“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
2:2 To do him homage - To pay him that honour, by bowing to the earth before him, which the eastern nations used to pay to their monarchs.
Mt 2:2 Where is he that is born King of the Jews? Their question shows two things: (1) That they partook of the general expectation that about this time there would appear in the East a Ruler divinely appointed to his mission. The works of profane writers of this period show that this expectation was general. (2) It is plain that the wise men misapprehended the mission of Christ, and expected him to be a secular king. We have seen his star in the east. No certain conclusion can be reached as to what this appearance in the heavens was, and it is useless to enter into the discussion. It seemed a part of God's plan that Gentiles as well as Jews should offer homage to the infant King.