Matthew 2:4

And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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KJV

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

ASV

And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.

YLT

and having gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he was inquiring from them where the Christ is born.

DBT

and, assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ should be born.

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Commentary voices

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Voices6

On this verse

(Chapter 2, Verses 2 and following) For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him. When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. To confound the Jews and make them understand the birth of Christ from the Gentiles, a star rises in the East, which the successors of Balaam, through prophecy, had known. Read the book of Numbers (Chapter XXIV).

Jerome· Commentary on Matthew, 420patristic

Related commentary

Moreover, to add to the measure of their damnation, Him whom they despise now that He is born, they knew long beforehand would be born. And they knew not only that He would be born, but also where He would be born.

Gregory the Dialogist· Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 10, 604patristic

And when he had gathered all the chief priests,....

John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed

The chief priests - Not only the high priest for the time being, called כהן הראש cohen ha-rosh, 2Ki 25:18, and his deputy, called כהן משנה cohen mishneh, with those who had formerly borne the high priests office; but also, the chiefs or heads of the twenty four sacerdotal families, which David distributed into so many courses, 1 Chronicles 24. These latter are styled סרי הכהנים sarey ha-cohanim, chief of the priests, 2Ch 36:14; Ezr 8:24; and ראשי הכהנים roshey ha-cohanim, heads of the priests, Neh 12:

Adam Clarke· Commentary on the Bible, 1832evangelical

As MEYER says, it was all the theologians of the nation whom Herod convened, because it was a theological response that he wanted. he demanded of them--as the authorized interpreters of Scripture. where Christ--the Messiah. should be born--according to prophecy.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed

The chief priests - That is, not only the high priest and his deputy, with those who formerly had born that office: but also the chief man in each of those twenty-four courses, into which the body of priests were divided, 1 Chron. xxiv, 6-19. The scribes were those whose peculiar business it was to explain the Scriptures to the people.

John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755evangelical

Voices on this verse

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Rabbinic commentary

How the Hebraic tradition has read this verse — and Marcus Brown’s own reading of it.

Cross-references

32 linked verses

The verses this one reaches12

2 Chronicles 15:3
For many years Israel has been without the true God, without a priest to instruct them, and without the law.
Matthew 21:23
When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave You this authority?”
Acts 23:9
A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
Acts 6:12
So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
Matthew 7:29
because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
Matthew 22:42
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.
Acts 4:5
The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,
John 3:10
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and you do not understand these things?
John 8:3
The scribes and Pharisees, however, brought to Him a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before them
Jeremiah 8:8
How can you say, ‘We are wise, and the Law of the LORD is with us,’ when in fact the lying pen of the scribes has produced a deception?
Luke 23:10
Meanwhile, the chief priests and scribes stood there, vehemently accusing Him.
John 18:3
So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

20 more linked verses are grouped by book below ↓

Cross-references

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The quotation web

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Around this verse

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

Featured studyThe Genealogy of Jesus — Matthew's 3×14This study walks through this verse.

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Matthew — The Gospel of the promised King. Five discourses punctuate the narrative; roughly sixty-five Old Testament citations bind the story to the prophets.

Canon: New Testament
Author: Matthew (Levi), a former tax collector called by Jesus
Date: c. AD 50–60

More cross-references20 further linked verses, grouped by book▾ open

Every other verse the study tradition links to this one, in the Bible’s own order. The first links in each book carry a line of their text; every reference opens its full verse page.

1 Samuel1

1 Samuel 6:2the Philistines summoned the priests and diviners, saying, “What shall we do with the…

2 Kings1

2 Kings 6:13So the king said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send…

1 Chronicles1

1 Chronicles 24:4Since more leaders were found among Eleazar’s descendants than those of Ithamar, they were…

2 Chronicles3

2 Chronicles 36:14

Ezra3

Ezra 10:5

Nehemiah1

Nehemiah 12:7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah, and Jedaiah. These were the leaders of the priests and their…

Psalms1

Psalms 2:2The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against…

Malachi1

Malachi 2:7For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge, and people should seek instruction…

Matthew5

Mark1

Mark 8:31Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many…

Luke1

Luke 20:19When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against…

John1

John 7:32When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the…

Cross-references are drawn from classic Bible study tools and open, shareable Bible data.

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Matthew 7:29
because He taught as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
leads to
- Hebrews 4:12–13
  For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it pierces even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Through
Acts 6:12
So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
leads to
- Proverbs 15:18
  A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.
- Acts 14:2
  But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
Through
Matthew 21:23
When Jesus returned to the temple courts and began to teach, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to Him. “By what authority are You doing these things?” they asked. “And…
leads to
- Acts 4:7
  They had Peter and John brought in and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?”
- Mark 11:27–33
  After their return to Jerusalem, Jesus was walking in the temple courts, and the chief priests, scribes, and elders came up to Him.
Through
Acts 23:9
A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken…
leads to
- Acts 22:7
  I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?’
- Acts 22:17–18
  Later, when I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying at the temple, I fell into a trance
- John 12:29
  The crowd standing there heard it and said that it had thundered. Others said that an angel had spoken to Him.

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

Where the connections lead

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