Wise Men
Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)
[Magi]
See also: magi
Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)
Mentioned in Dan. 2:12 included three classes, (1) astrologers, (2) Chaldeans, and (3) soothsayers. The word in the original (hakamim) probably means “medicine men. In Chaldea medicine was only a branch of magic. The “wise men” of Matt. 2:7, who came from the East to Jerusalem, were magi from Persia or Arabia.
Public-domain reference works, shown as published. They are historical and may differ from current scholarship; Aide names the interpretive tradition where it matters in the Lens and classes.