People & groups
Magi
Learned eastern visitors who came to honor the child Jesus in Matthew’s account.
Also called · Wise men · Visitors from the East
What it means
Magi were associated in the ancient world with court learning, dreams, astrology, or other specialized knowledge. Matthew says they followed a star.
The text does not call them kings, give their names, or state that there were three; that number is inferred later from the three kinds of gifts.
How it appears in the Bible
Their journey from the East contrasts their homage with Herod’s hostility and signals the wider significance of Jesus’ birth.
Translation note
“Wise men” is a traditional explanatory rendering; “Magi” preserves the ancient title without defining every practice.