Because of this , the quote seems to suggest that Matthew thought that Jesus ' life was like the story of the Jewish people . Judea could have symbolized Egypt and Herod represented pharaoh . The Old Testament version refers to the departure of the Hebrews from Egypt under Moses , so the quote suggests that Matthew saw the life of Jesus as recapitulating the story of the Jewish people , with Judea representing Egypt and Herod standing in for pharaoh .