is that there is no evidence in Matthew, or any other contemporary work, that Antipater had any involvement in the persecutions. The standard explanation is that most scholars believe the plural is due to Matthew's basing this section on Exodus. Raymond E. Brown sees this as an unlikely explanation. He argues that the author of Matthew was competent enough to change to the singular if he had so desired. Brown argues that the passage should more accurately be read as "the plot by those who wanted to kill is dead." Jerome, referring to this passage stated, "From this we see that not Herod only, but also the Priests and Scribes had sought the Lord’s death at that time." While Saint Remigius stated, "But if they were many who sought his destruction, how came they all to have died in so short a time? As we have related before, all the great men among the Jews were slain at Herod’s death." Robert H. Gundry notes that the phrase translated as "child's life" literally means "child's soul." At the time seeking someone's soul was an expression for trying to kill someone. The reference to "Land of Israel" in this verse and the next one is important. This is the only place in the New Testament where this phrase is used, i.e. the only place where "Israel" is used to refer to a geographic location, a usage which was common in the Book of Exodus on which this passage is based. This is the usage that is employed today by the State of Israel. The word translated as land can also be translated as state or country. Elsewhere in the New Testament the term Israel more often taken to refer to the kingdom of God or the Jewish people as a whole. Gundry notes that the author of Matthew rejects the more accurate terminology "land of Judah" as he was looking for a term that would encompass both Judah and Galilee, where the family would end up. Verse 21 is an almost exact copy of verse 20, except it is in the past tense. It is also very similar to Matthew 2:14. The similarity to the last verse shows that Joseph promptly and exactly obeys the instructions of the angel, obedience is an important virtue throughout Matthew. Commentary from the Church Fathers Pseudo-Dionysius: See how Jesus Himself, though far above all celestial beings,