Matthew 2:4

Matthew 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.
• New International Version (NIV)When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.
• English Standard Version (ESV)and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Context of Matthew 2:4

2When they arrived there, they asked people, ‘Where is the baby who has been born as the king of the Jews? We saw his special star when it first appeared in the sky. So now we have come here to worship him.’ 3When King Herod heard what the men said, he was very upset. All the people in Jerusalem were afraid too. Then Herod asked all the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law to meet with him. He asked them, ‘Where will God's Messiah be born?’ 5They replied, ‘The Messiah will be born in Bethlehem in Judea. This is what the prophet wrote about it: 6“People who live in Bethlehem, your town is a very important town in Judea. A person born in your town will become a leader of my people Israel. He will lead my people like a shepherd leads his sheep.” ’

Matthew 2:4 word by word

καὶ συναγαγὼν πάντας τοὺς ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ γραμματεῖς τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπυνθάνετο παρ᾽ αὐτῶν ποῦ ὁ χριστὸς γεννᾶται.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And whenκαίkai · andG2532
• he had gatheredσυνάγωsunagō · to assembleG4863
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• the chief priestsὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the chief priestsἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• scribesγραμματεύςgrammateus · scribeG1122
• of the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• he demandedπυνθάνομαιpunthanomai · to inquireG4441
• ofπαράpara · from/with/besideG3844
• themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• whereποῦpou · where?G4226
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• should be bornγεννάωgennaō · to begetG1080

Cross-references for Matthew 2:4

• Matthew 21:15The leaders of the priests and teachers of God's Law saw all the powerful things that Jesus did. They also saw children in the yard of the temple who were shouting, ‘Welcome! We pray that God will be good to you, Son of David!’ All these things caused the important Jews to become very angry.
• Matthew 26:3Then the leaders of the priests and the important Jews met together in the house of the most important priest. His name was Caiaphas.
• Matthew 27:1Early the next morning, all the leaders of the priests and the important Jews met together. They decided how to make the Roman rulers kill Jesus.
• 1 Chronicles 24:4There were more leaders among Eleazar's descendants than among Ithamar's descendants. So from Eleazar's descendants, there were 16 groups with their leaders. From Ithamar's descendants there were eight groups with their leaders.
• 2 Chronicles 36:14All the leaders of the priests and the people also turned away from the Lord more and more. They did the same disgusting sins that the people in other nations did. They made the Lord's temple an unclean place. That was the place that the Lord himself had chosen as his special home in Jerusalem.
• Ezra 10:5So Ezra got up. He told the leaders of the priests, the Levites and all Israel's people to make a strong promise. They all promised God that they would do what they had said.
• Nehemiah 12:7Sallu, Amok, Hilkiah and Jedaiah. These men were the leaders of the priests and the people who helped them in the time of Jeshua.
• Psalms 2:2Kings and rulers decide to work together, to fight against the Lord and the king that he has chosen.
• John 7:32The Pharisees heard what these people were saying quietly about Jesus. Then the leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent some of their officers to take him away.
• John 18:3The leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent a group of soldiers and some officers with Judas. He led these soldiers and officers to the garden. The soldiers had weapons and they carried lights.
• Matthew 7:29When Jesus taught them, he showed that he had authority. That was not like the way that the teachers of God's Law taught people.
• Matthew 13:52Jesus said to them, ‘Some teachers of God's Law have now learned about the kingdom of heaven. These men are like the master of a house who takes things out of the room where he keeps them. Some of the valuable things he brings out are new and some of them are old.’
• 2 Chronicles 34:13had authority over the men who carried the wood and the stones. They told the workers what to do as they did their different jobs. Some Levites worked as secretaries, officers or guards.
• Ezra 7:6This man Ezra arrived from Babylon. He was a teacher who knew the law of Moses very well. The Lord, Israel's God, had given that law to Moses. Ezra served the Lord as his God. The Lord was kind and he helped Ezra, so that the king of Persia gave him everything that he asked for.
• Jeremiah 8:8You say, “We are wise because we have the law of the Lord.” But I tell you, your teachers have changed my laws. They teach you lies instead.
• Mark 8:31Then Jesus began to teach his disciples about the things that must happen to the Son of Man. He would have to suffer in many ways. The important Jews, the leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law would turn against him. People would kill him. But after three days, he would become alive again.

Commentaries on Matthew 2:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4The chief priests - Not only the high priest for the time being, called הראש כהן cohen ha -rosh, 2 Kings 25:18, and his deputy, called משנה כהן cohen mishneh, with those who had formerly borne the high priest's office; but also, the chiefs or heads of the twenty four sacerdotal families, which David distributed into so many courses, 1 Chronicles 24. These latter are styled הכהנים סרי sarey ha -cohanim, chief of the priests, 2 Chronicles 36:14; Ezra 8:24…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The chief priests - By the chief priests here are meant not only the high priest and his deputy, but. also the heads or chiefs of the 24 classes into which David had divided the sacerdotal families, 1 Chronicles 23:6; 24; 2 Chronicles 8:14; Ezra 8:24. Scribes - By the scribes, in the New Testament, are meant learned men; men skilled in the law, or the lawyers of the nation. They kept the records of the Courts of justice, the registers of the synagogues…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4The leading priests had political and religious influence and mainly served in the temple (see Matthew 21:23). Herod gathered the teachers of religious law because they knew Old Testament prophecies and were often influential Pharisees.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together--The class of the "chief priests" included the high priest for the time being, together with all who had previously filled this office; for though the then head of the Aaronic family was the only rightful high priest, the Romans removed them at pleasure, to make way for creatures of their own. In this class probably were included also the heads of the four and twenty…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 2:4

• Heathen
• Jesus, the Christ
• Magi
• Miracles
• Scribe (S)
• Wisdom
• Wise Men

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Dream
• Flee
• Herod the Great
• Jesus
• Lamentation
• Magic
• Mary
• Stars

Commentaries on Matthew 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings