2:20a

“Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother: This clause is identical to the one in 2:13c where the angel told Joseph to take his family to Egypt. See how you translated it there.

and go: Since Joseph and Mary came from the land of Israel, in some languages it is more natural to say “go back” or “return.” For example:

and go back (Good News Translation)

to the land of Israel: The phrase the land of Israel included the districts of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. At that time, Israel was not its own separate country. But the Jews still called this area their homeland. Use a general term for land that refers to a large area.

2:20b

for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the basis for the command that Joseph should go back to Israel. 20aHe should return to Israel 20bfor/because Herod is dead.

In some languages, it is more natural to put the basis for the command (in 2:20b) before the command (in 2:20a). For example:

20bThose who were trying to take the child’s life are dead. 20a⌊So⌋ get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel.

those seeking the Child’s life are now dead: Scholars are divided over the word those and who it refers to. They are divided as to who, in addition Herod, wanted to kill baby Jesus. Some say it refers to Herod’s servants. Others say it refers to the chief priests and scribes. It is suggested that you translate this to simply indicate the plural in a general way. For example:

those who tried to… (Good News Translation)

-or-

the people who were trying to…

seeking the Child’s life: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as seeking the Child’s life means “wanted to kill the child.” They wanted to kill the baby Jesus. For example:

wanted to kill him (Contemporary English Version)

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