Jesus was born in bethlehem

JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEHEM
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
MATHEW 2:10 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in
Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the
east came to Jerusalem
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
"the Days Of Herod The King."
Matthew 2:1
W.F. Adeney
This is more than a note of time. It cannot but strike us as a remarkable fact
that Christ should have been born during the reign of the gloomy Idumaean
ruler.
I. CHRIST COMES WHEN HE IS MOST NEEDED. Thosewere dark days
when Herod made his Saturnine temper the spirit of a nation's government.
His reign had been carriedon with an external splendour and a vigorous
attempt to please the Jews. But a heathen by nature, Herod was always
suspectedby the Jews in the midst of his pious Hebrew professions. Now,
however, at the end of his life, his crimes had consumed what little good
repute he had contrived to manufacture for himself. The nation was sick at

heart, and the only solid hope left it was that cherished in the breastof the
devout Jews, who, like Anna and Simeon, were "waiting for the consolationof
Israel." It was the chill and darkness that precede the dawn. Then Christ
came. No earthly events could shape a Christ; for the earthly circumstances
were most adverse. He did not come to rewardmerit; for merit was rare in
those days. But the need was great, and it was simply the need of man that
brought Christ into the world.
II. THERE IS ROOM FOR ANOTHER KING BESIDES THE EARTHLY
RULER. Herod was still reigning, and yet the Christ came to set up his
kingdom. The sovereignatJerusalemnaturally suspectedthe new-born King
to be a rival to his throne. Mostof the Jews would have shared his opinion if
they had believed in Jesus, though they would have regardedthe situation
with very different feelings. But Christ did not come to sit on the throne of
Herod, and we cannot think of him simply as the rightful Heir who will expel
the insolentusurper. His kingdom is not of this world. Earthly monarchs rise
and fall, and still he reigns. His is the kingdom of heaven setup on earth.
There is a reign of life which they that hold the sword of external government
cannot hinder. They cannot restrain its glorious liberty, nor can they reform
its evils. The world wants a King who can rule in the realm of ideas, who can
swayhearts, who can conquer sin. Therefore the apostles were commissioned
to make known "anotherKing, one Jesus" (Acts 17:7).
III. THE RULE OF CHRIST IS IN STRONG CONTRAST TO ITS
EXTERNALSURROUNDINGS. Christand Herod - what a contrastthe two
names suggest!Yet they are the names of the two kings of the Jews of the
same day. Force, selfishness, cruelty, characterize the degenerate visible rule.
Truth, gentleness, love, mark the invisible spiritual rule. So it is always,
though not necessarilyin the same dramatic form. When we come to Christ
and his kingdom we reacha higher level, we breathe purer air, we walk in the
light. Then, though the days may be adverse and altogetherunpropitious, we
have reachedwhat is above daily vexations, we have attained some of the
peace ofthe eternity in which Christ lives. - W.F.A.

Biblical Illustrator
Wise men from the East.
Matthew 2:1
Philosophy and the Babe
J. C. Jones.,RichardRoberts.
I. The wise men SEEKING Christ.
1. They are presented to us here as seekers.
2. They were earnestseekers.
3. They soughtChrist reverently.
4. God assistedthem in the search.
II. The wise men FINDING Christ.
1. They were seeking a person.
2. That personmust be a king.

3. They soughta king and found a child.
4. Having found the child their seeking came to an end.
5. They worshipped Him.
(J. C. Jones.)Jesus was the beginner of a new era, the founder of a new
kingdom, hailed as a King alike at His birth and on His cross.
I. THE SEEKERS. Magicnotmagicians;astronomers, not astrologers;
scientists, not wizards. The coming of these wise men prophetic of the time
when all the trophies of science should be laid at the Saviour's feet.
II. THE SIGN. "His star." Various conjectures. Godnever lacks the means to
guide earnestinquirers.
III. THE SEARCH. Earnest. Gave up friends and home, and took a
wearisome journey. Every followerof Christ must have the same spirit. No
earthly joy is entirely satisfactory. Menwill not earnestlyseek Christ till
firmly convinced of the unsatisfactorynature of other "things. Persevering:
many discouragements.
IV. THE SUCCESS. Notwhere they expectedit, in the capital; not even in the
best place in Bethlehem, yet where their soul-hunger was satisfied— the
"house of bread." They came not empty-handed, trot presented first
themselves, then their gifts. The typical nature of these gifts. Around the
manger was gathereda prophetic group.
(Richard Roberts.)
The Sages, the Star, and the Saviour
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. THEIR INQUIRY, "Where is He? " etc.
1. Interest awakened.
2. Beliefavowed.

3. Ignorance admitted.
4. Information entreated.
5. A motive declared.
II. THEIR ENCOURAGEMENT.
1. To see His star was a greatfavour.
2. It was a greatresponsibility.
3. They did not regard it as a matter to be rested in.
4. They did not find satisfactionin what they had themselves done to leachthe
child.
III. THEIR EXAMPLE.
1. They saw the young child.
2. They worshipped Him.
3. They presentedgifts.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
The EasternSagesled to Jerusalem
D. Rees.
I. THE WISE MEN HERE REFERRED TO. The gospelsometimes triumphs
over the world where it is most influential, and reduces the wise, rich, and
greatinto a willing subjectionto Christ.
II. THE COUNTRYFROM WHICH THEY CAME.
III. THE MEANS BY WHICH THEY WERE CONDUCTED TO
BETHLEHEM. How greatare our advantages comparedwith theirs; they
had a .star, we a sun.

IV. THE LIGHT WHICH IS THROWN BY THIS PASSAGE ON SOME OF
THE PERFECTIONSOF GOD.
1. On His wisdom, particularly in adapting means to an end.
2. On His poweras seenin the star.
3. On His faithfulness as seenin the prophecy mow fulfilled.
4. On His knowledge as displayedin revealing the true intention of Herod.
5. A remarkable illustration of God's superintending providence. The hearts
of kings are in His rule; God provides for the safetyof His servants.
(D. Rees.)
The illustrious seekers
D. C. Hughes, M. A., Bourdalone.
1. Their title was illustrious.
2. Their pursuit was illustrious.
3. Their wealth was illustrious.
4. Their characterwas illustrious.
(D. C. Hughes, M. A.)
I. A MODELOF SOUND WISDOM FOR ALL TRUE CHRISTIANS.
Examine the characteroftheir faith.
1. In its commencement: promptitude to follow the call of heaven.
2. In its progress:in their well-supported constancywhen the star
disappeared.
3. In the perfectionof their faith.

II. A PORTRAIT OF THE BLIND WISDOM OF WORLDLY MEN, AS
SEEN IN HEROD'S PERSECUTION OF JESUS CHRIST.
1. This false wisdom is at enmity with God.
2. God is at enmity with this reprobate wisdom.Whatdid the new-born
Saviour to Herod: —
1. He troubled him.
2. Made him odious.
3. Confounded his counsel.
4. Made him, in defiance of himself, subservient to the designs of providence.
(Bourdalone.)
Intellectual Christ
J. Woodhouse.
1. That men of intellectual culture have inquired earnestlyfor Christ.
2. Men of intellectual culture have encountered difficulties in finding Christ.
(1)A long journey;
(2)A difficult journey;
(3)A dangerous journey.
3. Men of intellectual culture have been led to Christ by the strangest
agencies.
4. Men of intellectual culture have rendered the most devout homage to
Christ:
(1)Intelligently,
(2)devoutly,

(3)practically.
(J. Woodhouse.)
The star guiding the wise men to the Babe in Bethlehem
W. Jay.
1. Christ is owned by some m the higher orders of life.
2. They who are desirous of finding Christ will not miss Him for want of
direction.
3. We should deem no difficulties too greatto encounter, no sacrificestoo
greatto make, in seeking afterChrist.
4. We are to be concernedto honour Him as well as to be savedby Him.
(W. Jay.)
The magi are commended
L M. Ashley.
1. Fortheir prerogative of a deeperwisdom.
2. Fortheir fervid searching.
3. Fortheir constant asking ofthe place.
4. Forthe sweetness oftheir spiritual joy.
5. Fortheir devotion of humble adoration.
6. Forthe value of their gifts.
7. Forthe prudent caution of their return.
(L M. Ashley.)

The fulness of the faith is gained
L M. Ashley.
1. By asking light from God.
2. By wisely seeking knowledge.
3. By pressing forward in holiness.
(L M. Ashley.)
The visit of the wise men of the Eastto Christ
C. Bradley, M. A.
I. THE DESCRIPTIONAFFORDED OF THESE VISITANTS AT
BETHLEHEM
1. The power of God over the human mind.
2. A fulfilment of prophecy.
II. THE STAR WHICH CONDUCTED THESE WISE MEN TO CHRIST.
1. The condescensionofGod — He often meets man in man's own paths.
2. The greatness ofGod — He often puts much honour on Christ by the
means which He makes use of to lead sinners to Him.
3. The compassionand care of God — He adapts His guidance to our needs.
III. THE CONDUCT OF THESE MEN.
1. Their faith.
2. The moral greatness theyexhibited.
3. Their devotedness to Christ.

(C. Bradley, M. A.)
The nativity of Christ
G. Bateman, M. A.
These wise men were assistedin their hopes by an inward inspiration. The
solicitationof grace workedwithin them.
(G. Bateman, M. A.)
Wise men from the East
A. Teller.
1. That despisers ofJesus are doubtless to be viewed as despisers ofHim
whom His Heavenly Father delighteth to honour. The song of the angels.
2. That Jesus is to Gentiles as wellas to Jews a Prince and a Saviour.
3. That the Christian faith is not to be viewed as exclusively embracedby the
poor and illiterate.
4. As to the enjoyment of external advantages we are more highly favoured
than these men.
(A. Teller.)
The Epiphany goodness
Bishop Huntingdon., Bishop Horne.
1. In the largenessofthe plan of His salvation, Christ not only breaks overall
the narrow notions of national, family, and socialprejudice, but He permits
every heart to come to Him, in spite of its imperfections and errors, by the
best light and the best feeling it has.

2. At every step forward in the Christian life, eachdisciple's amount of
privilege or blessing is generallyin proportion to the growthof his faith up to
that time.
3. After all, whereverthe starting-point, whoeverthe travellers, whateverthe
gentleness thatforbears to quench our feeble life, and howevermerciful the
long-suffering that waits for us, there is an end of the whole way, at the feet of
the Lord.
(Bishop Huntingdon.)
I. THE PERSONS.
1. Their country.
2. Their condition,
II. THEM JOURNEY. Theysaw, understood, and set out.
III.
1. Let us evermore give thanks to our Lord Godfor the revelationof that
greatmystery of mercy, the restorationof the Gentiles to that Church, from
which they had been for so many ages excluded, or rather, we should say, they
had excluded themselves.
2. Diligence is generallyrewarded with the discovery of that which it seeks
after — sometimes of that which is much more valuable.
3. Let us learn to be watchful and observant of those lights, which at sundry
times, and in divers manners, are vouchsafedto us.
(Bishop Horne.)
The Epiphany
F. Close, M. A., Canon Liddon., William of Auvergne.
I. How THE MAGI SOUGHT AND FOUND THE LORD.

1. Who they were.
2. They soughtwith the utmost assiduity.
3. They were ultimately directed to Him by the written Word.
4. From first to last they were divinely guided.
II. THE FEELINGS WITH WHICH THE MAGI CONTEMPLATEDHIM.
1. With exceeding great;joy.
2. With devout adoration.
3. They presentedmost costly offerings. Lessons:
(1)Exceptwe thus seek andfind the Saviour we perish.
(2)Do you know and feel that you have not sought Him?
(3)Are you greatly discouragedin seeking Him?
(F. Close, M. A.)This visit of the wise men shows us: —
I. How VARIOUSLY GOD SPEAKS TO us, — how many are the voices
whereby He calls us, if we will, out of darkness, whetherof mind or of heart,
into His marvellous light. He uses a language to each, which eachcan
understand. The Universal Father soonerorlater has a word, a star, for all of
us.
II. HOW TRUTH, IF IT IS TO BE GRASPED IN ITS FULNESS, MUST BE
EARNESTLYSOUGHT FOR. These wise men had a little stock oftruth to
start with, but they made the most of that which had been given them. Some
word, some example, some passing, inward inspiration, may be the star in the
East, bidding the soul hope and persevere.
III. This history teaches WHAT IS THE REAL OBJECT OF RELIGIOUS
INQUIRY. Worship is the joint result of thought, affection, and will, rising
upward towards God, and then shrinking into the very dust before Him. It is
much more than mere religious thought, it is the soul seeking the true centre
of the spiritual universe with all its powers.

(Canon Liddon.)His birthplace, as in everything else belonging to Him, is a
living parable.
I. It was a FOREIGN COUNTRY. In Judaea, not in Galilee. To teachus that
this world is an alien land to us, although we may have grown old in it. Jesus
Christ was only a strangerand a sojourner in it; and we in like manner are
sojourners.
II. It was a SMALL VILLAGE. The King of kings is born in an obscure place,
and the Lord of might, of lowly parentage. Godreverses the judgment of this
world concerning many things.
III. It was in BETHLEHEM. In Bethlehem, "the house of bread," was born
the Living Bread. Before Christ was born, the world was full of starving men,
hungering after pleasures, riches, and honours. He Himself satisfies allmen's
hunger.
IV. It was a village BY THE WAY. Showing that our present life is the way to
death. May we follow Jesus Christ from Bethlehemto Zion.
(William of Auvergne.)
Goodmen found outside the pale of privilege
J. Edmond.
Well, the last year I passedthat old church, I noticed something which was
very interesting. The toweris standing pretty entire, and the spire of it is
standing pretty entire also. It is a little shakenand riven with the weatherand
the strokes oftime; but there it stands. And what do you think is climbing up
the side of the spire? Why, a little tree that has gotits roots in a little crevice
of the spire, and it is covering the bare stones with beautiful green. Now, that
tree to me is like the wise men of the East. You see, Godin Judaea had a
garden, and all the trees there were planted by prophets and people that were
sent to do the work. But now, how did He plant these trees in Chaldea — how
did He plant that tree in the spire of the church? "Whence came the seed
there? " you say. It was not a man that went up and planted it there; it was

not planted as you plant a tree in the garden. But then, God says sometimes to
the little birds, "Take a seedand plant it up in the rock, and let it clothe the
rock." Or, He says to the winds, "Waft the seedup to that little crack in the
spire of the old church, and let it become a living tree."
(J. Edmond.)
In searchof a greatman
In the annals of the CelestialEmpire, there is historical evidence of
Ambassadors or "wise men" having been sent towards the West in searchof
the "GreatSaintwho was to appear." The following from the Annals narrates
the circumstance:— "In the 24th year of the Tchao-Wang, ofthe dynasty of
the Tcheou, onthe 8th day of the 4th moon, a light appearedin the south-west
which illuminated the "king's palace. The monarch, struck by its splendour,
interrogatedthe sages, who were skilledin foretelling future events. They then
showedhim hooks in which it was written that this prodigy signified the
appearance ofa greatSaint in the West, whose religionwas to be introduced
into this country. The king consultedthe ancient books, andhaving found the
passagescorresponding with the time of Tchao-Wang, was filled with joy.
Then he sentthe officers Tsa-yuand Thsin-King, the learned Wang-Tsun, and
fifteen other men to the Westto obtain information." So sensible were these
"wise men" of the time and place of the Saviour's birth, that they setforth to
hail the expectedRedeemer. The envoy encounteredin their way the
missionaries ofBuddhism coming from India announcing an incarnate God;
these the Chinese took for the disciples of the true Christ, embracedtheir
teaching, and introduced them to their fellow-country-men as the teachers of
the true religion. Thus was Buddhism introduced into China in place of
Christianity.
A curious Russiantradition.
The Russianpeasantryhave a curious tradition. It is that an old woman, the
Baboushka, was atwork in her house when the wise men from the Eastpassed

on their way to find the Christ-child. "Come with us," they said: "we have
seenHis starin the Eastand go to worship Him." "I will come, but not now,"
she answered;"I have my house to setin order; when this is done I will follow
and find Him." But when her work was done the three kings had passedon
their way across the desert, and the star shone no more in the darkened
heavens. She never saw the Christ-child, but she is living and searching for
Him still. For His sake she takes care ofall His children. It is she who in
Russianand Italian houses is believed to fill the stockings anddress the tree
on Christmas morn. The children area wakenedby the cry of" Behold the
Baboushka!" and spring up hoping to see her before she vanishes out of the
window. She fancies, the tradition goes, that in eachpoor little one whom she
warms and feeds she may find the Christ-child, whom she neglectedages ago,
but is doomed to eternal disappointment.
COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
II.
(1) In the days of Herod the king.—The deathof Herod took place in the year
of Rome A.U.C. 750, just before the Passover. This year coincidedwith what
in our common chronologywould be B.C. 4—so that we have to recognisethe
fact that our common reckoning is erroneous, and to fix B.C. 5 or 4 as the date
of the Nativity.
No facts recorded either in St. Matthew or St. Luke throw much light on the
seasonofthe birth of Christ. The flocks and shepherds in the open field
indicate spring rather than winter. The receivedday, December25th, was not
kept as a festival in the Easttill the time of Chrysostom, and was then
receivedas resting on the tradition of the Roman Church. It has been
conjectured, with some probability, that the time was chosenin order to

substitute the purified joy of a Christian festival for the license of the
Saturnalia which were kept at that season.
The time of the arrival of the wise men was probably (we cannot say more)
after the Presentationin the Temple of Luke 2:22. The appearance of the star
coincidedwith the birth. The journey from any part of the regionvaguely
calledthe Eastwould occupy at leastseveralweeks.
Wise men from the east.—TheGreek wordis Magi. That name appears in
Jeremiah39:3; Jeremiah 39:13, in the name Rab-Mag, “The chiefof the
Magi.” Herodotus speaks ofthem as a priestly caste ofthe Medes, known as
interpreters of dreams (I. 101, 120). Among the Greeks the word was
commonly applied with a tone of scornto the impostors who claimed
supernatural knowledge, and magic was in fact the art of the Magi, and so the
word was commonly used throughout the Roman world when the New
Testamentwas written, Simon Magus is Simon the sorcerer. There was
however, as side by side with this, a recognitionof the higher ideas of which
the word was capable, and we can hardly think that the writer of the Gospel
would have used it in its lowersense. With him, as with Plato, the Magi were
thought of as observers of the heavens, students of the secrets ofNature.
Where they came from we cannot tell. The name was too widely spread at this
time to lead us to look with certainty to its original home in Persia, and that
country was to the North rather than the Eastof Palestine. The watching of
the heavens implied in the narrative belongedto Chaldea rather than Persia.
The popular legends that they were three in number, and that they were
kings, that they representedthe three great races ofthe sons of Noah, and
were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, are simply apocryphal
additions, originating probably in dramatic representations, andperpetuated
by Christian art.
BensonCommentary
Matthew 2:1. Now when Jesus was born — It is matter of greatdoubt when
the following remarkable occurrence happened. The receivedtime of
celebrating the Epiphany imports that it was within thirteen days of the birth

of Christ. But as it is not likely that the star made its appearance till he was
born, so it does not seemat all probable that the wise men could have
prepared for and accomplishedso long a journey in so short a space oftime,
especiallyas they tarried some days, at the least, at Jerusalem, ontheir way to
Bethlehem. Add to this that immediately after their departure, (Matthew
2:13,) Joseph, with his wife and the child, are sent awayinto Egypt, which
could not have been before the end of the forty days of Mary’s purification.
But although this visit of the wise men did not happen so soonafter the birth
of Christ as the calendarsupposes, it might happen before Jesus was
presentedin the temple. Forit is certain, when they came to Bethlehem they
found Jesus and his mother there; but according to Luke 2:22, when the days
of Mary’s purification were ended, they brought the child Jesus to present
him to the Lord; and we never read of their returning with him to Bethlehem.
On the contrary, we are told, when they had performed all things according to
the law, they returned togetherto their own city Nazareth. According to this
hypothesis, Jesus was brought to Jerusalemwhile Herod was waiting for the
return of the wise men, and the angelappeared to Josephthere to command
him to flee into Egypt with the young child and his mother, which they might
do the very night after Jesus was presentedin the temple.
In Bethlehem of Judea — Judea here means the district so named from the
tribe of Judah, under which, however, the tribe of Benjamin was
comprehended; and it is distinguished from Samaria, Peræa, Trachonitis, and
both Galilees. It must be observed, there was another Bethlehem in the tribe
of Zabulon, in the lowerGalilee. In the days of Herod the king — Viz., Herod
the Great, the son of Antipater, born at Ascalon, about 70 years before Christ.
According to some, he was a native Jew;according to others, an Idumean by
the father’s side, and by the mother’s an Arabian. The most probable opinion
is, that he was originally an Idumean; but that his ancestors had, for some
ages, beenproselytes to the Jewishreligion. The Jews being at that time in
subjection to the Romans, he was made king of Judea by the Roman senate.
At his death, which happened soonafter this, he divided his dominions by his
last will among his sons, appointing Archelaus, mentioned Matthew 2:22, to
succeedhim as king of Judea; Herod Antipas, mentioned chap. 14., to be

tetrarch of Galilee and Peræa;and Philip, mentioned Luke 3., to be tetrarch
of Trachonitis and the neighbouring countries. Herod Agrippa, mentioned
Acts 12., was his grandson. It is to be observed, that the history of the New
Testamentbegins with Herod the Great, and ends with Agrippa, the last king
of the Jews. Behold!The evangelistcalls our attention by this word to the
following very memorable occurrence. There came wise men — Probably
Chaldeanor Arabian astronomers, who, by divine grace, had been led from
the knowledge ofnature, to that of nature’s God. Although they are termed in
the original, μαγοι, magi, we must not imagine that they were what we call
magicians, or sorcerers;for the appellation was by no means appropriated in
ancient times to such as practised wickedarts, but was frequently given to
philosophers, or men of learning, particularly those that were curious in
examining the works of nature, and observing the motions of the heavenly
bodies. Came from the east — It is impossible to determine absolutely from
what part of the Eastthey came;although it is probable it was from Arabia,
rather than Chaldea, for it lay eastof Judea, and is mentioned by Tacitus as
its boundary eastward, and certainly was famous for gold, frankincense, and
myrrh, commodities which (see Matthew 2:11) they brought with them.
Myrrh, according to Grotius, is not produced save in Arabia, where, if we
may believe Pliny, it is found in such abundance, with other spices, that no
other kinds of woodare in use, not even to make fires of, but such as are
odoriferous. Neitheris frankincense found save among the Sabæans, a part of
Arabia. And as to gold, another commodity which they brought, this is well
known to be produced in such greatabundance in Arabia Felix, that the
furniture of the whole nation shines with it. David and Solomon, to whom the
promise of the land of Canaanwas fully made good, extended their dominions
over those countries, even to the Euphrates, and the inhabitants of them were
chiefly the seedof Abraham. Now it is more likely that these first fruits of the
Gentiles should be brought to do homage to the King of the Jews, from a
country that had done as much to David and Solomon, the types of Christ,
than from a foreign and more remote nation; and that they should be of the
seedof Abraham rather than of another race. Add to this, that Arabia
abounded with magi, and was anciently so famous for wisdom, that, according
to Porphyry, Pythagoras himself travelled thither to acquire it. Nay, if we may
credit the learned Dr. Alix, the Jews were ofopinion that there were prophets

in the kingdoms of Saba and Arabia, and that they prophesied or taught
successively, in the name of God, what they had receivedby tradition from the
mouth of Abraham, of whose posterity they were, by Keturah. In the Old
Testamentit is frequently calledthe East, as Jdg 6:3; Job 1:3; whereas
Chaldea lay not so properly to the eastas to the north of Judea, and is often
spokenof in Scripture in that light. See Jeremiah1:14-15;Jeremiah 6:22; Joel
2:20. Had these wise men been, as some have supposed, a deputation from all
the magi in Persia, Media, Arabia, and Chaldea; or had they been kings, as
the papists fancy; so grand a circumstance as either of these would, in all
probability, have been expresslyrecorded. To Jerusalem — The capital of the
kingdom, and the seatof learning. For it seems these wise men did not
suppose that so illustrious a king would be born in an ignoble village, but that
he must be soughtfor in the royal city, in the palace itself, and in the family
which then reigned. It was, however, no doubt, by the divine providence that
they were directed to Jerusalem, as well that the Jews might be left without
excuse, as that the birth of Christ the King might be announced by the
Gentiles before he was acknowledgedby the Jews, lestthe testimony of the
Jews concerning their own King should come under suspicion.
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:1-8 Those who live at the greatestdistance from the means of grace often
use most diligence, and learn to know the most of Christ and his salvation. But
no curious arts, or mere human learning, candirect men unto him. We must
learn of Christ by attending to the word of God, as a light that shineth in a
dark place, and by seeking the teaching of the Holy Spirit. And those in whose
hearts the day-star is risen, to give them any thing of the knowledge ofChrist,
make it their business to worship him. Though Herod was very old, and never
had shownaffectionfor his family, and was not himself likely to live till a new-
born infant had grown up to manhood, he beganto be troubled with the dread
of a rival. He understood not the spiritual nature of the Messiah's kingdom.
Let us beware of a dead faith. A man may be persuaded of many truths, and
yet may hate them, because they interfere with his ambition, or sinful
indulgences. Such a belief will make him uneasy, and the more resolvedto
oppose the truth and the cause ofGod; and he may be foolishenough to hope
for success therein.

Barnes'Notes on the Bible
When Jesus was born - See the full accountof his birth in Luke 2:1-20.
In Bethlehem of Judea - Bethlehem, the birthplace of Christ, was a small town
about six miles south of Jerusalem. The word "Bethlehem" denotes "house of
bread" - perhaps given to the place on accountof its greatfertility. It was also
calledEphrata, a word supposed likewise to signify fertility, Genesis 35:19;
Ruth 4:11; Psalm 132:6. It was calledthe city of David Luke 2:4, because it
was the city of his nativity, 1 Samuel 16:1, 1 Samuel 16:18. It was called
Bethlehem of Judea, to distinguish it from a town of the same name in Galilee,
Joshua 19:15. The soil of Bethlehem was noted for its fertility. Ancient
travelers frequently spoke ofits productions. The town is situated on an
eminence, in the midst of hills and vales. At present (circa 1880's)it contains
about 200 houses, inhabited chiefly by Christians and Muslims, who live
togetherin peace. About 200 paces eastofBethlehemthe place is still shown
where our Saviour is supposed to have been born. There is a church and a
convent there; and beneath the church a subterranean chapel, which is lighted
by 32 lamps, which is said to be the place where was the stable in which Jesus
was born, though no certainreliance is to be placedon the tradition which
makes this the birthplace of the Saviour.
Herod the king - Judea, where our Saviour was born, was a province of the
Roman Empire. It was takenabout 63 years before his birth by Pompey, and
placed under tribute. Herod receivedhis appointment from the Romans, and
had reigned at the time of the birth of Jesus for 34 years. Thoughhe was
permitted to be calledking, yet he was, in all respects, dependenton the
Roman emperor. He was commonly called "Herod the Great" because he had
distinguished himself in the wars with Antigonus and his other enemies, and
because he had evinced greattalents in governing and defending his country,
in repairing the temple, and in building and ornamenting the cities of his
kingdom. He was, however, as much distinguished for his cruelty and his
crimes as he was for his greatness.At this time Augustus was Emperor of
Rome. The world was at peace. A large part of the known nations of the earth
was united under the Roman emperor. Contactbetweendifferent nations was
easyand safe. Similar laws prevailed. The use of the Greek language was

general throughout the world. All these circumstances combinedto render
this a favorable time to introduce the gospel, and to spread it through the
earth; and the providence of God was remarkable in preparing the nations in
this manner for the easyand rapid spreadof the Christian religion.
Wise men - The original word here is μάγοι magoi, from which comes our
word magician, now used in a bad sense, but not so in the original. The
persons here denoted were philosophers, priests, or astronomers. Theylived
chiefly in Persia and Arabia. They were the learned men of the Eastern
nations. devoted to astronomy, to religion, and to medicine. They were held in
high esteemby the Persiancourt, were admitted as counsellors, andfollowed
the camps in war to give advice.
From the east - It is not known whether they came from Persia or Arabia.
Both countries might be denoted by the word Eastthat is, eastfrom Judea.
Jerusalem- The capital of Judea. As there is frequent reference in the New
Testamentto Jerusalem;as it was the place of the public worship of God; as it
was the place where many important transactions in the life of the Saviour
occurred, and where he died; and as no Sunday schoolteachercan
intelligently explain the New Testamentwithout some knowledge ofthat city,
it seems desirable to present, a brief description of it. A more full description
may be seenin Calmet's Dictionary, and in the common works on Jewish
antiquities. Jerusalemwas the capital of the kingdom of Judah, and was built
on the line dividing that tribe from the tribe of Benjamin. It was once called
"Salem" Genesis14:18;Psalm76:2, and in the days of Abraham was the
home of Melchizedek. When the Israelites took possessionof the promised
land, they found this strongholdin the possessionofthe Jebusites, by whom it
was calledJebus or Jebusi, Joshua 18:28.
The name "Jerusalem" wasprobably compounded of the two by changing a
single letter, and calling it, for the sake of the sound, "Jerusalem" insteadof
"Jebusalem."The ancient Salemwas probably built on Mount Moriah or
Acra - the easternand westernmountains on which Jerusalemwas
subsequently built. When the Jebusites became masters ofthe place, they
erecteda fortress in the southern quarter of the city, which was subsequently

calledMount Zion, but which they called"Jebus";and although the Israelites
took possessionofthe adjacent territory Joshua 18:28, the Jebusites still held
this fortress or upper town until the time of David, who wrestedit from them
2 Samuel 5:7-9, and then removed his court from Hebron to Jerusalem, which
was thenceforwardknownas the city of David, 2 Samuel 6:10, 2 Samuel6:12;
1 Kings 8:1. Jerusalemwas built on severalhills Mount Zion on the south,
Mount Moriahon the east, upon which the temple was subsequently built (see
the notes at Matthew 21:12), Mount Acra on the west, and Mount Bezetha on
the north.
Mount Moriahand Mount Zion were separatedby a valley, calledby
Josephus the Valley of Cheesemongers, overwhich there was a bridge or
raisedway leading from the one to the other. On the southeastof Mount
Moriah, and betweenthat and Mount Zion, there was a bluff or high rock
capable of strong fortification, called Ophel. The city was encompassedby
hills. On the westthere were hills which overlookedthe city; on the south was
the valley of Jehoshaphat, orthe valley of Hinnom (see the notes at Matthew
5:22), separating it from what is calledthe Mount of Corruption; on the east
was the valley or the brook Kedron, dividing the city from the Mount of
Olives. On the north the country was more level, though it was a broken or
rolling country. On the southeastthe valleys of the Kedron and Jehoshaphat
united, and the waters flowedthrough the broken mountains in a
southeasterlydirection to the DeadSea, some 15 miles distant.
The city of Jerusalemstands in 31 degrees 50 minutes north latitude, and 35
degrees 20 minutes eastlongitude from Greenwich. It is 34 miles southeasterly
from Jaffa - the ancientJoppa which is its seaport, and 120 miles
southwesterlyfrom Damascus.The best view of the city of Jerusalemis from
Mount Olivet on the east(compare the notes at Matthew 21:1), the mountains
in the eastbeing somewhathigher than those on the west. The city was
anciently enclosedwithin walls, a part of which are still standing. The position
of the walls has been at various times changed, as the city has been largeror
smaller, or as it has extended in different directions. The wall on the south
formerly included the whole of Mount Zion, though the modern wall runs
over the summit, including about half of the mountain. In the time of the
Saviour the northern wall enclosedonly Mounts Acra and Moriah north,

though after his death Agrippa extended the wall so as to include Mount
Bezetha on the north.
About half of that is included in the present wall. The limits of the city on the
eastand the west, being more determined by the nature of the place, have
been more fixed and permanent. The city was wateredin part by the fountain
of Siloam on the eastfor a description of which, see the Luke 13:4 note, and
Isaiah7:3 note), and in part by the fountain of Gihon on the westof the city,
which flowed into the vale of Jehoshaphat;and in the time of Solomonby an
aqueduct, part of which is still remaining, by which waterwas brought from
the vicinity of Bethlehem. The "pools of Solomon," three in number, one
rising above another, and adapted to hold a large quantity of water, are still
remaining in the vicinity of Bethlehem. The fountain of Siloam still flows
freely (see the note at Isaiah7:3)}}, though the fountain of Gihon is commonly
dry. A reservoiror tank, however, remains at Gihon. Jerusalemhad,
probably, its highest degree of splendor in the time of Solomon. About 400
hundred years after, it was entirely destroyedby Nebuchadnezzar. It lay
utterly desolate during the 70 years of the Jewishcaptivity.
Then it was rebuilt, and restoredto some degree of its former magnificence,
and remained about 600 years, whenit was utterly destroyedby Titus in 70
a.d. In the reign of Adrian the city was partly rebuilt under the name of
AElia. The monuments of Paganidolatry were erectedin it, and it remained
under Paganjurisdiction until Helena, the mother of Constantine, overthrew
the memorials of idolatry, and erected a magnificent church over the spot
which was supposed to be the place of the Redeemer's sufferings and bruial.
Julian, the apostate, withthe design to destroy the credit of the prophecy of
the Saviourthat the temple should remain in ruins Matthew 24, endeavoredto
rebuild the temple. His own historian, Ammianus Marcellinus (see
Warburton's Divine Legationof Moses), says thatthe workmenwere impeded
by balls of fire coming from the earth, and that he was compelledto abandon
the undertaking.
Jerusalemcontinued in the powerof the Easternemperors until the reign of
the Caliph Omar, the third in successionfrom Mohammed, who reduced it
under his control about the year640. The Saracenscontinuedmasters of

Jerusalemuntil the year 1099, whenit was taken by the Crusaders under
Godfrey of Bouillon. They founded a new kingdom, of which Jerusalemwas
the capital, which continued eighty-eight years under nine kings. At lastthis
kingdom was utterly ruined by Saladin; and though the Christians once more
obtained possessionofthe city, yet they were obliged again to relinquish it. In
1217 the Saracenswere expelledby the Turks, who have continued in
possessionofit ever since . Jerusalemhas been takenand pillaged 17 times,
and millions of people have been slaughteredwithin its walls. At presentthere
is a splendid mosque - the mosque of Omar - on the site of the temple . The
present population of Jerusalem(circa 1880's)is variously estimatedat from
15,000to 30,000 Turnerestimates it at 26,000;Richard son, 20,000;Jowett,
15,000;Dr. Robinson at 11,000, namely, Muslims 4,500;Jews 3,000,
Christians 3,500.- Biblical Researches, vol. ii. p. 83, 84.
The Jews have a number of synagogues. The RomanCatholics have a convent,
and have the control of the church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Greeks have
twelve convents; the Armenians have three convents on Mount Zion and one
in the city; the Copts, Syrians, and Abyssinians have eachof them one
convent. The streets are narrow, and the houses are of stone, most of them low
and irregular, with flat roofs or terraces, andwith small windows only toward
the street, usually protected by iron grates. The above description has been
obtained from a greatvariety of sources, and it would be useless to refer to the
works where the facts have been obtained.
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
CHAPTER 2
Mt 2:1-12. Visit of the Magi to Jerusalemand Bethlehem.
The Wise Men ReachJerusalem—The Sanhedrim, on Herod's Demand,
Pronounce Bethlehem to Be Messiah's PredictedBirthplace (Mt 2:1-6).
1. Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea—so calledto distinguish
it from another Bethlehem in the tribe of Zebulun, near the Sea of Galilee (Jos
19:15); calledalso Beth-lehem-judah, as being in that tribe (Jud 17:7); and
Ephrath (Ge 35:16); and combining both, Beth-lehem Ephratah (Mic 5:2). It

lay about six miles southwestof Jerusalem. But how came Josephand Mary to
remove thither from Nazareth, the place of their residence? Notof their own
accord, and certainly not with the view of fulfilling the prophecy regarding
Messiah's birthplace;nay, they stayedat Nazareth till it was almost too late
for Mary to travel with safety; nor would they have stirred from it at all, had
not an order which left them no choice forcedthem to the appointed place. A
high hand was in all these movements. (See on [1206]Lu 2:1-6).
in the days of Herod the king—styledthe Great; sonof Antipater, an Edomite,
made king by the Romans. Thus was "the sceptre departing from Judah" (Ge
49:10), a sign that Messiahwas now at hand. As Herod is knownto have died
in the year of Rome 750, in the fourth year before the commencementof our
Christian era, the birth of Christ must be dated four years before the date
usually assignedto it, even if He was born within the year of Herod's death, as
it is next to certain that He was.
there came wise men—literally, "Magi" or"Magians," probably of the
learned class who cultivated astrologyand kindred sciences.Balaam's
prophecy (Nu 24:17), and perhaps Daniel's (Da 9:24, &c.), might have come
down to them by tradition; but nothing definite is known of them.
from the east—butwhether from Arabia, Persia, orMesopotamia is
uncertain.
to Jerusalem—asthe Jewishmetropolis.Matthew 2:1-2 Wise men from the
eastcome to Jerusalemto inquire
after Christ.
Matthew 2:3-8 Herod is alarmed.
Matthew 2:9-12 The wise men are directed by a star to Christ, and

worship him, offering gifts.
Matthew 2:13-15 Joseph, warnedby an angel, fleeth with the young
child and his mother into Egypt.
Matthew 2:16-18 Herod’s massacre ofthe children in Bethlehem and
round about.
Matthew 2:19-23 Upon the death of Herod Christ is brought out of
Egypt, and dwelleth at Nazareth.
That Joseph, the legalfather of Jesus, was ofNazarethin Galilee, appears
from Luke 2:4, where we are told that he went from thence unto the city of
David, which is calledBethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of
David); to be taxed with Mary his espousedwife: for, it seems, so was the
emperor’s decree, Luke 2:1, and Cyrenius the governorof Syria had ordered
that every one should go to be taxed in his own tribe and city. Those words, of
Judea, were added to distinguish the place from another Bethlehem, which
was in the territories of Zebulun, Joshua 19:15. The verse further tells us, that
this was
in the days of Herod the king: these words, the king, are added to distinguish
him from Herod the tetrarch, Matthew 14:1, or other Herods. This was that

Herod the Great, commonly calledthe Ascalonite, the sonof Antipater. There
are three opinions of learned men concerning him. Some think that he was by
birth an Idumean, and that his mother was an Arabian, and say he was the
first foreignerthat ever reigned in Judea; and that in him the prophecy was
fulfilled, Genesis 49:10, thatthe sceptre should not depart from Judah till
Shiloh came. Others contend that he was a native Jew. A third sort sayhe was
originally an Idumean, but that his predecessorshad for some ages been
proselyted to the Jewishreligion: which lastopinion is judged the most
probable. Judea was at that time subject to the Romans, whose senate made
him king over it. Christ being born at this time, it is said,
there came wise men from the eastto Jerusalem. How long it was after he was
born that they came the Scriptures tell us not. Some think they came
presently; some think within thirteen days; some think it was two years after.
It is certain they were directed to find Christ at Bethlehem, Matthew 2:8,9.
There he was born, and circumcisedthe eighth day. There his mother
accomplishedthe days of her purification, according to the law; which days
were thirty-three, as may be seenLeviticus 12:2,3, &c. Luke tells us, Luke
2:22, that after the accomplishmentof those days, they brought him to
Jerusalem, to presenthim (as their firstborn) to the Lord, Exodus 13:2, and to
offer a sacrifice;and he tells us there of his meeting with Simeon and Anna,
and of their prophecies, Luke 2:25, &c.; and it is said, Luke 2:39, When they
had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into
Galilee, to their owncity Nazareth. It is not probable that these wise men
came before our Lord was carried to Jerusalem, (which was about six weeks
after he was born), for besides that they had a long journey to come, after
such a noise made by the wise men’s coming, it is no wayprobable that Joseph
and Mary would have carriedhim to Jerusalem, where the inquiry was first
made; especiallyconsidering Herod’s trouble about it, and his sending
messengerspresentlyto slay all the children in Bethlehem, and in all the
coasts thereof, Matthew 2:16. It is therefore most probable that it was near
two years after the birth of Christ before they came;for though no such thing
can be concluded from Herod’s decree, whichwas for the slaying those that
were two years old and under, yet one would think the following words signify

some such thing, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the
wise men. He had then made inquiry about what time this child should be
born; possibly they could not tell him the exacttime, but if they said a year or
a year and half before, Herod (to make sure) might make his decree for all to
be slain from two years old and under; but had they said a month or six
weeks,it is not probable Herod would have been so barbarous as to have slain
all of two years old: so as, if we wiselyconsider the history of Scripture, it is
no way probable that they came before Mary’s purification was over, and
their offering him to the Lord, &c. mentioned Luke 2:22.
But then how should they find him at Bethlehem? For he went to Nazareth,
Luke 2:39.
Answer: God might order some motion of Josephto Bethlehem(of which the
Scripture is silent); it was a city within the tribe to which he related, where
probably he had kindred. So as, though it were a year or more after the birth
of Christ before these wise men came, yet it is possible they might find him at
Bethlehem, his parents being as guests there, though inhabitants at Nazareth.
This is enough to have spokenof the time when these wise men came, viz. at
what distance from the birth of Christ, considering that nothing can be in the
case certainlydetermined. It is yet a greaterquestion who these wise men
were, and from what part of the world (here calledthe east)they came. The
uncertainties of men’s conclusions in their points of curiosity, rather than
profit, let us know how vainly men searchfor satisfactionwhenGod hath
hidden a thing from them. They cannot agree in the number of these men,
some will have them twelve, some but three; and they undertake to tell us
their names, though neither canthey agree in it. Some will have them to be
kings;and the papists make us believe they have their sepulchres with them to
this day at Cologne;and by the number of the tombs they know their number;
and that Church hath a festivalfor them, which is our Twelfth day. These and
a hundred more fables there are about them. The Scripture saith no more
than wise men, and telleth us nothing of their number. Whether they were

mere astrologers, orsuch as were skilled in magicalarts, or more generally
philosophers, is vainly disputed; only we have their observationof this
extraordinary star, togetherwith what the Scripture tells us of the use those
Easternnations made of astrologers, to guide us to think they were such as
were famous in their country for astrology:though others think them persons
skilled in Divine and human laws. The Scripture only calls them
wise men. Whether they came from the easternparts of the world, or that
part of the world which lay eastwardto the city of Jerusalem, is another
unprofitable question: pagans they were, without doubt; whether Persians or
Arabians, or of some other country, is of no greatconcernfor us to know, and
almost impossible to determine. These were the firstfruits of the Gentiles
owning Christ as King of the Jews, whilst he came amongsthis own, and they
receivedhim not; nor do I know any thing more worthy of our observation
concerning them. Those that think it worth the while to read what more is
said concerning them, may read enough in Spanhem, his Dub. Evang.,
Heinsius, his Exercitat. Sac. and Poli Critica, which I rather choose to name
than the popish writers, because in some of these he will find the antidote
togetherwith the poisonof those fabulous discourses,and be taught a pious
wariness ofobtruding old wives’fables into canonicalhistory, and lightly
imposing upon the faith of ignorant people.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Now when Jesus was born,.... Severalthings are here related respecting the
birth of Christ, as the place where he was born,
in Bethlehem of Judea; so calledto distinguish it from another Bethlehemin
the tribe of Zabulon, Joshua 19:15. Here Christ was to be born according to a
prophecy hereafter mentioned, and accordinglythe Jews expectedhe would
be born here, Matthew 2:4 and so Jesus was born here, Luke 2:4 and this the
Jews themselves acknowledge;

"Sucha year, says a noted (l) chronologeroftheirs, Jesus ofNazareth was
born in Bethlehem Juda, which is a "parsa" and a half, i.e. six miles, from
Jerusalem.''
Benjamin (m) Tudelensis says it is two parsas, i.e. eight miles, from it; and
according to Justin Martyr (n) it was thirty five furlongs distant from it. Yea
even they own this, that Jesus was born there, in that vile and blasphemous
book (o) of theirs, written on purpose to defame him; nay, even the ancient
Jews have owned that the Messiahis already born, and that he was born at
Bethlehem; as appears from their Talmud (p), where we meet with such a
passage.
"It happened to a certain Jew, that as he was ploughing, one of his oxen
bellowed;a certain Arabian passedby and heard it, who said, O Jew, Jew,
loose thy oxen, and loose thy ploughshare, for lo, the house of the sanctuaryis
destroyed: it belloweda secondtime; he said unto him, O Jew, Jew, bind thy
oxen, and bind thy ploughshare, for lo "the king Messiahis born". He said to
him, what is his name? Menachem(the comforter); he askedagain, whatis his
father's name? Hezekiah; once more he says, from whence is he? He replies
"from the palace of the king of Bethlehem Judah"; he went and sold his oxen
and his ploughshares, and became a sellerof swaddling clothes for infants;
and he went from city to city till he came to that city, (Bethlehem,) and all the
women bought of him, but the mother of Menachembought nothing.''
Afterwards they tell you, he was snatchedawayby winds and tempests. This
story is told in much the same manner in another (q) of their writings.
Bethlehem signifies "the house of bread", and in it was born, as an ancient
writer (r) observes, the bread which comes down from heaven: and it may
also signify "the house of flesh", and to it the allusion may be in 1 Timothy
3:16 "Godmanifest in the flesh". The time of Christ's birth is here expressed,
in the days of Herod the king. This was Herod the great, the first of that
name: the Jewishchronologer(s)gives an accountof him in the following
manner.
"Herod the first, calledHerod the Ascalonite, was the son of Antipater, a
friend of king Hyrcanus and his deputy; him the senate ofRome made king in

the room of Hyrcanus his master. This Herod whilst he was a servant of king
Hyrcanus (so in the (t) Talmud Herod is said to be a servant of the family of
the Asmonaeans)king Hyrcanus savedfrom death, to which he was sentenced
by the sanhedrim of Shammai; that they might not slay him for the murder of
one Hezekiah, as is related by Josephus, l. 6. c. 44. and Herod took to him for
wife Miriam, the daughter of Alexander the sonof Aristobulus, who was the
daughter's daughter of king Hyrcanus.''
This writer tacitly owns afterwards (u) that Jesus was born in the days of this
king; for he says, that in the days of Hillell and Shammai (who lived in those
times) there was one of their disciples, who was calledR. Joshua ben
Perachiah, and he was, adds he, "the masterof the Nazarene", orof Jesus of
Nazareth. Herod reigned, as this same author observes, thirty sevenyears;
and according to Dr. Lightfoot's calculation, Christ was born in the thirty
fifth year of his reign, and in the thirty first of Augustus Caesar, and in the
year of the world three thousand nine hundred and twenty eight, and the
month Tisri, which answers to part of our September, about the feastof
tabernacles;which indeed was typical of Christ's incarnation, and then it may
reasonablybe thought that "the word was made flesh", and "tabernacled
among us", John 1:14. Another circumstance relating to the birth of Christ is,
that
when Jesus was born--behold, there came wise men from the Eastto
Jerusalem;these wise men in the Greek text are called "Magi", a wordwhich
is always used in a bad sense in the sacredwritings; hence they are thought by
some to be magicians, sorcerers,wizards, suchas Simon Magus, Acts 8:9 and
Elymas, Acts 13:8 and so the Jewishwriters (w) interpret the word a wizard,
an enchanter, a blasphemer of God, and one that entices others to idolatry;
and in the Hebrew GospelofMunster these men are called "wizards". Some
have thought this to be their national name. Epiphanius (x) supposes that
these men were of the posterity of Abraham by Keturah, who inhabited a
country in some part of Arabia, calledMagodia:but could this be thought to
be the name of their country, one might rather be induced to suppose that
they were of the "Magi", a nation of the Medes mentioned by Herodotus (y);
since both the name and country better agree with these persons;but the
word seems to be rather a name of characterand office, and to design the wise

men, and priests of the Persians. An Eastern(z) writer says the word is of
Persic original, and is compounded of two words, "Mije Gush", which
signifies "a man with short ears";for such was the first founder of the sect,
and from whom they were so called. But in the Arabic Persic Nomenclator(a)
it is rendered "a worshipper of fire", and such the Persianpriests were;and
to this agrees whatApuleius (b) says, that "Magus", in the Persianlanguage,
is the same as "priest" with us: and Xenophon (c) says, that the Magi were
first appointed by Cyrus, to sing hymns to the gods, as soonas it was day, and
to sacrifice to them. The account given of them by Porphyry (d) is, that
"among the Persians they that were wise concerning God, and worshipped
him, were called "Magi", forso "Magus" signifies in their country dialect;
and so august and venerable were this sortof men accountedwith the
Persians, that Darius, the son of Hystaspis, ordered this, among other things,
to be inscribed on his monument, that he was the masterof the Magi.''
From whence we may learn in some measure who these men were, and why
the word is by our translators rendered "wise men"; since the Magi, as Cicero
(e) says, were reckoneda sort of wise men, and doctors among the Persians:
who further observes, thatno man could be a king of the Persians before he
understood the discipline and knowledge ofthe Magi: and the wisdom of the
PersianMagi, as Aelianus (f) writes, among other things, lay in foretelling
things to come. These came
from the east, not from Chaldea, as some have thought, led hereunto by the
multitude of astrologers, magicians, andsoothsayers,whichwere among that
people; see Daniel2:2 for Chaldea was not east, but north of Judea, as
appears from Jeremiah1:14 Jeremiah 6:22. Others have thought they came
from Arabia, and particularly Sheba, induced hereunto by Psalm 72:10. But
though some part of Arabia lay east, yet Sheba was south of the land of Israel,
as is evident from the queen of that place being calledthe "queenof the
south", Matthew 12:42. The more generally receivedopinion seems to be most
right, that they came from Persia, whichas it lies eastof Judea, so was famous
for this sort of men, and besides the name, as has been seen, is of Persic
original. The place whither they came was Jerusalem, the "metropolis" of
Judea, where they might suppose the king of the Jews was born, or where, at

least, they might persuade themselves they should hear of him; since here
Herod the king lived, to whom it seems they applied themselves in the first
place. The time of their coming was, "whenJesus was born";not as soonas he
was born, or on the "thirteenth" day after his birth, the sixth of January, as it
stands in our Calendar; or within the forty days before Mary's Purification;
since this space oftime does not seemto be sufficient for so long a journey,
and which must require a considerable preparation for it; nor is it probable if
they came so soonas this, that after such a stir at Jerusalem, afterHerod's
diligent searchand inquiry concerning this matter, and his wrath and anger
at being disappointed and deluded by the wise men, that Josephand Mary
should so soonbring the child into the temple, where, it was declaredto be the
Messiahby Simeon and Anna. Besides, immediately after the departure of the
wise men, Josephwith his wife and child were ordered into Egypt, which
could not be done before Mary's Purification. But rather this their coming
was near upon two years after the birth of Christ; since it is afterwards
observed, that "Herod sentand slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,
and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the
time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men", Matthew 2:16. This
was the opinion of Epiphanius (g) formerly, and is embracedby Dr. Lightfoot
(h), to whom I refer the reader for further proof of this matter.
(l) R. David Ganz. Zemach David, pars 2. fol. 14. 2.((m) Itinerarium, p. 48. (n)
Apolog. 2. p. 75. (o) Toldos, p. 7. (p) Hieros. Beracot. fol. 5. 1.((q) Echa
Rabbati, fol. 50. 1.((r) Hieron. Epitaph. Paulae. fol. 59. E. Tom. 1.((s) R. David
Ganz. Zemach David, pars 1. fol. 24. 1.((t) T. Bab. Bava Bathra, fol. 3. 2.
Juchasin. fol. 17. 1. & 18. 1. & SederOlam Zuta, p. 111. (u) Ib. Colossians 2.
(w) T. Bab. Sabbat. fol. 75. 1. Gloss. in ib. & Sota, fol. 22. 1. & Sanhedrim, fol.
39. 1.((x) Contr. Haeres. l. 3. Haeres. 30. (y) Clio sive l. 1. c. 101. (z)
Alfiranzabadius in Pocock.Specim. Hist. Arab. p. 146. (a)In Ibid. (b) Apolog.
p. 204. (c)Cyropaedia, l. 8. sect. 6. (d) De Abstinentia, l. 4. sect. 16. (e) De
Divinatione, l. i.((f) Hist. Var. l. 2. c. 17. (g) Contr. Haeres. l. 1. Haeres. 30. and
l. 2. Haeres. 51. (h) Harmony, Vol. I. p. 205, 432, &c.
Geneva Study Bible

Now when {1} Jesus was born in Bethlehem of {a} Judaea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, there came {b} wise men from the eastto Jerusalem,
(1) Christ a poor child, laid down in a crib, and though given no attention by
his ownpeople, receives nonethelessa noble witness of his divinity from
heaven, and of his kingly estate from strangers:which his own people
unknowingly let happen, although they did not acknowledgehim.
(a) For there was another in the tribe of Zebulun.
(b) Wise and learned men: It is a Persianword which they use frequently.
EXEGETICAL(ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)
Meyer's NT Commentary
Matthew 2:1.[366]Γεννηθέντος] The staris to be consideredas appearing
contemporaneouslywith the birth (Matthew 2:7). But how long it was after
the birth when the Magi came, is ascertainedapproximately from Matthew
2:16, according to which, even taking into accountall the cruelty of Herod,
and his intention to go to work with thorough certainty, the arrival of the
Magiis most probably to be placed somewhatmore than a year after the
birth.
[366]See on the history of the Magi, Thilo, Eusebii Emesenioratio περὶ
ἀστρονόμων, praemissa de magis et stella quaestione, Hal. 1835;Münter,
Stern der Weisen, 1827;Roth (Catholic), de stella a magis conspecta,1865. In
reference to chronologybasedupon astronomicalobservation, Ideler, Handb.
d. Chronol. II. p. 339 ff.; Anger in the Zeitschr. f. histor. Theol. 1847, p. 347
ff.; Wieseler, chronol. Synopse u. Beiträge z. Würdigung d. Evang., 1869, p.
149 ff.; also in Herzog’s Encykl. XXI. p. 543 f.; Seyffarth, Chronol. sacr. 1846;
Weigl, üb. d. wahre Geburts- u. Sterbejahr J. Chr. I., Sulzbach 1849;Keim,
Gesch. J. I. p. 375 ff.

δέ is continuative, leading on to another history connectedwith the birth of
Jesus which has just been related.
Βηθλεὲμ (house of bread) τῆς Ἰουδαίας, to distinguish it from Bethlehem in
the tribe of Zabulon, Joshua 19:15. Our village (Bethlehem Ephrata, Genesis
35:16;Genesis 35:19), designatedin John 7:42 as κώμη, was situatedin the
tribe of Judah (Jdg 17:9; Jdg 19:1; 1 Samuel 17:12), six miles to the south of
Jerusalem, now the little manufacturing town Beit lachm. See Robinson, Pal.
II. p. 379 ff.; Tobler, Bethl. in Paläst. 1849, andthe relative articles in Herzog
and Schenkel.
ἐν ἡμέραις]‫כ‬ ִּ‫כי‬ ֵ‫,י‬ Genesis 26:1;2 Samuel 21:1; 1 Kings 10:21.
Ἡρώδου]Herod the Great, son of Antipater, receivedin the year 714 U.C.
from the Senate the dignity of king through the influence of Antony, by whom
he had been not long before made tetrarch, but first came into the actual
possessionofhis kingdom after the capture of Jerusalemby himself and
Sosius in the year 717, and died, after a brilliant and flagitious reign, in 750.
See concerning the whole family of Herod, Schlosser, Gesch. d. Fam. Herodes,
Lpz. 1818;Ewald, Gesch. d. Volks Isr. IV., and Gesch. Chr. p. 95 ff. ed. 3;
Gerlachin the Luther. Zeitschr. 1869, p. 13 ff.; Hausrath, neut. Zeitgesch. I.
and II.
μάγοι]The Magi(‫כמ‬ ִֵ ‫)יי‬ constituted, amongstthe Persians and the Medes, of
whom they formed, according to Herod. i. 101, one of the six tribes, a
distinguished priestly caste, and occupiedthemselves principally with the
knowledge ofthe secretsofnature, astrology, andmedicine. Herod. i. 32; Xen.
Cyr. viii. 3. 6; Diog. Laert. i. 1–9;Aelian. V. H. ii. 17; Porphyry, de abst. an.
iv. 16;Cic. de div. i. 41;Plin. N. H. xxiv. 29, xxx. 2; Curt. iii. 3. 8. Amongst the
Babylonians also (Jeremiah 39:3) there was, at the time when the Chaldean

dynasty was in power, such an order, of which Daniel became the president
(Daniel 2:48). The name of Magiwas then generallytransferred, without
distinction of country, to all those who had devoted themselves to those
sciences, which, however, were frequently also accompaniedwith the practices
of magic and jugglery (Acts 8:9; Acts 13:6; Acts 13:8). See Wetstein, and
Müller in Herzog’s Encykl. VIII. p. 675 ff.
ἀπὸ ἀνατ.]belongs to μάγοι, Magifrom the East—thatis, Oriental Magi. The
position of the words most naturally suggests this connection;but the article
(οἱ ἀπὸ ἀνατ.)is not required, because μάγοιis without the article (in answer
to Fritzsche, who connects it with παρεγένοντο). The indefinite expression,
easternlands (Matthew 8:11, Matthew 24:27; Luke 13:29;Revelation21:13),
is to be left in its indefiniteness, and in so doing we are to assume that the
evangelisthimself had no more precise information at his command. If Arabia
has been thought of (Justin. c. Tr. 77 f.; Epiphanius, Tertullian, Maldonatus,
Jansen, Cornelius a Lapide, Grotius, Lightfoot, Michaelis, Kuinoel, de Wette,
Wieseler), orPersia (Chrysostom, Theophylact, Euth. Zigabenus, Calvin,
Beza, Calovius, Petavius, Casaubon, Wolf, Olshausen), orParthia (Hydius), or
Babylonia (Paulus), or even Egypt (Möller, neue Ansichten in loc.), yet we
have no sure hold, even in a slight degree, either in the very indefinite
ἀνατολῶν, or in the nature of the presents in Matthew 2:11. It was entirely
baselessto determine their number from the threefold gifts, and to regard
them as kings[367]onaccountof Psalm68:30; Psalm68:32;Psalm 72:10;
Isaiah49:7; Isaiah60:3; Isaiah 60:10 (especiallysince the fifth century; yet
Tertullian, c. Marcion, already takes this view). Are we to think of heathens
(so most expositors, including Olshausen, Krabbe, B.
Crusius, Lange, de Wette, Ewald, Hilgenfeld, Bleek, Keim), or of Jews (v. d.
Hardt, Harenberg in the Bibl. Brem. VII. p. 470 ff.; Münter, Paulus,
Hofmann, L. J. von Strauss geprüft, p. 249;Rettig in the Stud. u. Krit. 1838,
p. 217)? In favour of the first, the question, Where is the new-born King of the
Jews? is decisive. And how appropriate was it to the idea of Messiah, thatthe

very first-fruits of the distant heathen appearedto do homage to the King of
the Jews (Isaiah60:3 ff.)! The expectationof the Jews, thattheir Messiahwas
to rule over the world, might at that period have been sufficiently
disseminatedthroughout the foreign countries of the East(Sueton. Vesp. iv.;
Tac. H. v. 13; Joseph. B. J. vi. 5. 4) to lead heathen astrologers, forthe object
in question, to the Jewishcapital. Comp. Dio Cass. Hist. R. xlv. 1; Suet. Oct.
xciv.
Ἱεροσόλυμα]In the capital they expectedto find, if not the Babe Himself, at
leastthe most certaininformation regarding Him.
[367]According to Bede, their names also have been commonly given as
Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar(see Petr. Comestor. Hist. schol. 8), but also
differently. See Beza in loc., and Paulus, exeget. Handb. I. p. 204.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 2:1-12. Visit of the Magi.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
Ch. Matthew 2:1-12. The Visit of the Magi. Recordedby St Matthew only
1. Jesus was born] The year 3 before the Christian Era has been fixed almost
beyond a doubt as the date of the Nativity. The present year—1877—is
therefore correctlya. d. 1880. The data on which the computation is founded
are (1) the first rule of Quirinus (Luke 2:2), (2) the accessionofTiberius a. d.
14, (3) the Paschalfull moon at the time of the crucifixion probably a. d. 33,
(4) the reign of Herod, which beganin b. c. 36 and ended in b. c. 1. The last-
named date has been accuratelydetermined in a paper read before the Society
of Biblical Archæologyby Mr J. W. Bosanquet,—whichsee fora learned
discussionof the whole question.

in Bethlehem] St Matthew omits the circumstances whichbrought Mary to
Bethlehem.
Bethlehem] (‘The House of Bread,’cp. John 6:51), the city of David, situate on
a limestone ridge a few miles S. of Jerusalem. The old name of Bethlehem was
Ephrath or Ephratah; it is now called Beit-lahm. It is worthy of remark that
no visit of Jesus or of His disciples to Bethlehem, His birthplace and the cradle
of His race, is recorded.
Herod] Calledafterwards, but not in his lifetime, Herod the Great; he was an
Idumæan (Edomite) who, chiefly through the friendship of M. Antony,
became king of Judæa. For date of reign see above. The title of King
distinguishes him from the other Herods named in the gospels. Antipas, who
tried in vain to obtain the title, is calledKing by courtesy, Mark 6:14.
Herod was not an absolute monarch, but subject to the Roman empire, much
in the same way as some of the Indian princes are subject to the British
government, or as Servia was till recently subject to the Porte.
behold] The use of this word in the original is a mark of the Hebrew style
influencing the Greek.
wise men] Lit. Magi, originally the name of a Mediantribe, who, according to
Herodotus, possessedthe power of interpreting dreams. Their religion
consistedin the worship of the heavenly bodies and of the elements. At this
date the name implied a religious caste—the followers ofZoroaster, who were
the astrologers ofthe East. Their tenets had spread widely; and as the Eastis
a vague term, it is difficult to determine from what country these Magicame.
A theory, stated below, connects them with Egypt, or at leastwith an Egyptian

system of chronology. The common belief that the Magiwere three in number
is a mere tradition, which has been perpetuated by greatpainters. It was
probably an inference from Matthew 2:11. An equally groundless tradition
has designatedthe Magias kings, and has assignednames to them. Every
reader of the Classics knowshow common a failing it is with ancient
annotators to state deductions from the text as proved facts.
Bengel's Gnomen
Matthew 2:1. Ἐν Βηθλεὲμ τῆς Ιὀυδαίας, in Bethlehem of Judaea)It is thus
distinguished from Bethlehemof the Zabulonites, mentioned in Joshua
19:15.—Ἡρώδου, ofHerod) i.e. Herod the Great, a native of Ascalon, a
foreignerby descent, the sceptre being just on the point of departing from
Judah. Amongst his sons[74]were Archelaus, mentioned in Matthew 2:22, the
Herods Antipas and Philip, mentioned in the 14th chapter of St Matthew and
the 23dof St Luke, and Aristobulus, the father of Herod Agrippa, who is
mentioned in Acts 12—ἰδοὺ,behold) This particle frequently points to a thing
unexpected. The arrival of the Magiat Jerusalemhad not been announced.—
Μάγοι, Magi)Μάγος occurs frequently in the Septuagint version of Daniel for
the Hebrew ‫,ףשא‬ and signifies with the Persians a wise man or a philosopher.
St Matthew considers it sufficient to denote them by this their condition; he
does not define either the rest of their dignity or their number, nor whether or
no they had ever been addicted to curious arts, nor in what part of the East
they were born; by which last omissionhe intimates the unrestricted
universality of this greatsalvation. Magus is a word of ambiguous
significationand of wide extent in the East. These Magiappearto have been
descendants ofAbraham, but not of Jacob;for the name of Magidoes not
apply to Jews, andthe mention of gold and frankincense directs our attention
to Isaiah 60:6, where he speaks ofthe coming in of the Gentiles, so that in this
place already are seenthe preludes of the Messiahbeing receivedrather by
the Gentiles than by His own people. (See Luke 4:26, etc.) The King of the
Jews, they say, not, our king, showing thereby that they were not themselves
Jews. If you make two classes, the one of those who received, the other of
those who rejectedour Lord, and observe the variety of men on either side,
you will be able to draw many useful observations from the whole of the New
Testament.—απὸἀνατολῶν, from the East)cf. ch. Matthew 8:11. The north

and the south occurin Greek only in the singular number. The eastand the
westoccuralso in the plural. The rationale of this is clear:when we look
either due north or due south, our eyes are always turned towardone precise
spot, the North or South Pole, which is not the case when we look eastwardor
westward, since there is no stationarypoint of eastor westlongitude.—
παρεγένοντο, arrived) After He had receivedthe name “JESUS,”and,
consequentlyafter His circumcision.[75]—εἰς Ιἐροσόλυμα, atJerusalem)It
was natural to suppose, that the metropolis would be the place where the
truth would be most easilyascertained, and they conceived, no doubt, that the
King had been born there.
[74] The following genealogyof the Herodian Family, extractedfrom Lewin’s
Life of St Paul will be useful to the student:—
[75] Nay even we have no reasonto doubt, that the arrival of the Magi, and
the flight into Egypt, which was intimately connectedwith it, took place after
His παράστασις, presentation, as recordedin Luke 2:22-23. And, more over,
this very order of events, whereby the παράστασις in the temple, the arrival of
the Magi, and the departure to Egypt, are in continuous succession, affords us
most useful consequences. For1) the poverty of Jesus’parents, (a fact, which
is proved by their sacrifice in accordance withthe law, Leviticus 12:6;
Leviticus 12:8, concerning those unable to make the more costlyoffering) was
relieved by the Fatherly providence of GOD, through the gifts of the Magi, so
that they were thereby supplied with the means of livelihood during their
exile.—2.)We may observe the various features of Propriety [“Decorum”]
which characterise this series of events. First of all Jesus, as being the First-
begotten, was presentedto the Lord: then next, the first-fruits of the Gentiles
presentedthemselves to Jesus Himself. In His παράστασις He was Himself
made manifest to the Israelites of Jerusalem, and a short while afterwards to
the Gentiles also. We may conjecture, from the words of the Magi, in which
they draw the conclusionas to the birth of the King of the Jews, from the Star
which they had seen, and also from the age of the little children slain by

Herod, in accordance withthe time which he had ascertainedfrom the
Magi—thatthe starwas seenby them at the time of Christ’s conception, and
that it was by it their long journey was directed; so that at the time most
suitable, namely after the lapse of six months from the nativity, they arrived
and paid their adorations.—3.)Simeonforetold of Jesus, that He was to be a
Light to lighten the Gentiles, immediately subjoining the statementas to the
Cross. Bothtruths were to His parents, at the time of presentation, as a
communication strange, and such as they had not heretofore realised;
therefore it was not till afterwards, though not long afterwards, that the one
prophecy began to be fulfilled by the arrival of the Magi, the other by the
flight into Egypt.—4.)The presentationwas made in the temple on that very
day of the week, whichwas subsequently calledthe Lord’s day.—5.) It is most
easyto understand how it was that the King of the Jews remained unknown,
all along from His birth to His presentation in the temple, to King Herod,
inasmuch as that king was at the time aged, sick, torn with anguish on account
of his sons, and hated by the Jews, and did not become known to him sooner
than through the Magi. In fact, it was similarly that Herod the Tetrarchheard
nothing of the miracles which Jesus performed before the beheading of John,
notwithstanding the length of the interval from the beginning of the Lord’s
miracles.—6.)If you place the departure into Egypt before the παράστασις,
you must suppose the former to have been accomplishedwholly in the winter:
but the true order of events leads to the inference which is more in accordance
with suitability of seasons, viz. that the flight occurredat the approachof
spring, and the return at the spring seasonitself.—Harm, p. 53, 55, 56.
Pulpit Commentary
Verses 1-12. - Born at Bethlehem, according to prophecy, he receives there the
homage of representatives ofthe, heathen world. Verse 1. - Now when Jesus;
who has just been identified with Christ. But in this chapterthe narrative
employs only those terms ("Jesus," "young Child") which bystanders might
have used. They are purely annalistic, not interpretative. ContrastMatthew
1:18 and Herod's statementof a thee-logicalproblem (ver. 4). Was born in
Bethlehem. The First Gospel, if takenalone would give the impression that
Josephhad had no previous connexionwith Nazareth. But about the place
where Josephand Mary lived before the birth of Jesus the evangelistdid not

concernhimself (cf ver. 23, note). Of Judaea. Forthe evangelist's purpose it
was most important so to define it as to exclude Bethlehemof Zebulun
(Joshua 19:15). The inhabitants of Bethlehem of Judaea, a market town of a
fruitful (Ephratah) district, live chiefly by agriculture, but also for several
centuries have manufactured images of saints, rosaries, andfancy articles.
Since 1834:it has been almost exclusively occupiedby Christians (Socin's
Baedeker,'p. 243, seq.). From "the House of Bread" came forth" the true
Bread." In the days of Herod the king. Herod the Great and Herod Agrippa
II. (Acts 25:13)alone held the legaltitle of "king" for any time (but cf.
Matthew 14:1, note) - the former as King of the Jews (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,'
1:14.4), or King "of the Idumaeans and Samaritans" (Appian, 'Civ., 5:75;
vide Schurer, 1:1. 340), by a decree ofan express meeting of the Roman
senate, B.C. 40;the latter by Claudius's appointment, as king first of Chalcis
(A.D. 48-53)and afterwards (A.D. 53-100)ofthe tetrarchies of Philip and
Lysanias (Josephus, 'Bell. Jud.,' 2:12. 8; 13. 2), although Herod Antipas was so
spokenof by courtesy( infra, Matthew 14:9). As the date of Agrippa II. is
quite out of the question, we are almost compelled by this phrase alone to
recognize the date of Christ's birth as falling in the lifetime of Herod the
Great. Herod the Greatdied in the spring of A.U.C. 750, our B.C. 4 (Schiirer,
1:1. 466), and as our Lord was born at leastforty days earlier, for the
purification in the temple must have takenplace before Herod's massacre of
the innocents, he cannot have been born later than the very beginning of B.C.
4, or the end of B.C. 5. Indeed, upon the most natural deduction from ver. 16,
he must have been born some months earlier. The Church, from the days of
Justin Martyr ('Ap.,' 1:32), has loved to see in the abolition by Rome of the
kingdom of the Jews atthe death of Herod, of its native dynasty by Herod's
usurnation (Origen, 'Genesis Hom.,' 17:6), the fulfilment of Jacob's prophecy
(Genesis 49:10). Behold, there came Wise Men from the East. The true order,
as given in the RevisedVersion, lays the emphasis on the office, and in a
subordinate degree on the home of the strangers - Wise Men from the East
came. This translation also hints at the full meaning of the verb (
παρεγένοντο), of which the connotationis not of the place a quo, but of the
publicity of their appearance atthe place in quo (cf. Matthew 3:1). Wise Men
(Μάγοι);"astromyens" (Wickliffe);"rages"(Rheims). On this word see
especiallySchrader('Cuneiform Inscriptions and the Old Testament')on

Jeremiah39:3. He considers it to be in origin not Iranian (Medo-Persian), but
Babylonian, and to have primarily meant either "one who is deep whether in
powerand reputation or in insight," or one who has fulness of power. It was,
perhaps, at first used with specialreference to astrologers andinterpreters of
dreams, and, passing from Babylonia to Media, it became the name of the
Median priestly order. In the latter sense it is probably used here. In Acts
13:6-8 it, apparently by reversion, is used in its wider meaning. Of the number
and rank of those who now came absolutely nothing is known. Of greater
importance is Cicero's statement('De Div.,' 1:41), "Nee quisquam rex
Persarumpotest esse, qui non ante magorum disciplinam scientiamque
perceperit." These Magispontaneouslysubmit to the Babe. From the East.
The proper home of the Magi would thus be Media, and, from the length of
time employed on their journey (ver. 16), it is probable that by "the East" we
must here understand Media or some other part of the kingdom, of Parthia,
into which Media had been mostly absorbed, and in which, in fact, the Magi
were now greatly honoured. Many, however(e.g. Lightfoot, 'Her. Hebr.'; and
Edersheim, 'Life,' etc., 1:203, who points out that a Jewishkingdom of Yemen
then existed), think that these Magicame from Arabia; and with this the
tradition, evidently receivedby Justin Martyr and frequently referred to by
him ( οἱ ἀπὸ Ἀρραβίας Μάγοι, 'Trypho,' §§ 77, 78, 88, 102;cf. Reseh,
'Agrapha,' p. 471), perhaps agrees. ButJustin's own opinion was that they
came from Damascus, which"was and is a part of the land of Arabia" (§ 78).
It is noticeable that Justin's tradition is confirmed by the JerusalemTalmud
('Ber.,' 2:4), which makes an "Arabian" tell a Jew that Messiahis born. The
whole passage is worth quoting for its illustration of severaldetails in this
chapter. "After this the children of Israelshall be converted, and shall inquire
after the Lord their God, and David their king (Hosea 3:5). Our rabbins say,
'That is King Messias,if he be among the living, his name is David, or if dead,
David is his name.' Rabbi Tanchum said, 'Thus I prove it: He shewethmercy
to David his Messiah'(Psalm18:50). Rabbi Josua ben Levi saith, 'His name is
si eman siH ' ,htias ubiA rab haduJ ibbaR '.(8:3 hairahceZ) hcnarB a ,‫ציח‬
Menahem (that is, Para>klhtov, the Comforter).' And that which happened to
a certain Jew, as he was ploughing, agreethwith this business. A certain
Arabian travelling, and hearing the ox bellow, said to the Jew at plough, 'O
Jew, loose thy oxen, and loose thy ploughs, for, behold, the temple is laid

waste!' The ox bellowedthe secondtime; the Arabian saith to him, 'O Jew,
Jew, yoke thy oxen, and fit thy ploughs: for, behold, King Messiahis born!'
But saith the Jew, 'What is his name?' 'Menahem,'saith he. 'And what is the
name of his father?' 'Hezekiah,'saith the Arabian. To whom the Jew, 'But
whence is he?' The other answered, ' From the palace ofthe King of
Bethlehem-Judah.' Away he went, and sold his oxen, and his ploughs, and
became a sellerof infants' swaddling-clothes, going aboutfrom town to town.
When he came to that city (Bethlehem) all the women bought of him, but the
mother of Menahem bought nothing. He heard the voice of the women saying,
'O thou mother of Menahem, thou mother of Menahem, carry thy sonthe
things that are here sold.' But she replied, 'May the enemies of Israelbe
strandded, because on the day that he was born the temple was laid waste.'To
whom he said, 'But we hoped, that as it was laid waste athis feet, so at his feet
it would be built again.'She saith, 'I have no money.' To whom he replied,
'But why should this be prejudicial to him? Carry him what you buy here,
and if you have no money to-day, after some days I will come back and receive
it.' After some days he returns to that city, and saith to her, 'How does the
little infant?' And she said, 'From the time you saw me last, spirits [winds]
and tempests came, and snatchedhim awayout of my hands.' Rabbi Bon
saith, 'What need have we to learn from an Arabian? Is it not plainly written,
"And Lebanon shall fall before the Powerful One?" (Esa. 10:34). And what
follows after? "A Branchshall come out of the root of Jesse"(Esa.11:1)'"
('Hor. Hebr.,' in loc.). To Jerusalem. The capital, where this King would
reign, and where information about his birth would most naturally be
obtained.
Vincent's Word Studies
Bethlehem
Hebrew, House of Bread, probably from its fertility. The birthplace of him
who calls himself the Bread of Life (John 6:35), and identified with the history
of his human ancestry through Ruth, who was here married to Boaz, and was
the ancestressofDavid (Matthew 1:5, Matthew 1:6), and through David
himself, who was born there, and anointed king by Samuel (compare Luke
2:11, city of David).

Wise men, or Magi (μάγοι)
Wycliffe renders kings. A priestly caste among the Persians and Medes, which
occupieditself principally with the secrets ofnature, astrology, andmedicine.
Daniel became president of such an order in Babylon (Daniel 2:48). The word
became transferred, without distinction of country, to all who had devoted
themselves to those sciences, whichwere, however, frequently accompanied
with the practice of magic and jugglery; and, under the form magician, it has
come to be naturalized in many of the languages ofEurope. Many absurd
traditions and guessesrespecting these visitors to our Lord's cradle have
found their way into popular belief and into Christian art. They were saidto
be kings, and three in number; they were saidto be representatives ofthe
three families of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and therefore one of them is
pictured as an Ethiopian; their names are given as Caspar, Balthasar, and
Melchior, and their three skulls, said to have been discoveredin the twelfth
century by Bishop Reinald of Cologne, are exhibited in a priceless casketin
the greatcathedralof that city.
GreatTexts of the Bible
The Magi
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the
king, behold, wise men from the eastcame to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he
that is born King of the Jews? forwe saw his starin the east, and are come to
worship him.—Matthew 2:1-2.
In the visit of the Magiwe have an incident of surpassing imaginative beauty.
All through the ages it has been glorified by pencil and song. Yet, singular to
say, the Epiphany is the only scene in the sublime opening of the drama of the
life of Jesus for which St. Matthew claims no prophecy whatever. We are

tempted to think that he might have referred to Balaam’s language (Numbers
24:17). The Church in her Epiphany services has seenthe bending forms of
kings in the dim magnificence of the language of psalmist and seer(Psalm
72:10-15;Isaiah 60:6). Still the fact remains that overthe Epiphany alone in
these two chapters St. Matthew makes us hear no joy-bells of prophecy filling
the air. If he had foreseenthat he would be accusedoftranslating a picture of
prophecy into the language offact, he could scarcelyhave taken a more
effectualway of defending himself than by omitting betweenMatthew 2:11-12
of chap. 2 his familiar formula, “that it might be fulfilled.”
The Christians in the secondcentury, discontented with the extreme plainness
of the story in the Gospels, embellishedit largely. We are told that the star
sparkledmore brilliantly than all the others in the sky. It was a strange and
wondrous sight, for the moon and all the stars formed, as if in homage, a choir
around it as it moved.
Later on the wise men are representedas princes, then as kings. They
symbolize the Trinity. They are the lords of the three races ofmen. Their gifts
have spiritual, then doctrinal, meanings. They are supplied with names and
are made the patron saints of travellers. As the legendgrew, and Art took it
up, they arrive at Bethlehemattended by a greatcrowd of followers,
splendidly dressed, and riding on horses and camels and bearing treasures.
Kneeling in their royal robes, they adore the child in the manger, and the
child bends forward to bless them.
Then come all the stories connectedwith them after their death. Their bodies
restedfor a long time in the magnificent temple that EasternChristianity
dedicatedto the Divine Wisdom, which still bears that ancienttitle, though
Mohammed claims it now insteadof Christ. Milan receivedthem next, and
lost them; and now for six hundred years the greatcathedralof the Rhine has
grown up above their sacredbones, representing in its gradual up-building,

and for a long time in its unfinished glory, not only the slow accretionof
splendid and poetic thoughts around the solitary and ancient story, but also
the growthof all those stories to which we give the name of myths.1 [Note:S.
A. Brooke, The EarlyLife of Jesus, 27.]
From time immemorial they have been regarded as kings:
We three kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts, we traverse afar
Field and fountain, moor and mountain,
Following yonder star.
In the cathedralat Cologne there is a goldenreliquary in which are preserved,
in the odour of sanctity, the relics of these men. I saidto the venerable monk
in attendance, “Do you really believe that these are the relics of the wise
men?” “Ohyes,” he replied, “there is no question whateveras to their
genuineness;we know their names—Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. The
Venerable Bede tells all about them.”2 [Note:D. J. Burrell, The Religionof
the Future, 99.]
I
Seeking a King

1. The wise men came from the East. They came from beyond the bounds of
that chosenand favoured Israel whose were the covenants, the oracles,the
fires of Sinai, the glory of Zion, and the faith of the fathers. They came,
doubtless, from Persia. Their business was a vain attempt to read the fortunes
of empires and of men by watching the changing positions and mutual
attractions of the stars. No plainer revelationof God’s loving-kindness and
wisdom stoodbefore their eyes than the cold splendours of the midnight sky.
The heavenly commandment and promise they must spell out in the mystic
syllables of the constellations,orelse grope on in darkness. The sun was the
burning eye of an Unknown Deity. With night-long solemn vigils, they
strained their eyes into the heavens;but they saw no “Heavenof heavens,”
because they saw no Father of forgiveness, andno heart of love. Their prophet
was Zoroaster—a mysterious, if not quite mythical, person, ever vanishing in
the shadows ofan uncertain antiquity. These were the men whom God was
leading to Bethlehem, representatives of that whole paganworld which He
would draw to the Saviour.
Yet these disciples of Zoroasterheld the best religion of their time, outside of
Judaism. Their sacredbooks prove them to have been no degradedor sensual
idolaters. When they fed their sacredfires with spices and fragrant wood, it
was not the fire they worshipped, but a strange and unseen Light, of which the
fire was a symbol. Their Ormuzd was an Infinite Spirit, and the starspirits
were his bright subordinates. They believed in immortality, in judgment, in
prayer, in the sacrednessofmarriage, in obedience, in honesty; they practised
carefully most of the virtues of the Christian morality, including that
foundation one of truthfulness, which is rare enough in both Eastand West,
and which Christianity has found it so hard to establishin public and in
private life, in all its centuries of discipline. To this day, when the traveller or
the merchant meets among the native easterncities a man more intelligent,
more upright, of nobler manners and gentler hospitality than the rest, he is
almost sure to find him a Parsi, a descendantof those Zoroastrianstudents of

the stars, brethren or children of the wise men who offered their gold,
frankincense, and myrrh to the infant Messiahin the stable.
2. These wise men lookedfor a King. “Where is he,” they asked, “thatis born
King of the Jews?”Why did their expectations take this form? We could
understand their longing for one who should give them bread; or, if they had
bread enough, should give them more goldto buy whatever would minister to
their comfort, and pride; or one who, since they cared for wisdom, should tell
them hidden things that they desired to know;or one who should take away
the sting of a guilty conscience, andset them at peace with any higher god
whom they might have offended; or, better still, one who should cleanse their
will, and strengthen their powerto live a worthy life. But their hope, as we
read of it, was simply in a king. The true King might indeed bestow all these
benefits which we have been counting up; but that was not what came first to
their minds. In hoping for a king, they hoped for one who would rule them, to
whom they should do reverence, and whom, when the time came, they should
obey. They felt that the first of all needs for themselves and for the whole
distracted world was to be governed, to be bound togetherin a common work
appointed by a common ruling head.
Man is always seeking a king, for he feels in the depths of his being that he is
never so greatas in the presence ofhis greater. Let a greatman appearin the
world, and smaller men spontaneouslyrally round him; for they feel they are
never so greatas in the presence oftheir greater, never so noble as in doing
the work of obedience. “He that is greatamong you, let him be the servant of
all.” That is an axiom engraved within us before Christ formulated it into
words and committed it to the pages ofinspiration. Mankind desire a king—
one whose behests they deem it all honour to obey, and in whose presence they
think it exaltation to bow. On what other principle canwe accountfor the
terrible despotisms that have crushed the world? How were they possible, a
few tyrannizing over millions? They were possible only on one condition—
that they were a response, orthe semblance of one, to a deep craving

implanted in our nature by the Creator. “Where is he that is born King?” The
vast empires were only answers to the question—false ones if you like, but
answers nevertheless—andthe poor distractedheart of humanity deemed any
answerbetter than none at all.1 [Note:J. C. Jones, Studies in the Gospel
according to St. Matthew, 44.]
As the magi seek a Redeemer, so Herod fears a successor. If His birth as an
infant makes proud kings tremble, what will His tribunal as a judge do?2
[Note:St. Augustine.]
3. They soughtone who was born king of the Jews. How they supposed at that
time that this could be we know not; many thoughts were doubtless possible
then which do not occur to us now. But the word assuredly meant at leastthus
much, that the expected king was not one raisedto his throne by his own right
hand, or by the voice of men, for his strength or courage or wisdom or riches,
but one carrying a Divine title from his birth. That king was not to be a Saul,
not even a David, but a David’s son. There was another king in the land
already, Herod the king, as the Bible calls him, a powerful ruler, cruel and
unscrupulous, but magnificent in his doings—the very ruler to draw to him
men of the Eastwith the charm of awe. He was no true Jew, much less of
David’s line; there was nothing in him of the true Jew’s heart, which was
David’s heart. Many of his own subjects might be dazzled by the one who
promised to make them strong with earthly strength, because they were
indifferent to his readiness to profane all that their fathers had kept holy. But
to the wise men he could never be what they sought. They took no sortof
accountof him as they entered Jerusalem, asking, “Where is he that is born
King of the Jews?”
4. Again, it was a king of the Jews that they lookedfor. How was this? They
were not Jews themselves;they were strangers to the commonwealthof Israel.
Yet there was much in that strange nation, so full as it seemedof undying life,

againand againbuffeted and crushed, but not yet destroyed, worshipping one
unseen God at one holy place with psalm and sacrifice, whichmight well
persuade men of the Eastthat a wondrous future was in store for Israel and
the ruler of Israel. This was not the first time that Gentile witness had been
borne to the Divine mission of the Jewishpeople; twice, at two great moments
of the history, a voice from the world without had done homage to the holy
race. Before the PromisedLand was entered, Balaamthe prophet of Moab
had confessedthe new powerthat was growing in the East: “Godbrought him
forth out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat
up the nations his enemies”;“I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him,
but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, anda Sceptre shall rise out
of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroyall the children of
Sheth.” Once again, the secondbirth of the people out of their long captivity
was helped and blessedby a king of the Gentile East, when Cyrus proclaimed
that the Lord Godof heavenhad chargedhim to build Him an house in
Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and sent forth the summons, “Who is there
among you of all his people? His God be with him, and let him go up.”
The Messianic hope of the last half-century before Christ was the hope of a
King, and the Psalms of Solomonsee in the coming reign of Messiahthe
salvationof Israel: “Raise up unto them their King, the sonof David … and
there shall be no iniquity in his days in their midst, for all shall be holy, and
their King is the Lord Messiah.”The charge laid againstJesus before the
procurator was that, acting on these expectations, He had made Himself a
king, and thus posed as a rival of Cæsar. As a matter of fact, He had
withdrawn from the multitudes when they would have forcedHim into that
false position. Yet before Pilate He did not deny His kingly character, only
affirming, “My kingdom is not of this world, or not from hence.” The title on
the cross, therefore, thoughinexact, was not radically untrue; a king lay dying
there, though not one who was in any exclusive or earthly sense “the King of
the Jews.”The penitent robber came nearer to the truth when he said, “Jesus,
remember me, when thou comestin thy kingdom.” It was borne in upon his
mind that in some mysterious way the Kingdom was to be reachedthrough
the cross, andlay beyond it; and his words almost echo the Lord’s description

of Himself as about to go “into a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom
and to return.”1 [Note:H. B. Swete, The AscendedChrist, 17.]
II
Following a Star
1. “We saw his star in the east, and are come to worship him.” While in the
Eastthey saw the star of the King of the Jews. Theysaw, probably, at first,
one of the fixed stars, to which they were led, in the course of their inquiry, to
attachthis specific value; and as it shone out on them night by night over their
westernhorizon, they determined to walk in the direction from which it
shone, or, as we should say, to follow it. They followedit, accordingly, day by
day; night by night they gazedwistfully at it, and then rose to follow it again;
they gazedand followed, and so they crossedthe desertand reachedthe city to
which even the heathen Easthad learnedto ascribe an exceptionalsanctity.
And as their coming became knownat gatherings of the priesthood, and in the
palace of the king, they learned how an ancient prophecy had ruled that He
whom they sought would be born in Bethlehem.
Many a starry night I have followeda road leading due south, and over the
road hung Betelgeuxof Capella (westering with the others), and as I walked
the star“went before me,” and when I stopped it “stood” overfarmsteador
cottage. It was no strain of imagination to saythat the starled me on; on the
contrary, the optical illusion was so strong that while one was in motion one
could scarcelyhelp thinking of the star as advancing just as I myself
advanced.1 [Note:W. Canton, in The Expositor, 5th Ser., ix. 471.]

What sort of a star was it which they tell us started them on their journey?
Not a planet, clearly, nor a conjunction of planets, as Kepler first suggested;
for the planets were malign for the Magi. It seems mostnatural to think of a
Nova, one of those sudden apparitions that tell us of a stupendous outburst in
the depths of space, bringing to our eyes a new star that in a few weeksor
months fades awayfrom sight. We remember the Nova in Perseus whichin
February 1901 added a brief unit to the small company of our first-magnitude
stars. But the Star of the Magineed not have been as bright as this.
Professionalastrologerswouldnotice a new starwhich had no chance of
observationby amateurs; and whether it was a Nova or not, the place of the
star would probably count for more with them than its brilliance. My
preference for the postulate of a Nova comes from the naturalness of their
quest for an identification of the Fravashi they would associate withit. They
had no doubt met with numerous Jews in their own country, and had
knowledge oftheir Messianic hopes, whichmay even have struck them with
their resemblance to their ownexpectationof Saoshyant. A dream which
would supply the sought-foridentification is all that is needed to satisfy the
demands of the narrative. Their five miles’ walk due south from Jerusalem
gave time for the star, if seenlow down in the sky in S.S.E. whenthey started,
to be culminating just over Bethlehem when they drew near to the town; and
men so deeply convincedof the significance ofstellar motions would of course
welcome this as fresh evidence that the end of their quest was gained.2 [Note:
J. H. Moulton, Early Zoroastrianism, 283.]
2. The star which might lead to the cradle of the Divine Infant shines at some
time into every human conscience.Godendows us all, without exception, with
the sense and perceptionof a distinction and a law; the distinction between
right and wrong, whateverright and wrong may be; and the law of obedience
to right, when once it is discovered. And if a man makes the most of this
endowment, insteadof shunning or scorning it or doing it violence;if he
allows himself to reflect that such inward legislationimplies a Lawgiver, and
to searchfor other traces of His presence and action;then, assuredly, is he on
the wayto learn more.

Jesus was born in bethlehem

Recommended

Recommended

More Related Content

What's hot

What's hot (18)

Similar to Jesus was born in bethlehem

Similar to Jesus was born in bethlehem (20)

More from GLENN PEASE

More from GLENN PEASE (20)

Recently uploaded

Recently uploaded (20)

Jesus was born in bethlehem