The Wise Men from the East

The words

1. Chief Priests

   Herod gathers the chief priests and scribes to ask where Christ should be born; they answer Bethlehem and cite the prophet.

   Matthew 2:4–6 (opens a new tab)

2. Diligently

   Carefully, in the NET’s rendering of the search instruction.

   Herod first inquires diligently about when the star appeared, then tells the visitors to search diligently for the child and report back to him.

   Matthew 2:7–8 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 2:7-12 (opens a new tab)

3. East

   Matthew says the visitors come “from the east” to Jerusalem, where they ask about a child born king and tell of seeing his star.

   Matthew 2:1–2 (opens a new tab)

4. Frankincense

   An aromatic tree resin used as incense, in the NET’s note.

   Matthew names frankincense between gold and myrrh in the gifts presented to the child, after the visitors enter the house and open their treasures.

   Did you know?

   Kew traces frankincense to several Boswellia species and explains how its Economic Botany Collection supplies reference samples for researchers studying ancient resins.

   Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 2:7-12 (opens a new tab) · Kew: frankincense resins (opens a new tab)

5. Gold

   Gold is named first among the gifts the visitors present after seeing the child with Mary and opening their treasures.

   Did you know?

   1 Kings 10:10 also puts gold and spices together among royal gifts, describing what the queen of Sheba gave Solomon during her visit.

   Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab) · 1 Kings 10:1–2; 1 Kings 10:10 (opens a new tab)

6. Herod

   Matthew calls Herod troubled by the visitors’ news; later he records the king ordering the killing of Bethlehem’s young children after the visitors return by another route.

   Matthew 2:3 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 2:12 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 2:16 (opens a new tab)

7. King of the Jews

   The visitors ask where the child born King of the Jews is, saying they have seen his star and have come to worship him.

   Matthew 2:2 (opens a new tab)

8. Myrrh

   An aromatic resin, as the NET’s note explains.

   Myrrh closes Matthew’s list of gifts, following gold and frankincense; the visitors offer them after falling down before the child in the house.

   Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 2:7-12 (opens a new tab)

9. Privily

   Herod calls the wise men privily to ask when the star appeared; he then sends them to Bethlehem with instructions to return with news.

   Matthew 2:7–8 (opens a new tab)

10. Star

    Matthew describes the star going before the visitors and standing over the place where the young child is; seeing it brings them great joy.

    Matthew 2:9–10 (opens a new tab)

11. Treasures

    Treasure boxes, in the NET’s rendering.

    The visitors open their treasures after falling down before the child, then present gold, frankincense and myrrh; Matthew lists the gifts together.

    Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 2:7-12 (opens a new tab)

12. Troubled

    Matthew says Herod is troubled on hearing the visitors’ question, “and all Jerusalem with him”; the king then gathers the chief priests and scribes.

    Matthew 2:2–4 (opens a new tab)

13. Warned

    In the KJV, the visitors are “warned of God in a dream” not to return to Herod; they go home by another route.

    Matthew 2:12 (opens a new tab)

14. Wise Men

    Magi, in the NET’s note on the Greek term.

    Matthew’s visitors come from the east to Jerusalem, asking for the child born King of the Jews; after finding him, they present gifts.

    Did you know?

    Later tradition pictured three named kings with assigned gifts; the National Gallery describes this by the Middle Ages. Matthew’s account here leaves the visitors unnamed and uncounted.

    Matthew 2:1–2 (opens a new tab) · Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab) · NET Bible: Matthew 2:1-6 (opens a new tab) · National Gallery: Three Kings tradition (opens a new tab)

15. Worshipped

    On entering the house, the visitors see the young child with Mary, fall down and worship him before opening their treasures and presenting gifts.

    Matthew 2:11 (opens a new tab)