Matthew 2:12 NIV

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Matthew 2:9-12

Perhaps "the" star (Matthew 2:2), whatever it was, was so bright that the wise men could see it as they traveled in daylight. Travel at night was common to avoid the heat, so they may have made the five-mile trip south to Bethlehem at night. Nevertheless this would have been winter, so they probably traveled during daylight hours. [Note: Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, pp. 25-26.] The star could have identified Bethlehem as the town where Jesus abode, and the... read more

John Darby

Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - Matthew 2:12

2:12 instructed (k-4) It signifies an answer after consultation, as ver. 22; hence an oracular or divine answer, not merely warning. read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 2:1-23

The Wise Men1-12. The star in the east and the visit of the Magi (peculiar to St. Matthew). The incident fits well into secular history. About the time when the star appeared (7 or 6 b.c.), Herod the Great, being alarmed by a prophecy that the royal power was about to pass away from him and his line, put the authors of it to death. It is evident, therefore, that the announcement by the wise men that Herod’s supplanter in the kingdom had actually been born, would drive him to violent measures.... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Matthew 2:12

(12) Being warned of God.—Following the order of events in our minds, it seems probable that after their homage on the evening of their arrival, they retired, possibly to the “inn” of Bethlehem, and were then, in their sleep, warned not to return to Jerusalem the following day, but to make their way to the fords of Jordan, and so to escape from the tyrant’s jealous pursuit. So ends all that we know of the visit of the Magi. St. Matthew, writing for Hebrews, recorded it apparently as testifying... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Matthew 2:1-23

Matthew 2:1 See, on the earlier part of this chapter, Mrs. Browning's striking poem, 'Christmas Gifts'. Savonarola, after quoting verses 1 and 2 in one of his sermons, proceeds to harangue the Florentines as follows: 'Mark the words and observe the mysteries. Behold then that He by whom all things were made is this day born upon earth. Behold He that is above all things begins by having a native land; He begins as the compatriot of men, the companion of men, the brother of men, and the son of... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Matthew 2:1-23

Chapter 2His Reception - Matthew 2:1-23THIS one chapter contains all that St. Matthew records of the Infancy. St. Mark and St. John tell us nothing, and St. Luke very little. This singular reticence has often been remarked upon, and it certainly is most noteworthy, and a manifest sign of genuineness and truthfulness: a token that what these men wrote was in the deepest sense not their own. For if they had been left to themselves in the performance of the task assigned them, they could not have... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Matthew 2:1-23

2. The King Worshipped by Gentiles; Jerusalem in Ignorance of Him; the Child Persecuted. 1. The Visit of the Wise Men.(Matthew 2:1-12 .) 2. The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13-18 .) 3. The Return from Egypt. (Matthew 2:19-23 .) CHAPTER 2 The second chapter in Matthew relates events which are nowhere else recorded in the Gospels. For this reason, and this is the only reason, the authenticity of the chapter has been doubted more than once. All that which the second chapter contains belongs... read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - Matthew 2:12

2:12 And being {k} warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.(k) God warned and told them of it, even though they did not ask him. read more

L.M. Grant

L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - Matthew 2:1-23

The deeply interesting account of Gabriel's announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of her Lord, the details as to His birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the shepherds to the manger in which He lay (Luke 1:1-80; Luke 2:1-52) are not found at all in Matthew; for these, though of engrossing personal interest, are not of importance in an official way. We shell see in chapter 2 however that the visit of the wise men from the east was of a much different character, that affected the... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - Matthew 2:1-23

THE ADVENT OF OUR LORD In this lesson there are four divisions: 1. The Genealogical Table (Matt. 1-1-17) 2. The Announcement to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25 ) 3. The Flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:1-18 ) 4. The Return to Nazareth (Matthew 2:19-23 ) THE GENEALOGICAL TABLE (Matthew 1:1-17 ) We learned the value of genealogical tables to Israel in the Old Testament. This value applied to the separation into families and tribes with reference to the possession of Canaan; but it had a peculiar... read more