The Visit of the Wise Men
Matthew 2:3 “When Herod the king had heard [these things], he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Herod the king... Herod the Great, son of Antipater (an Idumean) and Cypros (an Arabian woman). Antipater was made Procurator of Judea by Julius Caesar in 47 B.C. Herod was made governor of Galilee when he was 25 years old and was made king of Judea in 37 B.C. He rebuilt the Jewish temple (John 2:20). At his death in 4 B.C. his kingdom was divided. His son Herod Antipas reigned over Galilee and Perea from 4 B.C. to A.D. 39 (Luke 3:1-2). He killed John the Baptist (Mat. 14:1). His son, Archelius, was made ruler of Judea and Samaria (Mat.2:22). He is called "Philip" in Mat. 14:3. Philip was succeeded by Herod Agrippa I in A.D. 37. In A.D. 40 he took over all the original territory of Herod the Great. He is mentioned in Acts 12:1-25. He was succeeded by Herod Agrippa II (Acts 25:13; 26:32).
Herod was troubled, because he believed this person (born King of the Jews), would dethrone him. When it speaks of “all Jerusalem”, it means people who might lose their standing, if a new king were enthroned.
It is no surprise that King Herod… was disturbed when the Magi came to Jerusalem looking for the One who had been “born King” (Mat. 2:2). Herod was not the rightful king from the line of David. In fact he was not even a descendant of Jacob, but was descended from Esau and thus was an Edomite. (He reigned over Palestine from 37 b.c. to 4 b.c. This fact caused most of the Jews to hate him and never truly to accept him as king, even though he did much for the country.
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