Herod sends the wise men

CHAPTER II.

to search at Bethlehem.

A. M. 4000. art not the least among the princes || 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, A. M. 4000. of Juda: for out of thee shall come all and said, Go and search diligently

Governor, that shall 1 rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, when he had privily called
the wise men, inquired of them diligently what
time the star appeared.

i Rev. ii. 27.

for the young child; and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.

9When they had heard the king, they

1 Or, feed.

ter in one sentence, or even in one word, and that, by the by, when they are pursuing another object. An instance of this we have in verse 3, where the evangelist mentions Herod's being troubled at the tidings brought by the wise men, an expression which exactly marked his character. Here again his disposition is perfectly developed; deep, crafty,

Verse 7. Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, &c. -He thought it prudent to keep the matter as close as possible, lest the Jews, understanding the time of the birth of the Messiah, should, from thence, take occasion to rebel: for not having an hereditary right to the kingdom, and having been guilty of many acts of cruelty among them, he had no reason to presume upon their good-will to-subtle; pretending one thing but intending another;

ward him. He feared, likewise, lest, if it should be noised abroad that the Messiah was born, his

professing to have a design of worshipping Jesus, when his purpose was to murder him! In like man

purpose of destroying him should be prevented. || ner having, according to Josephus, lib. xv. cap. 3,

But there is no wisdom or counsel against the Most High! He inquired of them diligently-Or, as the words ηκριβωσε παρ' αυτων, more properly signify, inquired of them the exact time, or, got exact information from them, what time the star appeared - || That is, at what time it began to appear, judging, as probably the fact was, that the star first appeared at the time the child was born. His view in this was, that he might thereby form some conjecture concerning the age of the child to whose birth it referred. For on the one hand, it seems, he did not wish to destroy more children than the accomplishment of his design appeared to require; and on the other, not to leave this child alive.

Verse 8. When ye have found him, bring me word again-Viz., concerning the young child, his con

out of pretended friendship invited Aristobulus to an entertainment at Jericho, he contrived after dinner to have him drowned in a fish-pond, in which he was persuaded to bathe along with several of Herod's attendants. For they, by Herod's direction, as if in play and sport, dipped him so often, and kept him so long under water, that he died in their hands. And then, as if his death had been an unfortunate accident, which had happened without any previous design, Herod pretended great sorrow for it, shed abundance of tears, and bestowed upon his body a very splendid and expensive funeral.

Verse 9. When they had heard the king, they departed-Viz., from Jerusalem, without the least suspicion, it seems, of his treacherous and cruel designs. As these sages came from a distant country

dition, and that of his parents, and all circumstan- || into Judea upon such an important discovery, and

ces. It seems probable that Herod did not believe he was born, otherwise it is amazing that so suspicious and artful a prince as he was should put this important affair on so precarious a footing. How easily might he, if he had not himself accompanied these learned strangers, under pretence of doing honour to them, have sent a guard of soldiers with them, who might, humanly speaking, without any difficulty have slaughtered the child and his parents | on the spot. But, perhaps, he might be unwilling to commit such an act of cruelty in the presence of these sages, lest their report of it should render him infamous abroad. Or rather, we must refer his conduct, in this matter, to that secret influence with which God, whenever he pleases, can infatuate the most sagacious of mankind, and disappoint their designs. See Doddridge. That I may come and worship him also-That I also, who would permit no interest of mine to interfere with the decrees of Heaven, may come with my family and court to pay homage to this new-born king; a duty to which I look upon myself as peculiarly obliged. Mark the hypocrisy of this perfidious tyrant! We may observe here, it is a peculiar excellence in the sacred

Bethlehem was so near, it is matter of wonder that none of the Jews attended them on their journey. But it is probable they were afraid of Herod. Or, perhaps, the dismission of the wise men might be kept a secret in Jerusalem; so that if any of the Jews had had an inclination to have gone with them, they might not have had an opportunity. And Herod might avoid sending any one with them, lest he should raise suspicion in the minds of the parents or relations of the child; or lest the Jews suspecting a plot, should contrive to bring about a revolt, or raise sedition. Or rather, the whole matter is to be referred to the providence of God, so ordering it that they should go unaccompanied, that the child might not be discovered to Herod. The Lord, however, prepared these illustrious strangers a better guide. For, lo, the star which they saw in the east-In their own country, went before themThis intimates that it had not been their guide in their journey from their own country. Nor was it needful they should have a guide, Jerusalem being sufficiently known. It had shone, it seems, on the night of his nativity, and then had disappeared till the present time. By its not appearing for a time, oc

writers, that they often describe a person's charac-casion was given for their inquiries at Jerusalem, VOL. I

(3)

33

a

The wise men are guided

ST. MATTHEW.

by a star to Bethlehem.

A. M. 4000. departed; and lo, the star, which they || 10 When they saw the star, they A. M. 4000

saw in the east, went before them, till it came and stood over where the young child

was.

which gave notice to the Jews of the birth of Christ;
an event of which, it is likely, they would have had ||
no information, if the star had led the wise men
first to Bethlehem. And the reappearance of the
star was probably intended of God to prevent their
being discouraged at their not only not finding the
king they sought in the royal city, but not being
able to learn that any thing was known there con-
cerning his birth, and especially in perceiving that
when they had brought intelligence of it, all ranks
seemed to be troubled, and not a single person of
those whose native king he was offered himself as
a companion to them, though come from a foreign
land to worship him. Thus, also, their taking of-
fence at the low condition in which they found
Christ and his parents, was prevented. At the same
time, it was a great confirmation of their faith, to
be thus miraculously conducted to the very town
pointed out in the Scriptures as the place of the birth
of the Messiah. It left them not till it came and stood ||
over where the young child was-Thus pointing out ||
the very house, lest if they should have been obliged
to make anxious inquiry concerning the child, there

rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And when they were come into the
house, they saw the young child with Mary his

Verses 10, 11. When they saw the star-Thus standing over where the child was, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy-The original expression, εχαρησαν χαραν μεγαλην σφοδρα, is remarkably emphatical, and might be rendered, They joyed a great joy, very much, a translation which, though very bad English, as Dr. Doddridge observes, comes near to a literal version. They thus rejoiced because they were now confirmed in the certainty of the child's being born, and also because they saw themselves in so remarkable a manner under the divine direction, and conducted with such certainty to the glorious person whom they came to seek. And when they were come into the house-Mary, it seems, was now better accommodated than at the time of her delivery: she was now in a house, (though probably a poor one,) and not in a stable. Some think that Joseph had now changed the place of his abode, and taken up his residence at Bethlehem, but this is not clear from the story. They saw the young child with Mary his mother-And how different soever the condition in which they found them might be from what they had expected, they were not ofshould be some who might have carried the matter || fended at its meanness, but, falling down on their to Herod, and have discovered him and his parents. || faces before him, they worshipped him-That is, Here, therefore, the star stopped, and proceeded no they did him honour after the manner of the East, further, and not long after, viz., as soon as the wise || whose inhabitants were wont to prostrate themselves men arrived at the place, as is most probable, entirely vanished. Hence it appears, that this star was not in the higher heavens, but in the lower regions of the air; for no star in the heavens could have exactly pointed out a particular house. No- || without attendants, or any mark of royal descent,

before their kings. They wisely considered, that such miraculous honours as the star gave him were far beyond any external circumstance, and therefore paid him, though a child in a poor cottage,

their homage, as readily as if they had found him in the most splendid palace, surrounded with serv

thing is said here concerning a ray descending from the star to the top of the house, or concerning the descent of the body of the star. It is therefore pro-ants and guards. "An amiable example this, of

that humble, ingenuous temper, which fits a man for the reception of the gospel!" And when they had opened their treasures-Which they had brought along with them for this purpose, they presented to him gifts-It was customary in those countries for persons to offer some present to any illustrious personage whom they came to visit, as appears from many passages of the Old Testament; and Maun

bable it was a meteor, which to them had the appearance of a star, as meteors frequently have. This appears, further, from its moving by intervals, sometimes moving and sometimes standing still, which the stars, properly so called, never do. Dr. Whitby conjectures that what the wise men saw in the east might be that very light which shone upon the shepherds at Bethlehem, when the angel came to impart unto them the tidings of our Saviour's birth. || drell, Chardin, and many other modern writers of

This light certainly was exceeding great, as is clear from its being styled the glory of the Lord, and it

the best credit assure us, that the custom is yet retained, and that no person of rank is approached

was a light from heaven, hanging over their heads, || without a present. In this instance the gifts, con

and shining round about them. Now such a light, at a great distance, would appear as a star: or, as it ascended up from the shepherds it might be formed into the likeness of a star. A similar body of light, when they journeyed from Jerusalem to Bethlehem, was formed into the same likeness in which it had formerly appeared, and went before them in the air to the latter city, and then sunk down so low as to point out the very house where the babe lay. In this case the star must have been seen by the wise men on the very day of Christ's nativity.

sisting of the most valuable productions of their country, constituted a present very proper to the occasion. Perhaps this was all that these wise men intended by their offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; and that there is no need to have recourse to allegory. "Nevertheless, if we will have it," says Grotius, "that the Divine Wisdom intended something mysterious here, it would not displease me to hear it intimated, that those three things, which we now offer to God through Christ, in conIsequence of the abolition of the ancient sacrifices,

CHAPTER II.

A. M. 4000. mother, and fell down, and worship- || 13 And when they were departed, A. M. 4000.

because he was God, and God was wont to be ho-Nazareth. For otherwise, it is much more probable

family such a seasonable supply in their low circuit with great expense and danger. For Herod

cumstances, especially as they were to take so long and expensive a journey as that into Egypt; a coun- || try where they were entirely strangers, and were to stay for a considerable time.

been brought, had they been made even the inno-observe, that after the death of Antony and Cleo

Verse 13. And when they were departed-Proba-less, would make the abode of Joseph and Mary in bly very soon after; for Bethlehem being only about that country more comfortable to them than it two hours' journey from Jerusalem, no doubt Herod | otherwise would have been; yet it is natural to sup

would have speedy intelligence of the motions of the wise men: the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, take the young child, &c.-How watchful was the providence of God over this holy child and his righteous parents: || so crafty, powerful, and bloody a prince as Herod

Herod orders the children

ST. MATTHEW.

in Bethlehem to be slain.

A. M. 4000. 14 When he arose, he took the || the Lord by the prophet, saying, mOut A. M. 4000. young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt;

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of

m Hosea xi. 1.

of Egypt have I called my son.
16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was
mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth,
and sent forth, and slew all the children that

in a fit of diabolical rage killed his firstborn son, and afterward himself perished, suffering the great

Joseph was but a carpenter, and therefore, we may
suppose, in low circumstances; and Egypt was a
strange land, and a land where, it is likely, he hadest tortures. --- Wetstein.

few, if any, acquaintances, and no visible way of
subsistence. But, no doubt, he was able to trust
that God whose beloved Son was given him in
charge, and who had appeared in so signal and
manifest a manner for the redemption of his people,
and for the child's protection.

Verses 14, 15. When he arose-Viz., from his bed, he took the young child, &c.-He immediately obey

Verse 16. Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men-The word ενεπαιχθη, here rendered, was mocked, "properly signifies was played with, and well expresses the view in which the pride of Herod taught him to regard this action, as if it were intended to expose him to the derision of his subjects, and to treat him as a child, rather than as a prince of so great experience and re

ed the heavenly vision, and departed into Egypt-nown." Dr. Campbell reads, deceived, observing,

With as hasty a flight as their circumstances would allow. And was there until the death of Herod - || Which happened a few months after. That it might be fulfilled-That is, fulfilled again, which was spoken | by the prophet-Viz., Hosea, on another occasion, Out of Egypt have I called my son-These words of Hosea, without doubt, were primarily spoken of God's bringing Israel out of Egypt under the con

that, "in the Jewish style, any treatment which appeared disrespectful, came under the general appellation of mockery. Thus, Potiphar's wife, in the false accusation she preferred against Joseph, of making an attempt upon her chastity, says, that he came in to mock her, Gen. xxxix, 17;" where the same word is employed by the LXX. which is here used. "Balaam accused his ass of mocking him,

duct of Moses, the prophet referring to God's mes-when she would not yield to his direction, Num. sage to Pharaoh, recorded Exod. iv. 22, 23, Israel || xxii. 29. And Delilah said to Samson, Judges xvi.

is my son, even my firstborn; let my son go that
he may serve me. Now this deliverance of the
Israelites, God's adopted son, was a type of his
bringing Christ his real son from thence, and the
meaning here is, that the words were now, as it
were, fulfilled anew, and more eminently than be-
fore, Christ being in a far higher sense the son of
God than Israel, of whom the words were originally
spoken. For as a prophetical prediction is then ful-
filled when what was foretold has come to pass, so
a type is fulfilled when that is accomplished in the
antitype, which was done in the type before. If
the reader will consult the note on Hosea xi. 1, he
will find this passage fully, and, it is hoped, satis- ||
factorily explained and vindicated; and the con-
sistency of the evangelist's words with those of the
prophet clearly shown. It may not, however, be
improper to add here to what is there advanced,

10, Thou hast mocked (i. e., deceived) me, and told me lies. As one who deceived them appeared to treat them contemptuously, they were naturally led to express the former by the latter." Was exceeding wroth-Very highly incensed and enraged; and in order to make the destruction of this unknown infant as sure as possible, sent forth-Not immediately, it seems, but a little time after the departure of the wise men, a party of soldiers, and slew all the children-The male children, ας τες παιδας properly signifies. From two years old and underOr, as the words απο διετές και κατωτερω are rendered by the last-mentioned writer, From those entering the second year, down to the time whereof he had procured exact information from the magians. "There can be no doubt," as the doctor observes, "that in this direction, Herod intended to specify both the age above which and the age under which

that the lot of the Messiah in Egypt was now af-infants were not to be involved in this massacre. flictive, like that of his ancestors formerly in the But there is some scope for inquiry into the import same country. And the same love of God which || of the description given. Were those of the second induced him to deliver Israel out of Egyptian bond-year included or excluded by it? By the common age, was the cause also why he would not leave translation they are included, by the other excluded. Christ in Egypt, but bring him back to his own

Plausible things may be advanced on each side." people, whom he was about to enlighten with his || Dr. Campbell, however, for divers reasons, which

heavenly doctrine, and redeem by his sufferings and death. Nor would it be absurd to carry the allegory still further, and to compare Herod to Pharaoh. For, as by the just judgment of God, both the firstborn of Pharaoh, the enemy of the Jews, was slain, and a little after Pharaoh himself perished; so Herod, not long after he had formed the

he assigns, adopts the latter, and thinks that the import of the direction was, "that they should kill none above twelve months old, or under six." It is probable that Herod, in his passion, ordered the slaughter of the infants as soon as he perceived that he was disappointed in his expectation of the return of the wise men, lest otherwise the child he

wicked but vain design of putting Christ to death, I was so jealous of should be removed. Some have

Lamentation ana weeping

CHAPTER II.

for the children slain

A. M. 4000. were in Bethlehem, and in all the || 17 Then was fulfilled that which A. Μ. 4000.

coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

was spoken by " Jeremy the prophet,
saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lament

inferred from hence, that it was not till some considerable time after the birth of Christ, that he was visited by the wise men. But there is little account || again, as the Prophet Jeremiah foretold, to their own

■ Jeremiah xxxi. 15.

considered that the Jews who were carried captive were not slain, but lived many of them to return

border, it must be allowed, that the prediction was much more literally fulfilled on this latter than on the former occasion. This application of the pro

to be given of the actions of a tyrant who slew three of his own sons, and who, it is reasonable to suppose, would wish to make sure work in this case, and therefore would, no doubt, extend the slaugh- || phecy by the evangelist affords a sure proof that a

ter to those born before the first appearance of the passage of Scripture, whether prophetical, historistar, thinking, perhaps, that it might not appear im- || cal, or poetical, may, in the language of the New

mediately upon the conception or birth of the child, but some time after. Accordingly, though the scribes told him the child was to be born in Bethlehem, he is not content to slay the infants there, but added thereto the slaughter of those in all the

Testament, be said to be fulfilled, when an event happens to which it may with great propriety be accommodated.

Verse 18. In Rama was a voice heard-Rachel weeping for her children-Benjamin, it is well

coasts. Who can avoid reflecting here on the hor-known, was the son of Rachel: his posterity, there

rible wickedness manifested in slaying these infants, who could neither hurt others nor defend themselves, and whom the king, as the guardian of the laws, was bound to have defended against the injuries of all lawless persons? But the wrath of wicked princes is usually extravagant and destruc

fore, who inhabited Ramah and the parts adjacent, sprung from her, and, according to the Scripture language, were her children. The slaughter of the inhabitants of Bethlehem, also, might with propriety enough be termed the slaughter of her children; she being buried there, Gen. xxxv. 19, and the Beth

tive. Thus Saul, when David had escaped, not only || lehemites being the offspring of her husband and

commanded Abimelech, with eighty-five priests, to be slaughtered, but also all the people of the city, not excepting even the women and children. This action of Herod was no less impious than unjust and cruel; for, to endeavour to make void the counsel of the Almighty God, declared by prophecies, by the appearance of a star, and by the consent of scribes and priests; what was it else but directly and designedly to oppose and fight against God? What cause we have to be "thankful that we are not under the arbitrary power of a tyrant, whose sallies of distracted fury might spread desolation || through houses and provinces. Let us not say, Where was the great Regent of the universe when such horrible butchery was transacted? His allwise counsels knew how to bring good out of all the evil of it. The agony of a few moments transmitted these oppressed innocents to peace and joy, while the impotent rage of Herod only heaped on his own head guilt, infamy, and horror."---Doddridge.

Verse 17. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy-The words of Jeremiah here referred to (chap. xxxi. 15, where see the notes) were primarily meant of the Jews carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar, Ramah being the place where they were assembled to be led away to Babylon. But, as this cruel execution here related by the

sister. It is by a very striking and beautiful figure of speech, by which she is here represented as awaked by the cries of the infants, and as rising out of her grave, and bitterly bewailing her little ones, who lie slaughtered in heaps around her. Because they are not--That is, are not among men, are taken away from the land of the living, are dead. The same phrase is frequently used in the same sense in the Old Testament. Now, as it was not true of those that were carried into captivity in Jeremiah's days, that they were not, in this sense, why should it be thought strange that so literal a completion of the prophecy as took place in the days of Herod, should be referred to by the Holy Ghost? Here observe, The first crown of martyrdom for Jesus was won by these infant sufferers, and the honour to which they are advanced infinitely re pays the short pains they endured. Some have questioned the authenticity of the evangelist's nar rative of the slaughter of these infants, on account of the diabolical wickedness of the action; but the following account, given by Prideaux, of Herod's last deed and purpose, will convince any one that there was nothing too bad for that miserable man to perpetrate: ---"Knowing the hatred the Jews had for him, he concluded aright, that there would be no lamentations at his death, but rather gladness

evangelist, extended itself to all the neighbouring || and rejoicing all the country over. To prevent

places, and in particular to this same Ramah, a town of Benjamin, which lay near to Bethlehem, the prophet's words are, with great propriety, applied to this melancholy event likewise, and are represented as receiving a second accomplishment in the bloody slaughter of these infants. And when it is

this, he framed a project and resolution in his mind, which was one of the most horrid and wicked, per chance, that ever entered into the heart of man For, having issued out a summons to all the principal Jews of his kingdom, commanding their appearance at Jericho, (where he then lay,) on pain