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King James Version (KJV)
“In our prayers we talk to God, in our Bible study God talks to us, and we had better let God do most of the talking.”
— D.L. Moody
Scripture focus
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11 — KJV
The house. By this time Jesus was at least 40 days old, perhaps older (see on Luke 2:22).
Fell down. A common Oriental manner of expressing supreme respect and reverence, to men, to idols, and to God (see Esther 8:3; Job 1:20; Isa. 46:6; Dan. 3:7; etc.).
Worshipped him. In spite of their earlier disappointments the wise men knew that this Child was the One for whom they had journeyed far.
Their treasures. Gr. thesauroi, meaning either “caskets,” “treasure chests” used as receptacles for valuables, or “treasures.” The word is translated “treasures” in Matt. 6:20 and in Col. 2:3. The singular (thesauros) denotes a storehouse in Matt. 13:52.
Gifts. In Oriental lands one would never think of paying a visit to a prince or any high official without presenting a gift as an act of homage. Compare the presentation of gifts to Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 43:11), to Samuel (1 Sam. 9:7, 8), to Solomon (1 Kings 10:2), and to God (Ps. 96:8).
Frankincense. A white or pale yellow resinous gum obtained by making incisions in the bark of trees of the genus Boswellia. It is bitter to the taste but fragrant when burned as incense. It was used as an ingredient in the sacred incense for the sanctuary (Ex. 30:8, 34). It was usually imported from Arabia (Isa. 60:6; Jer. 6:20).
Myrrh. Another aromatic gum highly prized in ancient times, bitter and slightly pungent in taste. It was probably obtained from a small tree, the Balsamodendron myrrha or Commiflora myrrha, native to Arabia and East Africa. It was an ingredient used in compounding the holy oil (Ex. 30:23-25), and perfume (Esther 2:12; Ps. 45:8; Prov. 7:17), and was used as an anodyne, mixed with wine (Mark 15:23), and for embalming (John 19:39).
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