Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt, where a well-established Jewish community provided refuge. This journey also echoes the earlier journeys of Abraham (Genesis 12:10), Jacob (Genesis 46:1–34), and Jacob’s sons (Genesis 42:1–43:34), who went to Egypt because of crises in the land. In this way, Jesus’ journey identifies him with the history and suffering of his people, pointing to his messianic role in sharing their experience (Matthew 2:15). Also, Egypt was well outside of Herod’s jurisdiction and influence.
Because there was a well-established Jewish community there. Ever since the time of Alexander the Great (in the fourth century BC) and the Ptolemaic dynasty which ruled Judah thereafter, many Jews had settled there—especially in and around the city of Alexandria. And so Jesus, just like Abraham (Genesis 12:10), Jacob (Genesis 46:1–34), and Jacob’s sons (Genesis 42:1–43:34), is driven to Egypt by a crisis in Palestine. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus therefore had to specifically flee to Egypt as opposed to another country, since this would enable the people of Israel to see the parallel with their own history and recognize Jesus as the Messiah (see Matthew 2:15).1
Egypt was furthermore a most suitable destination given the fact that it is not too far from Palestine, yet at the same time there was no major traffic between the two nations at the time. Paul, for example, never traveled there. A great number of Jews also settled in Egypt—well beyond the jurisdiction of Herod.2
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”