Matthew 2:10 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

NIV: When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.

NASB: When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.

CSB: When they saw the star, they were overwhelmed with joy.

NLT: When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!

KJV: When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.

NKJV: When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy.

Matthew stops to describe the emotional state of these wise men from the east who have travelled to find the newly born "King of the Jews." Based on a study of prophetic Jewish Scriptures and especially the appearance of a strange star in the night sky, they became convinced that the ancient promise of a savior for Israel had been fulfilled. They did not find the child in Jerusalem, but they did get a new lead: Herod the Great himself had checked with Israel's prophecy experts and sent the wise men on to Bethlehem. Now, though, that lead had been confirmed by the reappearance of the star they had been tracking all along. It, too, pointed to Bethlehem and, in one way or another, to the very house in which the child could be found (Matthew 2:1–9).

Why were these foreign, Gentile men with a keen interest in astronomy and astrology so excited about this? For one, it proved their quest was valid. They had been right and had not wasted their time in setting out to find this child. On another level, however, these men seemed also to believe in the Jewish Scriptures and that this child would save Israel. They rejoiced at the prospect of seeing Him in person, even as a child.

Matthew 2:1–12 describes the arrival in Jerusalem of a group of wise men, sometime after Jesus' birth. They are responding to the sight of a ''star'' in the night sky, leading them to conclude the ''king of the Jews'' had been born. King Herod is troubled by this news and sends them to Bethlehem. His deceitful orders are for the wise men to return and tell him where the child is. The travelling scholars are overjoyed to find the Christ, at last. They worship Him by bowing and presenting expensive gifts. Warned not to return to Herod, after all, they slip away by another route.

King Herod is surprised and troubled by the arrival of wise men from the east. They have come looking for a newborn king of the Jews. Herod directs the men to Bethlehem to find the boy for him. The wise men find and worship Jesus. Rather than cooperating with the wicked Herod, the wise men slip away. An angel warns Joseph to flee to Egypt with his family before Herod kills all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger to protect his throne. After Herod's death, an angel sends Joseph back to Israel and then God directs him to settle with Mary and Jesus in Nazareth in the region of Galilee.

Chapter 1 established the genealogy and miraculous conception of Jesus Christ. Sometime after Jesus' birth, a group of wise men from the east arrive in Jerusalem. They have been tracking a star that points to the birth of the king of the Jews. They find and worship Jesus, then leave without telling the wicked king, Herod, where to find the boy. Warned by an angel, Joseph flees with Jesus and Mary to Egypt before Herod orders the execution of all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger. When notified by an angel again, they return to Israel and settle in Nazareth, in the northern region of Israel known as Galilee. This leads into chapter 3, which leaps forward to Jesus' adulthood, and the ministry of John the Baptist.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.