I am grateful to have the internet link working in the new (remote) library/office space.
Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived [some translations say “outwitted”, & KJV has it “mocked”] by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
Matthew 2:16-18, parenthetical comment mine
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
Me: Good evening, Jesus!
Jesus: Good evening, Jon!
Me: Herod did not seem to care at all about the prophecy that said You were the Messiah. He only seemed to be driven by myopic self interest. I have long been puzzled by this passage, which seems to say Herod’s wrath was against “deception” by the Magi.
Jesus: The word is ἐνεπαίχθη (enepaichthē). It has the same root as the word used to describe the Roman soldiers mocking (ἐνέπαιξαν, enepaixan ) Me prior to my crucifixion. You might better understand its use if it was rendered “defied”. Why was Herod so angry that the Magi had defied his direction? Because it delayed his murderous intent. Understand that attitude is Satan’s (John 10:10). Herod thought he was directing his own affairs, but his attitude in fact made him fully yield to the destroyer. Herod was an unwitting tool of hell. The historical record, outside the scriptures, leaves no doubt of the many that he had killed if his paranoid heart thought there was a hint of challenge to him. He was not even a good servant of the devil. His self-serving was so extreme that he was incapable of listening well, even to Satan’s deceptions. Though Herod was a client king subject to Roman interests, it simply never occurred to him that though I was born in Bethlehem and thus fulfilled the prophecy by Micah, that we were not permanent residents of Bethlehem, only being there temporarily because of the Roman census. (Luke 2:39)
The large caravan of the Magi could not be hidden. Eventually, Herod would learn where the star had guided them instead of to Bethlehem (contrary to popular tradition). Neighbors fearful of Herod, would have revealed the house they had entered. This is the reason that Joseph was warned to flee with My mother and Me.
Me: My wife and I wondered if Herod’s killing of children extended to Nazareth after Your family fled to Egypt. What does “all its districts” mean for a small village like Bethlehem?
Jesus: Nazareth was many day’s journey from Bethlehem. Herod murdered many, including in his own family, lest a son come to lay claim to his throne. But, in this case, the house entered by the Magi was specifically identified, unlike the more open question of which of the infants in Bethlehem were of the age indicated by the appearance of the star to the Magi. The villagers of Nazareth could all testify that Joseph had fled with Me.
On our return, Galilee was more under control of the Romans and Joseph was more comfortable returning home than he would have been in Judea.
Me: Thank You Jesus! I love You!
Jesus: You are welcome! I love you!
Notes:
Galilee is somewhat isolated from Judea by the distance through Samaria.
The phrase “It is better to be Herod’s pig than his son” is a well-known quote attributed to Emperor Augustus, reflecting the extreme paranoia and ruthlessness of Herod the Great, who ruled Judea as a client king under Roman authority.
The statement is recorded in the Saturnalia of Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, a Roman writer from the early 5th century CE, who compiled a collection of conversations from the late 4th century.
According to Macrobius, Augustus made the remark upon hearing that Herod had ordered the execution of all male children under the age of two in the region of Syria, an event known as the Slaughter of the Innocents, which is described in the Gospel of Matthew.
The irony of the quote lies in the Greek homonymy between “pig” (hys) and “son” (huios), both of which sound similar in Greek.
Since Herod was a Jew and observed Jewish dietary laws, he would not have eaten pork, making his pig safe from execution. In contrast, Herod had a history of killing members of his own family, including three of his sons—Antipater, Alexander, and Aristobulus—whom he suspected of plotting against him.
Antipater, his firstborn son and heir, was executed just five days before Herod’s own death in 4 BC.
Missionary Sojourn 