Horn—Ram or ox horns were symbols that represented power in ancient cultures like the one referred to in Psalm 148. It may suggest that all of this praise is spurred by a victory over an enemy or oppressor.
Archelaus—This governor’s full name was actually Herod Archelaus but was probably listed as “Archelaus” to avoid confusion with Herod the Great, who was his father, or Herod Antipas, his brother. Antipas was the ruler over the territory where Bethlehem was at the time of Jesus’s death, and Archelaus presided over Judea, to the south.
Ramah—A territory in ancient Israel occupied by the tribe descended from Abraham. It’s noted specifically in this Gospel because after King Herod orders the murder of babies throughout the region in an effort to kill this new Messiah, there is of course pervasive mourning over the devastating losses. This, the author notes, fulfils the prophecy stated by Jeremiah that there will be weeping from mothers in the land of Rachel, Benjamin’s mother.
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