Matthew 2:1

The Visit of the Wise Men

2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem ¹  in Judea, in the time ²  of King Herod, ³  wise men ⁴  from the East came to Jerusalem ⁵ 

Micah 5:2

A King Will Come and a Remnant Will Prosper

5:2 (5:1) As for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, ⁶ 

seemingly insignificant ⁷  among the clans of Judah –

from you a king will emerge who will rule over Israel on my behalf, ⁸ 

one whose origins ⁹  are in the distant past. ¹⁰ 

John 7:42

7:42 Don’t the scriptures say that the Christ is a descendant ¹¹  of David ¹²  and comes from Bethlehem, ¹³  the village where David lived?” ¹⁴ 

[2:1]  ¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[2:1]  ² tn Grk “in the days.”

[2:1]  ³ sn King Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[2:1]  ⁴ sn The Greek term magi here describes a class of wise men and priests who were astrologers (L&N 32.40).

[2:1]  ⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[5:2]  ⁶ sn Ephrathah is either an alternate name for Bethlehem or the name of the district in which Bethlehem was located. See Ruth 4:11.

[5:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “being small.” Some omit לִהְיוֹת (lihyot, “being”) because it fits awkwardly and appears again in the next line.

[5:2]  ⁸ tn Heb “from you for me one will go out to be a ruler over Israel.”

[5:2]  ⁹ tn Heb “his goings out.” The term may refer to the ruler’s origins (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV, NLT) or to his activities.

[5:2]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “from the past, from the days of antiquity.” Elsewhere both phrases refer to the early periods in the history of the world or of the nation of Israel. For מִקֶּדֶם (miqqedem, “from the past”) see Neh 12:46; Pss 74:12; 77:11; Isa 45:21; 46:10. For מִימֵי עוֹלָם (mimey ’olam, “from the days of antiquity”) see Isa 63:9, 11; Amos 9:11; Mic 7:14; Mal 3:4. In Neh 12:46 and Amos 9:11 the Davidic era is in view.

[7:42]  ¹¹ tn Grk “is from the seed” (an idiom for human descent).

[7:42]  ¹² sn An allusion to Ps 89:4.

[7:42]  ¹³ sn An allusion to Mic 5:2.

[7:42]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the village where David was.”