Bible Text: Matthew 2:1-12
Key Verse: Matthew 2:2-3
2:1 King Herod…wise men: Herod, king of Judea 37-4 B.C.E., was an ally of Rome. He rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem to restore its glory. The wise men (magi) were probably Zoroastrain priests from Parthia or Persia.
2:4 chief priests and scribes: The chief priests were leaders of the priests in the Jerusalem temple, where they were in charge of temple sacrifices and purification rights. The scribes were scholars whose work often involved writing. They tend to be connected with the Pharisees in Matthew’s Gospel.
2:5-6 Bethlehem: Like David, the Messiah was to come from Bethlehem, a town just south of Jerusalem.
Please follow the Daily Reflection Questions this week to reflect on the above scripture.
All scripture descriptions are taken either in full text or edited text from “Lutheran Study Bible” from Augsburg Fortress.
