Matthew 2:7

Matthew 2:7 is the seventh verse of the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The magi have informed King Herod that they had seen portents showing the birth of the King of the Jews. Herod has consulted with the leading Jewish religious figures who reported he was to be born in Bethlehem. In this verse Herod again questions the magi.

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men,

enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learned

from them exactly what time the star appeared.

For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 2:7

Brown notes that the phrase translated as "enquired of them diligently" is in Greek a single technical astrological word with no direct translation.^[1]

Holding the meeting in secret shows Herod's closed and suspicious nature, however it also raises the question of how the author Matthew knows what took place.^[2] France believes the specific question about time is part of Herod's attempt to determine when the child was born, and would later lead to his timing decision for the Massacre of the Innocents.^[3]

References

1. Brown, Raymond E. The Birth of the Messiah: A Commentary on the Infancy Narratives in Matthew and Luke. London: G. Chapman, 1977.
2. Albright, W.F. and C.S. Mann. "Matthew." The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
3. France, R.T. The Gospel According to Matthew: an Introduction and Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity, 1985. pg. 74