<p><span>2:17 </span><em>Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying</em><span>- Be aware that when it comes to&nbsp;</span><em>prophecy</em><span>, in the sense of foretelling future events, the New Testament sometimes seems to quote the Old Testament&nbsp;</span><em>without&nbsp;</em><span>attention to the context- at least, so far as human Bible scholarship can discern. The early chapters of Matthew contain at least three examples of&nbsp;quotations whose context just cannot fit the application given: Mt. 2:14,15 cp. Hos. 11:1; Mt. 2:17,18 cp. Jer. 31:15; Mt. 1:23 cp. Is. 7:14. Much Christian material about Israel shows how they have returned to the land, rebuilt the ruined cities, made the desert blossom etc., as fulfilment of Old Testament prophecies in Jeremiah etc. The context of these prophecies often doesn&rsquo;t fit a return to the land by Jews in the 20th century; but on the other hand, the correspondence between these prophecies and recent history is so remarkable that it can&rsquo;t be just coincidence. So again we are led to conclude that a few words here and there within a prophecy can sometimes have a fulfilment outside that which the context seems to require.</span></p>