Matthew 2:11 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

NIV: On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

NASB: And after they came into the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary; and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

CSB: Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

NLT: They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

KJV: And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

NKJV: And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The previous verse tells us how joyful the wise men, or "Magi," were at fulfilling their quest to find the child they knew as the long-prophesied "King of the Jews." We don't have any details as to whether they understood Jesus to be the Son of God, or if they had any inkling of how He might save or reign over Israel. They were men who were deeply interested in astrology and astronomy and ancient prophecies and, perhaps, dreams and supernatural happenings.

What we do know is they believed Jesus to be a true and significant king whose birth fulfilled prophecy. They understood Him to be the Christ of Israel and worthy of worship, at least in the sense of paying homage due to a royal superior. Some scholars believe these men were kings of some sort, because their actions here may fulfill prophecies found in the Old Testament (Psalm 68:29; Psalm 72:10–11; Isaiah 60:6; Isaiah 49:7).

This moment does not happen at the stable on the night Jesus was born. Tradition, especially miniature sculptures from nativity scenes, places the wise men in the stable worshipping Jesus in His manger (Luke 2:7). However, the Bible indicates that several months to as long as two years have passed since that night. By now, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus have settled into a house in Bethlehem, though Joseph's hometown is in Nazareth in the northern part of Israel known as Galilee.

The wise men fall down before the child in a gesture of deep respect and submission. Jesus is with Mary, his mother, but their worship is clearly specified as being for Christ alone. They produce the extremely valuable gifts they have brought with them and place them before Jesus. Giving gifts to a king or other superior was a common Middle Eastern practice and a sign of great respect.

The gifts included gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Frankincense is a gum or resin that glitters and was used for religious incense to create a specific aroma. Myrrh also had a strong smell and was used for perfume and embalming. All three gifts were quite costly. Fortunately, these would have greatly helped Joseph and Mary to fund their emergency trip to Egypt to flee from Herod (Matthew 2:13).

This particular text does not connect these gifts to any specific symbolism. However, many scholars and commentators have done so. It's likely that gold represents Jesus' royalty. Frankincense would symbolize His divinity and priesthood. Myrrh would foreshadow His death and resurrection.

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.