Matthew 2:3

Matthew 2:3

Wise Men from the East

1 Now after ^aJesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men ^bfrom the East came to Jerusalem,

2 saying, ^a“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen ^bHis star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

4 And when he had gathered all ^athe chief priests and ^bscribes of the people together, ^che inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

5 So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘But^a you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
Are not the least among the rulers of Judah;
For out of you shall come a Ruler
^bWho will shepherd My people Israel.’ ”

7 Then Herod, when he had secretly called the¹ wise men, determined from them what time the ^astar appeared.

8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the young Child, and when you have found Him, bring back word to me, that I may come and worship Him also.”

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him (etaraxqh kai pasa Ierosoluma met autou). Those familiar with the story of Herod the Great in Josephus can well understand the meaning of these words. Herod in his rage over his family rivalries and jealousies put to death the two sons of Mariamne (Aristobulus and Alexander), Mariamne herself, and Antipater, another son and once his heir, besides the brother and mother of Mariamne (Aristobulus, Alexandra) and her grandfather John Hyrcanus. He had made will after will and was now in a fatal illness and fury over the question of the Magi. He showed his excitement and the whole city was upset because the people knew only too well what he could do when in a rage over the disturbance of his plans. "The foreigner and usurper feared a rival, and the tyrant feared the rival would be welcome" (Bruce). Herod was a hated Idumaean.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Matthew 2:3:**

Luke 2:39
John 5:7

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