The Bethlehem Star, Pt. 2

December 24th, 2025
by Lance Waldie

Matthew 2:7, 9 Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared… and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was.

Although the word for “star” (Gr. aster; Heb. kokab) in Scripture can be any shining point of light in the night sky, an actual star in the heavens is an enormous mass of hydrogen and helium gas powered by nuclear fusion. The star in Matthew 2 is nothing of the sort.

Some have surmised a supernova in Matthew 2 since it can shine brightly for months after explosion. But a supernova does not fit Matthew’s description of the star that went utterly unnoticed by Herod, for he had to ask the magi when the star first appeared. Likewise, a comet does not fit Matthew’s wording since comets do not move in such a way so as to stand over a specific location as described in Matthew 2:9. A popular theory today of the star is that it was a conjunction of planets, a phenomenon seen when one planet passes closely by a star or by another planet. This would likely have been noticed by the magi since they were astronomers, but the average observer would not likely have noticed. What makes this theory popular is the fact that two of these conjunctions occurred very near to the traditional time of Christ’s birth. One occurred when Jupiter and Saturn passed near to each other beginning in the year 7 BC. It occurred again when Jupiter and the bright star Regulus lined up beginning in the year 3 BC.

Both of these events are so close to the possible date of Christ’s birth that advocates believe one of them must be the Christmas star. Add to that the fact that Jupiter was often considered the king of the gods, and Regulus was considered the “king star,” and what better time to conclude that the King of kings would be born with the heavens telling the glory of God as Psalm 19:1 says? Yet Matthew describes a singular star, not a conjunction of two or more stars. Astronomer Jason Lisle concludes that neither the conjunction in 7 BC nor the one in 3 BC were close enough to appear as a single star, especially to expert astronomers like the magi.

One final theory that can also be debunked is the one which claims that in 2 BC Jupiter and Venus lined up so closely that they would have been interpreted by the naked eye as one single and very bright star—but just for a brief time on the evening of June 17. Yet it is because of this brief moment of brightness that this cannot be the star described in Matthew. After all, the magi saw the star on at least two occasions—before they arrived in Jerusalem (Matt. 2:2) and after they met with Herod (Matt. 2:9). Later, when the star reappeared, the magi rejoiced exceedingly! In the end, no natural explanation can be given for a normal star going ahead of anyone and standing over a specific location as the Bethlehem star in Matthew 2:9. It had to be the Shekinah.

Stars appear to rise in the east and set in the west or circle around the celestial poles. Yet the Bible does not say that this star was a natural phenomenon. Although God has set the laws of nature into motion, at times God acts outside of those laws (e.g., virgin birth, healing the sick, resurrection of dead, etc.). The Christmas star illustrates this, as do all God’s miracles. Moreover, God had earlier led Israel by a pillar of cloud by day and of fire by night (Exod. 13:21).

For the magi, God guided them to Bethlehem by a pillar of light, the Shekinah. Being from the east, likely Persia, the magi may have been influenced by Daniel five centuries prior and were looking for the star that Numbers 24:17 promised would come from Israel. They even referred to the star as “His star,” showing that they knew it pointed to a specific King. And where better to search for the sign than in Israel where Numbers 24:17 said the King would be born? From their vantage point in the east, they saw the star appear. The fact that the King of kings had indeed been born by that time means that God certainly led the magi to meet and worship Him.