But when he heard that Archelaus reigned in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. and being warned in a dream, he departed into the regions of Galilee.
In this verse Joseph, hearing that Archelaus, the son of Herod, was reigning in Judea, who was known for his cruelty, was troubled. At that moment the angel of God appeared to him again through a dream, guiding him toward Galilee, a region north of Judea, which was under the authority of Herod’s other son, Herod Antipas. Galilee was far from the political dangers of Jerusalem and was a safe place for the Child and Mary.