2:7-10 Herod calls for the ―court astrologers‖ and sends them to Bethlehem
―(7) Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star
appeared. (8) And he sent them to Bethlehem, and said, Go and search diligently for the young child
(toddler – walking around); and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship
him also. (9) When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the star, which they saw in the east,
went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child was. (10) When they saw the star, they
rejoiced with exceeding great joy‖.
Herod then consulted with the Wise Men privately, possibly to ensure nobody spread rumors about the ―New
King‖. He must have feared that the word would go out to the people about the arrival of the Messiah of
Israel.
If the Wise Men were Jewish rabbis, they would have known from prophecy that the Messiah is to come from
Bethlehem. It is very possible that the wise men did not know exactly where the Messiah was in Bethlehem,
as YHWH only showed them the star after they left Herod on their way to Bethlehem.
On arrival, they were overwhelmed with joy when they saw the one year old Messiah – ―young child‖, a
piadion in Greek, meaning a toddler. It is the age when the child can walk.
2:11 Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh..........................................................................
―And when they (the Wise Men) were come into the house (not a ―stable‖ anymore), they saw the young
child (piodion - toddler) with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had
opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh‖.
Here is solid proof that they are not in the ―manger‖ (―stable‖, ―succot‖ (Luke 2:7)) anymore. Here the word
―house‖ is ―oikia‖ in Greek, meaning ―a family house‖, which definitely indicates to us that they are not in the
same place anymore. Why? Simply because it is a year gone past!
If we look at the gifts, there is probably a deeper meaning to these gifts - beyond the scope of this study. The
―gold‖ could speak of His Deity, the ―frankincense‖ of His purity and the ―myrrh‖ of His death. All three, like
Y‘shua, are associated with the Temple and/or priesthood.
2:12-14 Flight in the Night
―(12) And being warned of God in a dream that they (the Wise Men) should not return to Herod, they
departed into their own country another way. (13) And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the
Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee
into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.
(14) When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:‖
After the excitement calmed of actually seeing the Messiah, the Wise Men went to sleep. Whilst sleeping,
YHWH gave them a warning through a dream to not return to Herod but to flee from Israel. Shortly after that,
they woke up and took another road to the country in the east.
By now it must be close to midnight or in the early hours of the morning. An angel appears to Yoseph also in
a dream and gives him a firm warning to flee with his family to Egypt. They left shortly after that.
And just how could a family that was so poor that they could only afford young pigeons or doves for a
sacrifice, afford to travel to Egypt and live there? Again, we see the providence of YHWH through the gifts of
gold, frankincense and myrrh; gifts that would provide a living for the family during this period of time.
2:15 Out of Egypt I have called my son
―And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the
prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son‖.
This is an example of a Remez; a hint of a very deep truth—in this case the relationship between the
Messiah and Israel, as both are called "YHWH‘s son‖. The verse being quoted refers to Israel and not the
Messiah. Matthew understands that the primary meaning of this passage (from Hosea) is true in an