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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) Then Herod sent for the watchers of signs and met secretly with them to determine when the star had first appeared.![]()
OET-LV Then Haʸrōdaʸs having_ secretly _called the wise_men, ascertained from them the time of_the appearing star.
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SR-GNT Τότε Ἡρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους, ἠκρίβωσεν παρʼ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος. ‡
(Tote Haʸrōdaʸs lathra kalesas tous magous, aʸkribōsen parʼ autōn ton ⱪronon tou fainomenou asteros.)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT Then Herod, having secretly called the learned men, inquired from them the time of the appearing of the star.
UST After that, King Herod summoned the scholars who studied the stars to talk with him privately. He asked them about exactly when they first saw the special star.
BSB Then Herod called the Magi secretly [and] learned from them the {exact} time the star had appeared.
MSB (Same as BSB above)
BLB Then Herod, having called the Magi secretly, inquired of them the exact time of the star appearing.
AICNT Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared.
OEB Then Herod secretly sent for the astrologers. He found out from them the time of the appearance of the star.
WEBBE Then Herod secretly called the wise men, and learnt from them exactly what time the star appeared.
WMBB (Same as above)
NET Then Herod privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared.
LSV Then Herod, having called the magi privately, inquired exactly from them the time of the appearing star,
FBV Then Herod called the wise men and met with them in private and found out from them exactly when the star appeared.
TCNT ¶ Then Herod secretly called the wise men and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared.
T4T Then King Herod secretly summoned those men who studied the stars. He asked them exactly when the star first appeared. By what they told him, he was able to know the approximate age of the baby.
LEB ¶ Then Herod secretly summoned the wise men and[fn] determined precisely from them the time when[fn] the star appeared.
2:7 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“summoned”) has been translated as a finite verb
2:7 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“appeared”)
BBE Then Herod sent for the wise men privately, and put questions to them about what time the star had been seen.
Moff Then Herod summoned the magicians in secret and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
Wymth Thereupon Herod sent privately for the Magi and ascertained from them the exact time of the star's appearing.
ASV Then Herod privily called the Wise-men, and learned of them exactly what time the star appeared.
DRA Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them;
YLT Then Herod, privately having called the mages, did inquire exactly from them the time of the appearing star,
Drby Then Herod, having secretly called the magi, inquired of them accurately the time of the star that was appearing;
RV Then Herod privily called the wise men, and learned of them carefully what time the star appeared.
(Then Herod privily/secretly called the wise men, and learned/learnt of them carefully what time the star appeared. )
SLT Then Herod having secretly called for the magi, searched thoroughly from them the time of the star appearing.
Wbstr Then Herod, when he had privately called the wise men, inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
KJB-1769 Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
(Then Herod, when he had privily/secretly called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. )
KJB-1611 Then Herod, when he had priuily called the Wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the Starre appeared:
(Then Herod, when he had privily/secretly called the Wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the Starre appeared:)
Bshps Then Herode, when he had priuilye called the wyse men, inquired of the diligently, what tyme the starre appeared.
(Then Herod, when he had privily/secretlye called the wise men, enquired of the diligently, what time the star appeared.)
Gnva Then Herod priuily called the Wisemen, and diligently inquired of them the time of the starre that appeared,
(Then Herod privily/secretly called the Wisemen, and diligently enquired of them the time of the star that appeared, )
Cvdl Then Herod preuely called the wyse men, and dyligently enquyred of them, what tyme the starre appered,
(Then Herod privily/secretly called the wise men, and dyligently enquyred of them, what time the star appeared,)
TNT Then Herod prevely called the wyse men and dyligetly enquyred of them the tyme of the starre that appered
(Then Herod prevely called the wise men and dyligetly enquyred of them the time of the star that appeared )
Wycl Thanne Eroude clepide pryueli the astromyens, and lernyde bisili of hem the tyme of the sterre that apperide to hem.
(Then Herod called pryueli the astromyens, and learned/learnt busily of hem the time of the sterre that appeared to hem.)
Luth Da berief Herodes die Weisen heimlich und erlernete mit Fleiß von ihnen, wann der Stern erschienen wäre,
(So summoned Herod the ways/manners secretly and erlernete with diligence from to_them, when the/of_the Stern appeared were,)
ClVg Tunc Herodes clam vocatis magis diligenter didicit ab eis tempus stellæ, quæ apparuit eis:[fn]
(Then Herod clam calleds more carefully learnt away to_them time/season stars, which appeared to_them: )
2.7 Clam vocatis Magis. Remotis sacerdotibus et scribis; timebat enim ne Judæi quasi ex Dei oraculo promissum occultarent, si se velle eum perimere sentirent. Ideo etiam promisit se adorare, ne quis sentiret dolum ejus: sed sine suspicione ob gratiam favoris ei renuntiarent.
2.7 Clam calleds Magis. Remotis to_the_priests and you_write; timebat because not Jews as_if from of_God oracle/prophecy promised hiddenrent, when/but_if himself to_want him perimere sentirent. Therefore/For_that_reason also promised himself to_adore, not who/any sentiret dolum his: but without suspicione because grace favour to_him renuntiarent.
UGNT τότε Ἡρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους, ἠκρίβωσεν παρ’ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.
(tote Haʸrōdaʸs lathra kalesas tous magous, aʸkribōsen par’ autōn ton ⱪronon tou fainomenou asteros.)
SBL-GNT Τότε Ἡρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους ἠκρίβωσεν παρʼ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος,
(Tote Haʸrōdaʸs lathra kalesas tous magous aʸkribōsen parʼ autōn ton ⱪronon tou fainomenou asteros,)
RP-GNT Τότε Ἡρῴδης, λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους, ἠκρίβωσεν παρ' αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.
(Tote Haʸrōdaʸs, lathra kalesas tous magous, aʸkribōsen par' autōn ton ⱪronon tou fainomenou asteros.)
TC-GNT ¶ Τότε Ἡρῴδης, λάθρᾳ καλέσας τοὺς μάγους, ἠκρίβωσε παρ᾽ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.
( ¶ Tote Haʸrōdaʸs, lathra kalesas tous magous, aʸkribōse par autōn ton ⱪronon tou fainomenou asteros. )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
In this section, Matthew showed his readers that:
Jesus was indeed born in Bethlehem as scripture predicted (even though he would later move to Nazareth, and people considered him to be a Nazarene).
The Jewish religious teachers who knew the law did not go to worship the king of the Jews. It was the Gentile wise men who worshiped him.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Visit of the Wise Men (NET)
Visitors from the East (GNT)
Herod tried to trick the wise men. He wanted to know exactly how old the baby Jesus was. And he wanted to know exactly where the baby was. But he did not want them to know that he was planning to kill the child (2:13).
Then Herod called the Magi secretly
¶ Then Herod secretly called/summoned the astrologers to meet with him,
¶ When Herod heard this, he invited the men who studied the stars to a private meeting.
Then: The word Then here implies that Herod’s meeting with the chief priests and scribes (in 2:4–6) had ended. It introduces the next event.
In some languages, it may be natural to add some implied information here. For example:
After the meeting ended then
When Herod heard this, then
Herod called the Magi: The Greek word that the BSB translates as called also means “summoned.”
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
summoned (ESV)
told to come to him
invited
secretly: The Greek word that the BSB translates as secretly indicates that Herod did not want other people to know about the meeting. Here is another way to translate this:
privately (NJB)
and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared.
and he learned from them exactly when the star had appeared.
Then he asked them to tell him the exact time/day when they first saw the star, and they told him.
learned from them the exact time the star had appeared: The Greek word that the BSB translates as learned refers to gaining clear and exact knowledge about something. Herod asked the wise men about the precise time the star first appeared. He perhaps even asked them the exact date. And they told him. Herod probably assumed that the child was born on the same day that the star first appeared. He then calculated the age of the child from the time they specified.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared (NRSV)
asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared (NJB)
exact time the star had appeared: The Greek word that the BSB translates as appeared can also mean “became visible.”
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the first time they saw the star
when the star arose
when the star showed itself
This same word occurs in 1:20.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε Ἡρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τούς μάγους ἠκρίβωσεν πάρʼ αὐτῶν τόν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος)
Here, Matthew is using the possessive form to describe the time when the star appeared. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the time at which the star appeared]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotations
ἠκρίβωσεν παρ’ αὐτῶν τὸν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος.
ascertained (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τότε Ἡρῴδης λάθρᾳ καλέσας τούς μάγους ἠκρίβωσεν πάρʼ αὐτῶν τόν χρόνον τοῦ φαινομένου ἀστέρος)
It may be more natural in your language to have a direct quotation here. Alternate translation: [inquired from them, “What was the time of the appearing of the star?”]