They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
It was a mark of humiliation put upon the Lord Jesus that, though he was the Desire of all nations, yet his coming into the world was little observed and taken notice of, his birth was obscure and unregarded: herein he emptied himself, and made himself of no reputation.
Commenting on Matthew 2:1-8
And they said unto him,.... They answer without any hesitation, it being a generally received notion, and a thing well known among them, in Bethlehem of Judea; and give their reason for it; for thus it is written by the prophet, that is, the prophet Micah, in whose prophecy, Mic 5:2 it stands, and is as follows:
Verses 5, 6. By the prophet. The sanhedrim answered without hesitation. It was settled by prophecy. This prophecy is found in . In that prophecy, both the place of his birth and the character of the Messiah are so clearly set forth, that there was no room to doubt.