Day 4 - The “3” Wise Men

Now I’ve grown up watching plays and manger scenes which all have 3 Magi or Wise men. I’ve sung the song “We Three Kings.” Yet, the Bible does not tell us how many Wise Men came to see Jesus.

We know, from Matthew 2:11 that they came bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Common sense, and tradition, would then suggest that there were 3, each bearing a gift. However, there could have been 2 (with one bearing 2 gifts) or more than 3 (with a couple bearing the same gift, or a couple bearing no gift).

Though tradition says there were 3, let’s not be too insistent on this point.