It is best to confess that we do not know. See Broadus on Matthew for the various theories. But, despised as Nazareth was at that time, Jesus has exalted its fame . The lowly Nazarene he was at first, but it is our glory to be the followers of the Nazarene. The parallels drawn by Matthew between the history of Israel and the birth and infancy of Jesus are not mere fancy.
History repeats itself and writers of history find frequent parallels.
Surely Matthew is not beyond the bounds of reason or of fact in illustrating in his own way the birth and infancy of Jesus by the Providence of God in the history of Israel .