.) southwest of Bethlehem. Great numbers of Jews lived in Egypt at this time, and Joseph would not therefore find himself completely among strangers. There were synagogues in the cities, and at one time, even a Jewish temple. Heliopolis (On, cf. Gen. 41:45, 50; Gen. 46:20) is the traditional place where Joseph and Mary fled for safety.