Matthew 2:18Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Evangelist by this history of so bloody a massacre, having filled the reader with horror, now again sooths his feelings, shewing that these things were not done because God could not hinder, or knew not of them; but as the Prophet had foretold.

Ramah is a significant elevated location in Palestine, as its name translates to ‘height.’ This region was allotted to the tribe of Benjamin, the offspring of Rachel. Rachel's burial site is in Bethlehem, leading the prophet to refer to Bethlehem as Rachel. From above, the sounds of lamentation and mourning were heard. Thus, heed the words of the prophet: ‘Weeping and wailing, and great crying; Rachel (that is, Bethlehem) weeps for her children, and will not be comforted, for they are not there.’ In this earthly existence, ‘they are not,’ for the souls endure forever.

Or, The sons of Benjamin, who were akin to Rachel, were formerly cut off by the other tribes, and so extinct both then and ever after. (see Judg. 20.) Then therefore Rachel began to mourn her sons, when she saw those of her sister cut off in such a cause, that they should be heirs of eternal life; for he who has experienced any misfortune, is made more sensible of his losses by the good fortune of a neighbour.

(cf. Jer. 31:15). Bethlehem was part of Judah's heritage, descended from Leah; thus, why did Rachel lament for her children, ‘since they were not,’ meaning they were not present to suffer for Christ? Rachel mourned because the Savior did not arise from her lineage, even though Leah signifies the ancient people and Rachel symbolizes the Church. Yet ‘the barren woman,’ as the prophet declares, ‘gave birth, and she who was forsaken produced more offspring than she who is wedded’ (cf. Is. 54:1). Or perhaps Rachel grieved because the tribes of Benjamin and Judah were neighboring. It is recorded, ‘Rachel passed away (just) short of Ephrathah, that is, Bethlehem’ (cf. Gen. 35:19); similarly, Moses in his benediction mentions Benjamin, ‘between his shoulders .... He shall dwell’ (cf. Deut.

Rachel’s son was Benjamin, in which tribe Bethlehem is not situated. How then does Rachel weep for the children of Judah as if they were her own? We answer briefly. She was buried near Bethlehem in Ephrata, and was regarded as the mother, because her body was there entertained. Or, as the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin were contiguous, and Herod’s command extended to the coasts of Bethlehem as well as to the town itself, we may suppose that many were slain in Benjamin.

Ramah refers to a location in Bethlehem, which is named after Rachel, Jacob's wife, who was laid to rest there. The phrase ‘A voice was heard in Ramah’ signifies not just any sound, but that of mourning and anguish, deeply encompassing the tragic slaughter of the children. Bethlehem, in its sorrow, could not find solace, as its children were no longer living. Through this, the enormity of the grief is clearly conveyed.

It could not be that they were not who seemed now dead, but by glorious martyrdom they were advanced to eternal life; and consolation is for those who have suffered loss, not for those who have reaped a gain. Rachel affords a type of the Church long barren now at length fruitful. She is heard weeping for her children, not because she mourned them dead, but because they were slaughtered by those whom she would have retained as her first-born sons.

The Scriptures intriguingly state, "A voice was heard in Ramah, great weeping and wailing: Rachel weeping for her children, and they would not be comforted, for they were not." This prophecy was fulfilled under God’s plan when Herod ordered the massacre of the children. It is understood in a profound way: "a voice in Ramah" resonates from above—in heaven—“is heard, weeping and wailing greatly.” Rachel, representing the true Mother and divine Grace, the Holy Spirit, grieves for the captives of a wicked ruler, those who have fallen tragically into darkness; her sorrow stems from their failure to live in the Spirit’s life and in the radiance of good.

Or, The Church weeps the removal of the saints from this earth, but wishes not to be comforted as though they should return again to the struggles of life, for they are not to be recalled into life.

The sacred Evangelist adds, to shew the greatness of the mourning, that even the dead Rachel was roused to mourn her sons, and would not be comforted because they were not.

Blessed Jerome notes that Scripture refers to the innocent infants who suffered for Jesus Christ as the children of Rachel because there was a field near Bethlehem that belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, where Rachel, Jacob's wife and the mother of Benjamin, was interred. St. Hilary suggests that Rachel, who endured a long period of barrenness, symbolizes the Church; similarly, the tragic loss of the innocent victims of Herod’s wrath symbolizes the countless martyrs who would later give their lives for Jesus Christ. This holy mother, the Church, which had been unproductive for many ages, ultimately became extraordinarily fruitful in holy martyrs.

A voice wails in Ramah (Matthew 2:18). Ramah is linked to Saul, who hailed from the tribe of Benjamin, the son of Rachel, whose burial site lies close to Bethlehem, where this horrific event unfolded. Consequently, as the infants suffered in Bethlehem, adjacent to Rachel's grave, the Evangelist portrays the grieving Rachel. The term weeping captures the anguish of the infants, while weeping reflects the sorrow of their mothers. The infants lamented for being taken away from their mothers, and the mothers mourned for having their sons wrested from them, as if their very hearts were torn apart. The profound suffering endured by the living mothers eclipsed that of the dying infants.

Ramah refers to a prominent location in Palestine, which belonged to the tribe of Benjamin. Benjamin was the offspring of Rachel, who passed away in Bethlehem on the very day he was born and was laid to rest there, as recorded in Genesis 35:19. The infants slain by Herod belonged to Benjamin's lineage; thus, the prophet Jeremiah, foretelling their massacre, depicted Rachel as the representative mother of this generation rather than all the mothers who mourned for their children during the slaughter. The phrase "In Ramah" illustrates that the anguished lamentations of the mothers resonated so profoundly that they reached the heights of Ramah. Why were these mothers inconsolable in their weeping?

The evangelist, in recounting the brutal attack on the infants, instills a sense of horror, yet he brings solace by reminding his audience that these events did not occur because God was powerless to intervene. Instead, the Lord had both anticipated and foreordained them, as articulated by the prophet: THEN COME THE WORD OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH, WHO SAYS: A VOICE IS HEARD IN RAMAH, weeping and wailing, and a great cry; RACHEL WAILS FOR HIS CHILDREN AND WILL NOT BE CONSOLED, FOR THEY ARE NOT (Jer. 31:15). The grave of Rachel, the beloved wife of Jacob, is situated near Ramah, along the path to Ephrathah, which means Bethlehem (Gen. 35:19).

The Evangelist clarifies that the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed, ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing, and a great cry.’ Ramah, a small town located in the territory of Benjamin, was the site where Nebuchadnezzar's officer, Nebuzardanus, assembled the captive Israelites for their journey to Babylon (Jeremiah 40:1). The Prophet Jeremiah, who witnessed these events firsthand, portrays it as the grief of Rachel, the ancestral mother of the captives, lamenting as if to death: Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted, for they are no more (Jeremiah 31:15). The Evangelist interprets this sorrowful occurrence as a foreshadowing of another tragic event—the slaughter of infants by Herod. Accordingly, he cites the prophet’s words as fulfilled in the context of the infants' death in Bethlehem, near the burial site of Rachel.

In the meantime, the king, feeling deceived by the Magi and suspecting their collusion with the royal Child, became even more enraged and sinister. Lacking any means to recognize the royal Child of David's lineage, he would never have thought to seek Him in the humble setting of a stable. Aware that the child he regarded as a potential rival was still an infant, and given that Eastern mothers typically nurse their children for two years, he did not hesitate to issue a gruesome decree for the slaughter of all male infants in Bethlehem and its vicinity ‘from two years old and under.’ The details of how this decree was executed are largely unknown.

A prophetic declaration from the book of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 31:15), specifically as interpreted by the Septuagint, states, “A voice is heard in Ramah,” referring to a small town situated in the tribe of Benjamin. This location was where Nebuzardan, an officer of Nebuchadnezzar, assembled the Jewish captives before transporting them to Babylon (Jeremiah 40:1). Jeremiah, who witnessed these events firsthand, conveys God’s message regarding the return of the Jews from exile.

Surely you are aware, dear listeners, that there exist transgressions—commonly referred to as sins—that call out to Heaven. Are you familiar with what these sins entail and who commits them? The primary transgression that cries out to Heaven is unlawful murder; human blood calls out with the same intensity as Abel's blood after he was slain by Cain. Additionally, there are other grievous sins that invoke Heaven’s attention, such as when the widow is wronged or when the poor and orphans are oppressed. It is a similar offense when individuals fail to provide for their servants and workers, thereby causing them to endure hardship and poverty.