Skeptics often cite Matthew’s use of Old Testament passages as evidence against the inspiration of the Bible. These arguments are invalid because they assume that when Matthew describes certain Old Testament passages as being “fulfilled” he means the fulfilment of predictive prophecy when he is actually making use of typology.
Matthew’s apparently inconsistent use of the Old Testament is used by critics of the Bible to show the Bible is not the inspired word of God.165 For example, Matthew 2:15 says “what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled” followed by a quotation of Hosea 11:1. However when one turns to the passage in Hosea they find there is no prophecy there.
Another example is Matthew 27:9-10, which quotes Zechariah but attributes it to Jeremiah. This article will show that Matthew is making use of typology rather than the fulfilment of predictive prophecies. Application of the typological method to the Old Testament was common to Second Temple Judaism166 and is found in the Old Testament itself.167
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Author: Michel Hale
Keywords: Emmanuel, Errors, Discrepancies, Discrepancy, Inerrant, Without errors, Bible is without errors, Bible is full of errors, Misquotes, Misquoting, Matthew misquotes, Matthew mistakes, Matthew errors
Bible reference(s): Matthew 2:15, Matthew 1:23, Isaiah 7:14, Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:18, Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 4:15-16, Isaiah 9:1-2, Matthew 8:17, Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 12:18-21, Isaiah 42:1-4, Matthew 13:35, Psalm 78:2, Matthew 21:5, Isaiah 62:11, Zechariah 9:9, Matthew 27:9-10, Zechariah 11:12-13
Source: “Misquoting in Matthew,” Defence & Confirmation, pp. 53-7.
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