Herod the Great

Herod the Great was the Roman-appointed king of Judea who was reigning when Jesus was born (Matthew 2:1; Luke 1:5). A capable but ruthless builder-king — he greatly expanded the Jerusalem temple — he was notoriously paranoid about threats to his throne.

The magi and the newborn King

When wise men from the East came seeking "he that is born King of the Jews," Herod "was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him." He learned from the chief priests that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem, and secretly asked the magi to report back to him, pretending he too wished to worship the child (Matthew 2:1–8).

The slaughter of the innocents

Warned in a dream, the magi did not return, and Joseph fled with Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Enraged, Herod ordered the killing of all the boys in Bethlehem two years old and under — the "slaughter of the innocents" — fulfilling Jeremiah's lament of "Rachel weeping for her children" (Matthew 2:16–18). He died shortly after, and his kingdom was divided among his sons.