Matthew 2:7 BSB — MannaFest

Matthew 2:7

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared.

KJV

Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.

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Commentary

6 voices

Cyril of Alexandria

FRAGMENT 10.3 (444)

It wasn't the words of the magi that troubled Herod. It was the speculations of the legal experts about the words of the believing prophets. For the magi were seeking a king, but the Jews were declaring that Christ had been born. For this reason, turning aside the magi, Herod calls the Jews and asks them where the Christ should be born, he "whom you, having heard the magi, are now announcing." This is how the enemies of the truth may sometimes unwillingly speak the truth. They interpret the whole prophecy uselessly, failing to grasp what is necessary.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

As the queen of the south, so the wise men of the east, will rise up in judgment against the men of that generation, and of this too, and will condemn them; for they came from a far country, to worship Christ; while the Jews, his kinsmen, would not stir a step, would not go to the next town to bid him welcome.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Herod was now an old man, and had reigned thirty-five years; this king was but newly born, and not likely to enterprise any thing considerable for many years; yet Herod is jealous of him.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

Privily - Secretly, privately. He did this to ascertain the time when Jesus was born. Diligently - Accurately, exactly. He took pains to learn the precise time when the star appeared. He did this because he naturally concluded that the star appeared just at the time of his birth, and he wished to know precisely how old the child was.

J.C. Ryle

1816–1900

Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew (1856)

It is not known who these wise men were. Their names and dwelling-place are alike kept back from us. We are only told that they came “from the east.” Whether they were Chaldeans or Arabians we cannot say. Whether they learned to expect Christ from the ten tribes who went into captivity, or from the prophecies of Daniel, we do not know. It matters little who they were. The point which concerns us most is the rich instruction which their history conveys.

Modern Voices1 voice

G.K. Chesterton

1874–1936

The Everlasting Man, Part II Ch. 1 "The God in the Cave" (1925)

That truth that is tradition has wisely remembered them almost as unknown quantities, as mysterious as their mysterious and melodious names: Melchior, Caspar, Balthazar.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

14 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Τότε	Tote	Then	G5119 →
Ἡρῴδης	Hērōdēs	Herod	G2264 →
λάθρᾳ	lathra	secretly	G2977 →
καλέσας	kalesas	having called	G2564 →
τοὺς	tous	the	G3588 →
μάγους	magous	Magi	G3097 →
ἠκρίβωσεν	ēkribōsen	inquired exactly	G198 →
παρ᾽	par᾽	of	G3844 →
αὐτῶν	autōn	them	G846 →
τὸν	ton	the	G3588 →
χρόνον	chronon	time	G5550 →
τοῦ	tou	of the	G3588 →
φαινομένου	phainomenou	appearing	G5316 →
ἀστέρος,	asteros	star,	G792 →

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

The walk

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
Psalms 55:21
His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
leads to
- Psalms 57:4
  My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Proverbs 5:3–4
  Though the lips of the forbidden woman drip honey and her speech is smoother than oil,
- Proverbs 26:28
  A lying tongue hates those it crushes, and a flattering mouth causes ruin.
- Psalms 28:3
  Do not drag me away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, who speak peace to their neighbors while malice is in their hearts.
- Psalms 12:2
  They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
Through
Exodus 1:10
Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase even more; and if a war breaks out, they may join our enemies, fight against us, and leave the country.”
leads to
- Acts 7:19
  He exploited our people and oppressed our fathers, forcing them to abandon their infants so they would die.
- Psalms 83:3–4
  With cunning they scheme against Your people and conspire against those You cherish,
- Proverbs 1:11
  If they say, “Come along, let us lie in wait for blood, let us ambush the innocent without cause,