Then Herod, when he saw, &c.— Perceiving that he was mocked by the Magi—slew all the children—entering on the second year and under, according to the time which he had exactly learned, &c. Knatchbull. The word ενεπαιχθη , in the original, rendered mocked, signifies properly to be played with, and well expresses the view in which the pride of Herod taught him to regard this action, as if it were intended to expose him to the derision of his subjects, and to treat him as a child, rather than as a prince of so great experience and renown. Haman's rage against Mordecai is expressed by the LXX in the same terms as Herod's anger is here. See Esther 3:5; Esther 5:9. It is probable that Herod in his passion ordered the slaughter of the infants, as soon as he perceived that he was disappointed in his expectation of the return of the wise men; lest otherwise the child, of whom he was so jealous, might be removed: and, as his cruelty extended even to those who had entered on the second year, which is expressly said to be according to the time of which he had got exact information from the sages; it must be natural hence to conclude, that it was not till some considerable time after the birth of Christ that he was visited by the wise men; even though we should allow the first appearance of the star to have been, as some suppose, about the time of Christ's conception. The truth is, it is very difficult to determine the exact period of time when the wise men paid their visit to Christ; though it appears to me most probable from the 11th verse that it was at the time of his nativity. See Sir Norton Knatchbull, and Bedford's Chronology, p. 740. The reader willfind, at the end of Bishop Chandler's Vindication of his Defence, a piece which well deserves his perusal, intitled, The Slaughter of the Children in Bethlehem, as an historical Fact in St. Matthew's Gospel, vindicated, &c.
Dr. Campbell reads, all the children, all the male children, τους παιδας. I do not deny, says he, that there may be instances wherein the Greek term οι παιδες, like the other οι υιοι, may mean children in general .The phrase, both in Hebrew and in Greek, is, the sons of Israel, which our translators render the children of Israel, as nobody doubts that the whole posterity is meant. We address an audience of men and women by the title brethren; and under the denomination all men, the whole species is included. But in such examples, the universality of the application is either previously known from common usage, or is manifest from the subject or occasion. Where this cannot be said, the words ought to be strictly interpreted. Add to this, 1st, That the historian seems here purposely to have changed the term παιδιον, which is used for child no less than nine times in this chapter; as that word, being neuter, and admitting only the neuter article, was not fit for marking the distinction of sexes; and to have adopted a term which he nowhere else employs for infants, though frequently for men-servants, and once for youths or boys: 2nd, That the reason of the thing points to the interpretation that I have given. It made no more for Herod's purpose to destroy female children, than to massacre grown men and women; and, tyrant though he was, that he meant to go no farther than, in his way of judging, his own securityrendered expedient, is evident from the instructions which he gave to his emissaries, in regard to the age of the infants to be sacrificed to his jealousy, that they might not exceed such an age, nor be under such another.