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Commentaries:
People's Commentary (NT)
The Wise Men and the Flight into Egypt
SUMMARY OF MATTHEW 2. The Wise Men. The Star in the East. The King of
the Jews. Herod and Jerusalem Troubled. Christ to be Born in
Bethlehem. Herod's Demand of the Wise Men. The Star Over the Young
Child. Gifts Laid at His Feet. Joseph Warned in a Dream. Flight
into Egypt. The Massacre of the Children. Rachel Weeping. Joseph
Called to Return. The Home in Galilee. The City of Nazareth,
When Jesus was born. Though the home of Joseph and Mary was
Nazareth, prophecy had declared that Christ should be born at
Bethlehem, the native place of David; and this was accomplished by the
agency of the Roman emperor. See PNT "Lu 2:1". The pride of the
Jews in their genealogies would lead them to the head cities of their
families; thus, Mary traversed with her husband the length of the land,
from Nazareth to Bethlehem, the city of David, to whose house they both
belonged.
In Bethlehem of Judaea. Bethlehem was one of the oldest places
in the land of Judea, and had been in existence at least 1,500 years
before the Savior was born. It was the scene of events so touchingly
related in the Book of Ruth. It was known as the city of David, because
it was his birthplace. The little town has an imposing aspect and
commanding site. It stands on the summit of a narrow ridge, which
projects eastward from the central mountain chain of Judah. It is about
six miles south of Jerusalem, on the road toward Hebron. It contains at
the present time about four thousand inhabitants, chiefly Christians of
the Greek Church, who obtain much of their sustenance from the sale of
relics to pilgrims and visitors.
In the days of Herod the king. This statement gives data for
ascertaining the time of the birth of Jesus. It is conceded that it
took place in the last year of Herod's reign. But it is known that
Herod died about three years before the first year of our era.
Therefore, if the Savior was born "in the days of king Herod", he must
have been about four years earlier than the date assigned. Herod was
only partly of Jewish blood, was a man of most bloody and unscrupulous
character, a great tyrant, the murderer of even his own wife and sons.
Seven of the Herods are named in the New Testament. (1) "Herod the
king", here named, called by Josephus Herod the Great, the first of
the Herodian kings, a man of great force of character, but a bloody
tyrant. He held his royal authority by the appointment of the Romans.
(2) Herod Archelaus, his son and successor in Judea (Matthew 2:22 ).
The Romans deposed him and appointed a Roman governor in his stead.
(3) Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, who slew John the Baptist
(Matthew 14:1). Also a son of Herod the Great. (4) Herod Philip, a
third son, the lawful husband of Herodias (Matthew 14:3). (5) Another
son, also named Herod Philip. He is only referred to in the New
Testament in Luke 3:1 (6) Herod Agrippa, the grandson of Herod the
Great, named in Acts 12:1-3. (7) Herod Agrippa, the son of the
last, the King Agrippa before whom Paul made his famous defense
(Acts 25:13 Acts 26:27).
There came wise men from the east. The word rendered "wise men" is
more correctly "Magi", a term which designates an order of priests and
philosophers which belonged originally to Persia and Media, and who
were extensively distributed over the region of the Euphrates. Those
described in the book of Daniel as wise men, astrologers and magicians,
belonged to this order. We can only conjecture where these "wise men"
came from, but the probability is that they journeyed from the valley
of the Euphrates.
Other commentary entries containing this verse:
Luke 2:39
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