Death of King Herod

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

Death of King Herod

King Herod’s death occurred shortly after the birth of Jesus of Nazareth making it the lynch pin date to determine the birth year of Jesus, but the year isn’t easy to determine. Standardized calendars during Antiquity do not exist; instead, timelines and dates are linked to well-known historical events.

Establishing the date of Herod’s death requires piecing together such clues as the reigns of Tiberius, King Herod and his sons; the Battle of Actium; the Jewish religious calendar; astronomy data; history accounts; etc.^[1] Nativity accounts of both Matthew and Luke report that Jesus of Nazareth was born during the lifetime of Judean King Herod.^[2]

Adding another level of complexity is “inclusive reckoning” focusing on whether a partial year was counted as a full year in historical references. The unsettled question instills a potential plus or minus factor of at least a year.^[3]

Historian Flavius Josephus is among the primary source in his books Antiquities and Wars for determining when rulers lived, how long they ruled, when they died, etc. Josephus wrote that Herod’s death occurred between the bookend events of a lunar eclipse and the following Passover that Spring.^[4]

Jewish Passover is always observed at the first full moon of the year. Historical astronomy data provided by NASA is virtually undisputed.

Tiberius Caesar began his rule as Emperor of Rome upon the death of Caesar Augustus on August 19, 14 AD. History recognizes Tiberius ruled for almost 22 1/2 years i.e. he died in 36 AD.

According to Josephus, King Herod ruled for 37 years.^[5] Philip, his son, also ruled for 37 years (Herod, in the excerpt below, is Herod Antipas).^[6]

“…Philip, Herod’s brother, departed this life, in the twentieth year of the reign of Tiberius after he had been tetrarch of Trachonitis, and Gaulonitis, and of the nation of Bataneana also thirty-seven years.” – Josephus (*printed)

Determining Herod’s death year seems somewhat simple – subtract the 37 years of Philips rule from year of Tiberius’s rule (14 AD plus 20 years for the rule of Tiberius [34 AD], minus 37 of Philip’s rule) landing in 3 BC. Thus, secular history marks Herod’s death in 3 BC strongly supported by the partial lunar eclipse in 4 BC.

Lunar NASA data for Jerusalem in 4 BC shows a partial, less-than-half, lunar eclipse occurred on March 13th, 4 BC, followed four weeks later by Passover on April 10th.

NASA data reveals another option where a lunar eclipse occurred on January 9-10, 1 BC. Passover that year was observed on April 7th.^[7]

Four weeks in the 4 BC scenario vs. the 1 BC scenario where the interval is over 12 weeks. Some people question if all the events described by Josephus could have transpired in just 4 weeks in 4 BC.^[8]

Many communications occurred during an era without telephones, computers, TV when news traveled no faster than a horse could run. News of the King Herod’s death spread across Judea and to other nations and Antiquities describes in detail events that occurred in the interim before the upcoming Passover.

International dignitaries and top military personnel traveled to the King’s funeral in Jericho. These included centurions, captains and officers of the Thracians, Germans, Galatians and Gauls with full regiments wearing battle gear.

After the funeral, an elaborate and slow procession to Herodium for the King’s interment took many more days. Following the King’s burial was a 7-day morning period, then a feast was given for the people of Judea by Archelaus, Herod’s son.

Meanwhile, an uprising among the Jews marked by the eclipse, took place over King Herod’s actions instigated by the Temple and executions. Archelaus subdued and killed many of these revolters, then set sail for Rome during the Passover.

Gutenberg-printed copies of Antiquities say that Philip died in the 20th year of Tiberius or 34 AD. Consultant and Biblical hobbyist, David Beyer, compared the 1544 Gutenberg printings of Antiquities to two dozen older, handwritten manuscripts predating the Gutenberg press.

Beyer discovered all older handwritten Antiquities manuscripts said that Philip died in the 22^nd year of Tiberius, not the 20^th year, encouraging the re-calculus of the death of King Herod to the 1 BC.^[9] This timeline in 36 AD aligns with other historical information in Antiquities.

Aretas and Antipas went to war “when all of Herod’s [Antipas] army was destroyed by the treachery of some fugitives, who, though they were of the tetrarchy of Philip, joined with Aretas’s army” – Philip was still alive.^[10] Secular historians date the Aretas-Antipas war to 36 AD.

Tiberius died in 36 AD when his successor, Caius (Caligula), appointed Marullus as procurator; and gave the open tetrarchy of Philip to Agrippa.^[11] It is highly unlikely the tetarchy of Philip was left unfilled for 3 years.

Did Herod’s death actually occur in 1 BC or the traditionally accepted year of 4 BC?

Updated January 17, 2026.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Josephus, Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Trans. and commentary. William Whitson. The Complete Works of Josephus. 1850. Book XV, Chapter V, Book XVII, Chapters VI – Chapter VIII. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> Josephus, Flavius. Wars of the Jews. Trans. and commentary. William Whitson. The Complete Works of Josephus. Book I, Chapter XXXIII. “Actium (31 BCE).” 1850. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> Livius.org. Ed. Jona Lendering. 2019. <https://www.livius.org/articles/battle/actium-31-bce> “King Herod the Great.” Livius.org. Ed. Jona Lendering. 2017. <http://www.livius.org/he-hg/herodians/herod_the_great01.html> “The Actium Project.” New World Encyclopedia. The University of South Florida and the Greek Ministry of Culture. Dir. William M. Murray. Research Project. 1997. <http://luna.cas.usf.edu/~murray/actium/brochure.html> Chesser, Preston. “The Battle of Actium.” Ohio State University. 2002. <http://ehistory.osu.edu/articles/battle-actium> Gertoux, Gerard. “Herod the Great and Jesus: Chronological, Historical and Archaeological Evidence.” Academia.edu. n.d. <https://www.academia.edu/2518046/ Gertoux, Gerard. “Dating the death of Herod.”2015 Academia.edu. <http://www.academia.edu/2518046/Dating_the_death_of_Herod/a> “World History 50-0 BC.” HistoryCentral.com. MultiEducator, Inc. n.d. <http://www.historycentral.com/dates/50bc.html> Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/7598-herod-> “Tiberius.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2023. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Tiberius> Wolfram, Chuck. “The Herodian Dynasty.” 2004. <http://web.archive.org/web/20151013221102/http://freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cwolfram/herod> Martin, Ernest L. The Star of Bethlehem – The Star That Astonished the World. 2nd Ed. 2003. Chapter 13. A.S.K. (Associates for Scriptural Knowledge. <://web.archive.org/web/20170917115234/http://www.askelm.com/star/star015.htm> Bunson, Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. “Astronomy.” New York: Princeton University Library. Internet Archive. 2002. <https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816045624> San José, Juan Antonio Revilla. “On the Year of Herod’s Death.” A partial translation from “La Fecha de Muerte de Herodes y La Estrella de Belén.” pp 14, 140. 28 Dec 1999. Astrology of the New Centaurs. <http://www.expreso.co.cr/centaurs/steiner/herod.html>
[2] Matthew 2. Luke 2.
[3] The Historical Method of Flavius Josephus. 1986. p14. <http://books.google.com/books?id=kdUUAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA14&ots=2ek7SgCy2c&dq=josephus%2C%20battle%20of%20actium%2C%20herod&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q=josephus,%20battle%20of%20actium,%20herod&f=false>”What is Inclusive Reckoning?” WednesdayCrucifixion.com. 2024. <https://www.wednesdaycrucifixion.com/inclusive-reckoning.html#:~:text=The%20common%20mode%20of%20counting%20employed%20in%20the,nations%2C%20as%20is%20shown%20unmistakably%20by%20source%20documents> “Reckoning Tiberius’s Reign and Jesus’s Baptism.” TyndaleHouse. 2022. p 100, #3 “Way that Tiberius’s Reign May Have Been Reckoned in Antiquity”. <file:///Users/vogelman/Downloads/37789-reckoning-tiberius-s-reign-and-jesus-s-baptism-first-and-second-century-evidence-concerning-tiberius-s-fifteenth-year-luke-3-1.pdf.> Steinmann, Andrew E.; Young, Rodger. Academia.Edu. “Elapsed Times for Herod the Great in Josephus.” 2023. <https://www.academia.edu/39731184/Elapsed_Times_for_Herod_the_Great_in_Josephus?email_work_card=thumbnail>
[4] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XVII, Chapter VI.4. Josephus, Flavius. Wars of the Jews. Chapter XXXIII; Book II, Chapter I. The Complete Works of Josephus. 1850. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false>
[5] Josephus. Antiquities of the Jews. Book XVIII, Chapters IV.6. (printed copy).
[6] Whiston, William. The Works of Flavius Josephus, the Learned and Authentic Jewish Historian.” 1850. Book XVII, Chapter VI footnote t. <https://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&hl=en#v=snippet&q=349&f=false> CR Whiston. Book XI, Chapter V, footnote t. Bernegger, P.M. “Affirmation of Herod’s Death in 4 B.C.” Journal of Theological Studies. 1983. Vol. 34, no 2, pp 526-531, <http://www.redatedkings.com/postings/Bernegger.pdf> Schurer, Emil. A History of the Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ. 1890. Volume 1, pp 464-465, footnote 165. <http://books.google.com/books?id=BRynO3W9FPcC&pg=PP1#v=snippet&q=Tiberius&f=false>Doig, Kenneth F. New Testament Chronology. 1990. Chapter 4. <http://nowoezone.com/NT_Chronology.htm> Philip. Bible Wiki. image. n.d. <https://bible.fandom.com/wiki/Philip_the_Tetrarch> Steinmann, Andrew E. Academia.Edu. “When Did Herod the Great Reign?” <https://www.academia.edu/9786536/When_Did_Herod_the_Great_Reign_see_comments_under_more_?email_work_card=view-paper>
[7] Espenak, Fred. NASA Lunar Eclipse Website. 2007. Asia and Asia Minor – Jerusalem, Israel; Century Selection -0001 – 0100. <https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/JLEX/JLEX-AS.html> Espenak, Fred. “Six Millennium Catalog of Phases of the Moon.” NASA Eclipse Website. n.d. “Phase years Table: -0099 – 0000.” <https://archive.is/UsEwe> Kidger, Mark R. “The Date of Passover 11BC – 10AD.” <http://www.observadores-cometas.com/cometas/Star/Passover.html> Reinhold. “Other Scholarship Proving the Exact Date of Birth of Yeshua (Jesus), pt 5.”’
[8] Bernegger, P.M. “Affirmation of Herod’s Death in 4 B.C.” Journal of Theological Studies Vol. 34, no 2, pp 526-531, 1983. RedatedKings.com. n.d. <http://www.redatedkings.com/postings/Bernegger.pdf> “The Infamous Procurators of Rome 6 -66 CE. Ed Jan Lilleby. Grace Panorama. n.d. <https://www.gracepano.com/language/en/2023/04/06/the-infamous-procurators-of-rome-in-6-66-ce/> “Did Caesar and Cleopatra really have a son?” The Ancient Standard. 2010. <http://ancientstandard.com/2010/12/03/did-caesar-and-cleopatra-really-have-a-son> Steinmann. Academia.Edu. “When Did Herod the Great Reign?”
[9] Beyer, David W. “Josephus Reexamined: Unraveling the Twenty-Second Year of Tiberius.” Chronos, Kairos, Christos II. Ed. Jerry Vardaman. 1998. <http://books.google.com/books?id=mWnYvI5RdLMC&lpg=PP1&dq=isbn%3A0865545820&pg=PA85#v=snippet&q=beyer&f=false> Jachowski, Raymond. Academia.Edu. “The Death of Herod the Great and the Latin Josephus: Re-Examining the Twenty-Second Year of Tiberius.” n.d. https://www academia.edu/19833193/The_Death_of_Herod_the_Great_and_the_Latin_Josephus_Re_Examining_the_Twenty_Second_Year_of_Tiberius>
[10] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XVIII, Chapter V.1. “Herod Antipas.” Britannica Encyclopedia. 2022. <https://www.britannica.com/biography/Herod-Antipas> “Aretas.” Bible History. 2022. <https://bible-history.com/links/aretas-1067> “Aretas ( in Aramaic ) IV.:” Jewish Encyclopedia. n.d. <https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/1752-aretas>
[11] Josephus. Wars. Book II, Chapter IX.5. Villalba i Varneda, Pere. The Historical Method of Flavius Josephus. 1986. p14. <http://books.google.com/books?id=kdUUAAAAIAAJ&lpg=PA14&ots=2ek7SgCy2c&dq=josephus%2C%20battle%20of%20actium%2C%20herod&pg=PA14#v=onepage&q=josephus,%20battle%20of%20actium,%20herod&f=false>

A Game-Changing Proclamation in Nazareth

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

A Game-Changing Proclamation in Nazareth

Suddenly and unexpectedly, a Town Crier, known as a praeco in Latin, shouted out a proclamation that changed history…and Mary’s destiny. He announced a decree from none other than Roman Caesar Augustus just days before Mary was to give birth, a game-changer with immediate consequences.^[1]

^{LK 2: 1-3} “And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.” _NKJV

A unique confluence of events was set in motion soon to culminate in Bethlehem. Augustus’ registration decree compelled Joseph and Mary to do the unthinkable.

Highly unlikely Jesus would be born any place other than Nazareth. Gabriel, the angel, who visited Mary announcing her supernatural conception, did not instruct her to go anywhere else to bear her child and there was no reason to think otherwise.

Mary was expected to give birth at home – most certainly not in a stone enclave used to shelter livestock in the faraway town of Bethlehem.^[2] Nearly 9 months pregnant, she probably would have been looking forward to having the support of her husband Joseph, family and friends when that special moment would arrive.

Traditional Nativity accounts often cite a “census” decree issued by Caesar Augustus, a word not found in many of English Gospel translations…and for good reason. Latin for “census” is the word censēre which is not found anywhere in New Testament Greek texts nor even any works by historian Josephus during the Roman era.^[3]

Greek for “census” is kensos meaning “tax” which also does not appear in Luke’s Greek text. Used only four times in the New Testament, kensos is used exclusively by the author of Matthew, a former tax collector, each time in the context of “tax” and not related to the Nativity story.^[4]

Translating Greek to English has its challenges and Luke’s Nativity account is a prime example. The difficulty for translators is capturing the correct distinctions by relying, at least to some degree, on their contextual interpretation of the text.^[5]

First and third verses of chapter 2, the Greek text of Luke contains the word apographo. The word is a verb meaning an activity to “write off (a copy or list), i.e. enrollment.”^[6]

Verse 2 uses Greek word apographe, a noun meaning “an enrollment, by implication an assessment.”^[7] It refers to the actual documented record – a written enrollment register or listing resulting from the enrollment activity initiated by Caesar’s decree.

Caesar’s decree initiated an action to make a list of the population in the Roman Empire by conducting an enrollment process. Various Bible versions have also translated the word “census” into English as “registration,” “enrolled,” “numbering,” and “taxed.”^[8]

Common to all five English translation variations of Augustus’ decree have the characteristics of taking an action that produced a documented enrollment registration that was historically used later for taxation purposes. As such, English translations are consistent with a typical Roman census registration process.^[9]

A Roman “census” was also used to enumerate the population; establish a public registry; identify Roman citizens; and size military needs.^[10] Oft overlooked, it required an oath to be given at the time of registration that is not unlike today’s legal agreements and ULAs required for various purchases including mobile phones, credit cards services, and other online services.

Informing the people of the town, the announcement by the praeco of Augustus’ decree told them when and where to appear for the registration.^[11] Compliance was not optional – failure to comply could result in loss of property, slavery, imprisonment or even death.^[12]

Announcement of the decree came at the tail end of months of Roman government planning and implementation throughout the vast Empire.^[13] Interestingly, if the announcement had occurred just a week later or a couple of weeks earlier, Jesus would have been born in Nazareth.

On short notice Joseph and Mary were compelled to travel 90-miles away. The journey risked the dangers that came with walking on the winding and hilly path through the wilderness to Bethlehem.^[14]

Meanwhile, Magi from a foreign country were planning a month’s long journey to Jerusalem eventually ending up in Bethlehem. They were sent there by the reigning King, Herod, to find the baby “King of the Jews.”

Was the timing of the praeco’s announcement of Caesar’s decree merely a coincidence or was it a fulfillment of Micah’s Messiah prophecy?

Updated October 19, 2025.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] Smith, William. “Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.” 3^rd Ed., Vol. 1. 1901. “Census.” Google Books. <https://books.google.com/books?id=Cu89AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA403&lpg=PA403&dq=greek+word+for+census&source=bl&ots=LM1MjmCiJt&sig=1_yjJgyNxcCcSWZvf0QK69IJuMw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx0oPA04DYAhXo6YMKHebvAEwQ6AEIejAK#v=onepage&q=census&f=false> Livius, Titus. The History of Rome. Book 33, #28. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0144:book=33:chapter=28&highlight=crier> Pliny the Elder. The Natural History. 1.Dedication C. Plinius Secundus to His Friend Titus Vespasian. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0137:book=1:chapter=dedication&highlight=crier#note-link34> Gaffiot, Felix. Dictionnaire Faffiot. “praeco” drawing. 1934. <http://digital-gaffiot.sourceforge.net/p.html>
[2] Finkel, Michael. “Bethlehem 2007 A.D.” National Geographic. December, 2007.
[3] “Census.” Merriam-Webster. 2017. <https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/census> Bunson, Matthew. Encyclopedia of the Roman Empire. “Censor; Census.” <https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816045624>
[4] Net.Bible.org. kensos <2778>. http://classic.net.bible.org/strong.php?id=2778>; Search results, <http://classic.net.bible.org/search.php?search=greek_strict_index:2778> Strong, James, LL.D., S.T.D. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. “2778 kensos.” 1990. “G2778.” Lexicon-Concordance Online Bible n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/greek/2778.html>
[5] Hu, Shuqin. “Context in Translation.” Journal of Language Teaching and Research. 2010. Vol. 1, No. #, pp 325-325. <http://www.academypublication.com/issues/past/jltr/vol01/03/25.pdf> “Importance of Context in Translation.” OneHourTranslation.com. 2015. <https://www.onehourtranslation.com/translation/blog/importance-context-translation>
[6] Net.bible.org. Luke Greek text. Strong, James. “apographo <583> (Greek).” The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. 1990. Smith, William; Wayte, William; Marindin, G.E., Ed. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. 1890. “apographe.” <https://books.google.com/books?id=Cu89AAAAYAAJ&pg=PA403&lpg=PA403&dq=greek+word+for+census&source=bl&ots=LM1MjmCiJt&sig=1_yjJgyNxcCcSWZvf0QK69IJuMw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjx0oPA04DYAhXo6YMKHebvAEwQ6AEIejAK#v=onepage&q=register&f=false>
[7] Net.bible.org. Greek text. Strong. “aprographe <582> (Greek).” The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible.
[8] NASV, NRSV, ASV, BBE, KJV.
[9] Net.bible.org. “proserchomai <4334>”; “telones <5057>; “telonion <5058>”; phoros <5411>; “kensos <2778>”
[10] Smith, William. “Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.” 3^rd Ed., Vol. 1. 1901. “Census.” Augustus, Caesar. The Deeds of the Devine Augustus. #8. <http://classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html> Cicero, M. Tullius. “For Marcus Caelius.” #32. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0020:text=Cael.:chapter=32&highlight=census> Cicero. “For Milo.” #27. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0020:text=Mil.:chapter=27&highlight=census> Cicero. “For Archias.” #5. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0019:text=Arch.:chapter=5&highlight=censors> Livius. The History of Rome. Book 9, #19. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0026:book=9:chapter=19&highlight=census> Livius. The History of Rome. Book 43, #14. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.02.0144:book=43:chapter=14&highlight=censors>
[11] Smith, William. “Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography.” 3^rd Ed., Vol. 1. 1901. “Census.” “Paternity.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11939-paternity>
[12] “incense.” Merriam-Webster. Peck, Harry Thurston. Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities (1898). “Incensus.” <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0062:entry=incensus-harpers&highlight=incensus> Smith, W. “Censor.” Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Tarwacka, Anna. “The consequences of avoiding census in Roman law.” 2013. <https://www.academia.edu/5525859/The_consequences_of_avoiding_census_in_Roman_law>
[13] Gertoux, Gerard. “Dating the two Censuses of Quirinius.” n.d. Academia.edu. <http://www.academia.edu/3184175/Dating_the_two_Censuses_of_Quirinius> Heinrich, Bill. Mysteries of the Messiah. 2016. “The Registration (Census).” <https://www.mysteriesofthemessiah.net/2016/01/04-03-09-bethlehem-c-6-5-b-c-the-registration-or-census/#_ftnref3> Tarwacka, Anna. “The consequences of avoiding census in Roman law.” 2013. <https://www.academia.edu/5525859/The_consequences_of_avoiding_census_in_Roman_law>
[14] “Paternity.” Jewish Encyclopedia. 2011. <http://jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/11939-paternity> “What is the distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem?” Reference.com. 2017. <https://www.reference.com/geography/distance-between-nazareth-bethlehem-6ac7e95c8360c7c7#> “Distance between Nazareth and Bethlehem.” DistanceFromTo.net. 2017. <https://www.distancefromto.net/between/Nazareth/Bethlehem>

The Magi’s Provocation of King Herod

Posted on by K.B. Vogelman

The Magi’s Provocation of King Herod

Magi had been traveling on a month’s long quest to find the newborn King of the Jews based on what they observed.^[1] Believing their search was to be somewhere in Judea, it made perfect sense to start in Jerusalem with the King of Judea – Herod.

Promptly gaining direct access to the King, their reputation as Magi probably made that possible. The Magi’s first words to Herod sets the stage in the palace:

^{MT 2:2} “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship him.”_{(NASB, NKJV)}

For any king, especially with the personality profile of Herod, it was an embarrassment and no king should ever be embarrassed. As the story unfolds, Herod came to quickly view this child’s birth as a real threat that must be dealt with using whatever means necessary such as he had done many times before.^[2]

All of Jerusalem was “troubled” by the news, too. Translated from Matthew’s Greek text, the word tarasso means “to stir or agitate (roil water).”^[3^]

Servants came from among the general population, not to mention that throughout history, palaces of kings and queens notoriously have been unable to hold their secrets. Herod’s family was no exception, scandalously known for their loose lips.

Undoubtedly getting the attention of everyone, word about a new king certainly shook things up. Stirring the pot tends to cause people to act in peculiar ways.

Raising hopes, at the same time, the news was just as troubling with many questions being raised. Juicy gossip can stir up many things.

Who was his father if it wasn’t Herod? Would the new king be worse than Herod or hopefully a good king?

A child worthy of worship by the reputed king-makers? Could the babe even be the promised Messiah?

Drama and speculation became pervasive. Regardless, it would still be years before this new king would begin to reign.

Processing in his mind the Magi’s alarming news, after the Magi left the palace, the King immediately assembled “all the chief priests and scribes of the people.” Making it clear he believed the Magi’s proclamation, he asked the Jewish religion experts to determine “where the Christ was to be born.”^[4]

Herod used the Greek word, Christos, translated as “Christ” or “Anointed” and asked where he was to be born? Jewish religion experts understood the King’s question and responded, “In Bethlehem of Judea” citing the prophecy of Micah.^[5]

Events in the sky would likely have been a relatively petty matter to the King prior the Magi’s visit, especially considering his bigger political problems in the kingdom, with Rome, and scheming family affairs. However, the King believed the Magi and upon hearing Micah’s prophecy, the King became more focused.

No star was mentioned in Micah’s prophecy. Matthew does not say Herod was unaware of the star event – it can only be said that he did not know when it had occurred.

Religion experts were likely fully aware of Balaam’s prophecy of a star coming forth from Jacob signifying a ruler of Israel.^[6] Maybe they mentioned this to Herod, maybe not.

Up to this point, the actual appearance of the star witnessed by the Magi astronomers had been only incidental information. Had the star been the most attention-getting news from the Magi, a cynical Herod would have been expected to question it, even scoff at it – he didn’t.

One thing is for certain, Herod’s fixation was finding this baby. Knowing when the star appeared was now important – the information would establish a timeline.

Summoning the Magi back to the palace, Herod called a second, but secret, meeting. Secrecy strongly suggests the King had something to hide.

Herod now possessed two details of interest to the Magi – Micah’s prophecy corroborating the birth of a Jewish ruler and the general location of Bethlehem where he could be found. He could use this information as leverage to gain more knowledge.

Magi were asked by Herod to report back to him with the exact location of the child. Of course, he said, it was under the pretense that he, too, could worship the new king.

In Bethlehem, the Magi found Jesus and worshiped him offering expensive gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Magi may have intended to inform Herod of the child’s whereabouts until they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod.

Returning home by another route the Magi avoided Jerusalem. Herod soon realized he had been duped and ordered all the children 2 years and younger to be killed within the district of Bethlehem based on the timing of the star’s first appearance.

King Herod was more than capable of such cruelty. Among many murders, he had killed a chief priest, his second wife, her grandfather, her two sons and would soon execute his firstborn son by his first wife.^[7]

His cruelty extended even to his death bed when the King summoned all the principal men of Judea to Jericho. He then locked them in the hippodrome and gave orders to have them killed just to deny them the opportunity to gloat over his death.^[8]

Does Herod’s reactions ring true to the Magi’s declaration that the Messiah, King of the Jews, had been born in Bethlehem?

Updated November 25, 2025.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

REFERENCES:

[1] 1, 3, 6, 7; Book XVI, Ch.VII, VIII, X; Book XVII, Ch. IV “Trade between the Romans and the Empires of Asia.” 2000. Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/silk/hd_silk.htm> “Trade Routes.” Smithsonian|The National Museum of American History. n.d. <http://web.archive.org /web/20160618154742/http://americanhistory.si.edu/numismatics/parthia/frames/pamaec.htm> “46178 -wisemen-magi-jesusbirth.” KFAX AM 1100. photo. n.d. <https://media.swncdn.com/cms/CW/46178-wisemen-magi-jesusbirth.1200w.tn.jpg> Flavius. Antiquities of the Jews. Book XV, Ch.VII-VIII; Book XVI, Ch. VIII, XI, IX, XIII, XVI. Book XVII, Ch. I, V. Josephus. Wars. Book I, Ch. XVIII, XXII, XXIV, XXXI, XXXIII. The Complete Works of Josephus. 1850. <http://books.google.com/books?id=e0dAAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false> Strabo. Geography. Chapters II-III. n.d. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239:book=1:chapter=2&highlight=magi > <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0239:book=15:chapter=3&highlight=magi > Diogenes Laertius. Lives of Eminent Philosophers. n.d. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0258:book=1:chapter=prologue&highlight=magi > Stillwell, Richard et. al. “Gaza Israel.” The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites. n.d. <http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0006:entry=gaza&highlight=caravan >
[2] Josephus. Antiquities. Book V, Ch. 1; Book XV, Ch., VI. Josephus. Wars. Book I, Ch. XXVI, XXII, XXIV, XXVI, XXX, XXXI. “Herod the Great.” 2017. Livius.org. <http://www.livius.org/articles/person/herod-the-great
[3] Net.bible.org. Matthew 2:2 Greek text. <http://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=2&verse=2> Strong, James, LL.D., S.T.D. The New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. “tarasso <5015>” Thomas Nelson, Inc. 1990.
[4] NET, NIV, NASB, NRSV, NKJV.
[5] Matthew 2:5. NET, NIV, NASB, NRSV, NKJV. Matthew 2:4. NetBible.org. Greek text. “5547.” n.d. <https://classic.net.bible.org/verse.php?book=Mat&chapter=2&verse=4> “G5547.” LexiConcordance..com. n.d. <http://lexiconcordance.com/greek/5547.html>
[6] Maimonides, Moses. Mishneh Torah. “The Law Concerning Moshiach.” Kesser.org. n.d. <http://www.kesser.org/moshiach/rambam.html#SIE> Rich, Tracey R. “Mashiach: The Messiah.” Judaism101. 2011. <http://www.jewfaq.org/mashiach.htm
[7] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XV, Ch. III-VII, IX, XIII, XVI; Book XVI, Ch. XI; Book XVII, Ch. IX.
Josephus. Wars. Book I, Chapter XXII, XXVII, XXXIII.
[8] Josephus. Antiquities. Book XVII, Ch. VI. Josephus. Wars. Book I, Ch. XXXIII.