Who were the wise men (Magi)?

Short answer

The wise men, or Magi, were learned Gentiles from the East, probably from Persia or Babylon, who studied the stars. Led by a star, they came to Jerusalem and Bethlehem to worship the newborn King of the Jews and brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Bible does not say there were three of them, does not call them kings and does not give their names.

In nativity scenes three kings in crowns kneel by the manger next to the shepherds. The Bible tells their story differently. Only Matthew mentions the wise men, in twelve verses (Matthew 2:1–12), and what he says is both simpler and more surprising than the tradition.

Magi from the East

Matthew begins with the time, the place and the visitors.

Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
Matt 2:1–2 · King James Version (1769)

The Greek word is magoi, Magi, the source of our word “magic.” John MacArthur explains that they were not kings but astrologers and sages, probably from Persia, and suggests that their knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures may go back to the time of Daniel, who served among the wise men of Babylon. William MacDonald describes them as Gentile priests whose learning made them advisers to kings, and admits that we do not know exactly where in the East they lived. John Wesley calls them “the first fruits of the Gentiles”: the first non-Jews to come to Christ.

Herod, the king who received them, was Herod the Great. MacArthur notes that he reigned from 37 to 4 BC, so Jesus was born before 4 BC. Herod was cruel and cunning, and the news of a newborn King of the Jews alarmed him and all Jerusalem with him (Matthew 2:3).

Three kings? What the Bible does not say

Much of the popular picture comes from later tradition, not from Matthew.

The number. Matthew never says how many there were. MacArthur explains that the number three was taken from the three gifts.
The title. They were Magi, not kings. MacArthur says so plainly: they were sages and stargazers, not rulers.
The names. The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar come from church tradition. The Bible gives no names.
The time. The Magi did not come on the night of the birth. They found the Child in a house, not a stable (Matthew 2:11), and Herod later killed the boys of Bethlehem two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from them (Matthew 2:16). MacDonald concludes that they came some time after the birth, perhaps up to two years later.

None of this makes the story less true. It simply lets us read what Matthew actually wrote.

The star and the prophecies

Why would astrologers in the East connect a star with a Jewish king? Long before, the pagan prophet Balaam had said that a star would come out of Jacob.

I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Scepter shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
Num 24:17 · King James Version (1769)

Wesley thinks the Magi had heard Balaam’s prophecy, and when they saw the unusual star, God showed them it was being fulfilled. As to what the star was, commentators differ. The New Geneva Study Bible allows that it may have been a conjunction of planets, a new star or something supernatural. MacArthur argues that a star that went before them and stopped over one place (Matthew 2:9) cannot be a natural event and compares it to the pillar of cloud that led Israel in the wilderness.

The star brought them to Jerusalem, but it was Scripture that pointed them to Bethlehem. Herod gathered the chief priests and scribes, and they answered at once from the prophet Micah (Micah 5:2).

And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judea: for thus it is written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah: for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel.
Matt 2:5–6 · King James Version (1769)

MacArthur makes a sobering point: these religious leaders knew exactly where the Messiah would be born, yet none of them went with the Magi to find Him. Herod, meanwhile, asked the visitors to report back so that he too could “worship” the Child, though he really meant to kill Him (Matthew 2:7–8).

Gold, frankincense and myrrh

When the star appeared again, the Magi rejoiced with great joy and followed it to the house where the Child was.

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Matt 2:10–11 · King James Version (1769)

MacDonald notes that they worshipped Jesus, not Mary or Joseph, and that Matthew names the Child before His mother, because this Child was unique. Their gifts were fit for a king. Many have seen meaning in each one: MacDonald links gold with His deity and glory, frankincense with the fragrance of His perfect life, and myrrh, a bitter spice used in burial, with the sufferings He would bear for the sins of the world. The New Geneva Study Bible adds that the Magi probably did not understand all this themselves, but Matthew shows that the prophecies of nations bringing gifts to Israel’s King were beginning to come true (Psalm 72:10, Isaiah 60:6).

Warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went home by another way (Matthew 2:12). MacDonald draws a simple lesson: no one who truly meets Christ goes back the same way.

Why their story matters

Matthew Henry notes the contrast at the heart of this story: strangers from far away searched diligently for Christ, while His own people, who had the Scriptures and lived a few miles from Bethlehem, did not take one step to see Him. The Magi had less light, but they followed the light they had, and it led them to Jesus.

Their journey shows from the very start of the Gospel that Jesus came not only for Israel but for all nations. And it asks every reader the same question it asked Jerusalem: knowing where He is to be found, will you go and worship Him?