“Who were the wise men?,” For the Strength of Youth, Jan. 2023.
To the Point
Who were the Wise Men?
The scriptures tell us that “wise men [came] from the east” (Matthew 2:1) to seek the Savior. The term wise men comes from a Persian word, magi. Though we aren’t told exactly who these men were, there are a few things we can say we know about them from what we are told.
People have traditionally thought there were three Wise Men because they brought three gifts. But it’s unclear from the scriptures how many Wise Men there actually were. We also understand that they visited Jesus as a young child rather than as a baby (see Matthew 2:11).
The Wise Men clearly were righteous and knew some prophecies about the Messiah’s birth. They may have been from a branch of the Lord’s people. They diligently sought the Son of God and were led to Him by the Spirit. They brought Him gifts and then returned to bear witness of His birth to their people. They were also warned in a dream not to tell Herod where the child was.
Their faithfulness and diligence can be an inspiring example to us in our personal journeys to draw closer to the Savior.