The interpretation of how Hosea 11:1 uses Matthew 2:15 has a troubled history. Beale gives a short overview of interpretations before he offers his grammatical-historical and biblical-theological approach. Beale concludes that Matthew makes a comparison between Jesus as the "son" with the "son" of Hosea.

The Christian faith is monotheistic in a way which is different from the Jewish faith and Islam. When the Bible speaks about the work of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, it attests to the Triune nature of the biblical God. This Triune God is the God which Christians confess.

This article argues that the Bible refers to God using male terms because this serves as an analogy to explain the relationship between the Father and the Son. The use of the phrase "the begotten Son" has a non-physical aspect, and this non-physical aspect is emphasized by the use of male terminology.