What Was the Massacre of the Innocents in the Bible?

The Bible gives the account in Matthew 2:16-18. Earlier in the chapter, the Magi (wise men) follow a unique star to Jerusalem, seeking the Messiah. They go to the logical place to inquire about a new ruler, King Herod’s palace. Herod becomes unsettled after the Magi express their desire to worship the Messiah. King Herod views this new birth as a threat to his throne. His court knew nothing about Jesus’ birth. 

Herod brings in the chief priests and scribes to determine where Christ was to be born. The religious leaders point to Micah 5:2, which prophesies Bethlehem as the birthplace of the Messiah. Bethlehem was King David’s hometown, and the Messiah was prophesied to come from that lineage. Herod tells the Magi to find the child and report back so the king can also worship the Messiah, but he sought to kill the child rather than worship him. 

After finding Jesus and giving him expensive gifts, God warns the Magi in a dream and they don’t return to Herod. They take another way home. 

When Herod realizes the Magi aren’t coming back, he reacts with ruthless violence. He orders the massacre of all male children two years old and younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area. Matthew’s Gospel connects this to Jeremiah 31:15, where Rachel weeps for her children. Rachel was one of Jacob’s (renamed Israel) wives. She bore Joseph and Benjamin. 

Rachel was buried near Bethlehem and symbolized the sorrow of Jewish mothers as children were taken from them. Jeremiah prophesies this during the Babylonian exile, a time of great weeping and despair. Matthew uses this verse to highlight the horrific act and oppression by a person in power, Herod. 

The Bible doesn’t specify the exact number of children killed during the massacre. However, Bethlehem was a small town in a rural area. Historians estimate the population was 300-1,000 people. The number of boys two years and younger would have been 10-20. While a small number, somewhat insignificant in the larger history of empires like Rome, the massacre remains striking and important. It reveals Herod’s heart and the attack on the whole lineage and emergence of the Messiah who was to save the world.

We also don’t find the event recorded elsewhere in history. The small number might have been understandably overlooked or minimized by those who didn’t understand the full scale of importance. And Herod’s reign was full of great evil.

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King Herod, also referred to as Herod the Great, ruled during Judea during the time of Jesus’ birth. He reigned from 37 BC to 4 BC. 

Herod wasn’t of Jewish descent. He was Idumean, a people forced to convert to Judaism. He aligned himself with Jewish customs and traditions to become their political king. Truly, the Roman Senate recognized him as a client king. The empire placed him into power more than the Jewish people. So while he ruled Judea, he answered to the Roman Empire. 

Since his relationship with Rome was the foundation of his power, he worked hard to keep favor with the emperors and politics. The Roman military helped him crush rebellions against him and maintain his rule. The position was precarious, however, because he had to manage Roman pressure and a Jewish population who didn’t appreciate being noncitizens. And they wanted to be free from empirical control. This dangerous position made Herod paranoid. He feared losing his power to rivals, including from his own family. His rule became infamous for cruelty and corruption. 

Herod massacred his own family. He had several of his own sons and even his wife, Mariamne, executed because he thought they might try to overthrow him. Along with his corruption and violent suppression of any uprisings, he heavily taxed the Jews. Although he built massive structures, such as expanding the Second Temple in Jerusalem, he is still known today as a violent and oppressive ruler. 

Killing a few children in a small town would have been consistent with his character and behavior. 

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On one level, the Bible clearly tells us Herod ordered the massacre of the innocents in Bethlehem because he wanted to eliminate any threat to his reign. If the man would kill his own children and wife, he would surely do the same to what he considered forgettable children in a small town. He also had the Roman army to support him if any rebellion or reaction resulted, so he abused this power and killed rather than protected his people. 

Herod’s actions show us more than his personal ambition, however. They reveal the deeper spiritual struggle between the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of Christ. Scripture contains accounts of earthly rulers often opposing God’s purposes to serve their own power. Psalm 2:2-3 says, “The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against His Anointed.” Herod’s attempt to destroy Jesus at his birth simply carries on the theme of outside and internal enemies of God trying to stop God’s redemptive plan through political means. 

Therefore, Herod’s massacre manifested the world’s hatred for Christ and His Kingdom. Jesus represents a divine order that challenges human selfishness, greed, and pride. Christ’s Kingdom is ruled by humility, love, and truth. Daniel prophesies how this Heavenly Kingdom will destroy all other empires (Daniel 2), and the threat to the powers of this rule is real. Those powers are based on selfishness and corruption, so they become exploitive, violent, and oppressive. God’s Kingdom will overturn them with righteousness. 

We not only see this in the past but will see it in the future. Revelation prophesies how the kingdoms of this world oppose Jesus and His Kingdom. In Revelation 12:4-5, the dragon (Satan) tries to devour the child (who some believe to be Christ), in order to stop God’s redemptive plan. This reimagines the massacre of the innocents. Revelation 13 further reveals how earthly powers follow the Antichrist to wage war against God’s people. However, these attempts fail to stop the all-powerful God. Revelation 11:15 says, “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of our Lord,” telling us how Christ will have the ultimate victory. 

In the same way, while Herod’s massacre did great harm, God’s plan couldn’t be stopped. Jesus survived and fulfilled his mission. At the same time, God calls us to protect the innocent and will hold us accountable if we oppress others. 

Proverbs 6:16-17 lists seven things God hates, including “hands that shed innocent blood.” This strong language teaches us how God values all human life and particularly the innocent. So, he hates those who bring them harm. God’s justice and love require consequences for such, as he says in Exodus 23:7: “Do not kill the innocent and righteous, for I will not acquit the wicked.” God sits as the ultimate judge to ensure wrongdoing won’t go unpunished. 

God calls his people to defend the innocent, aligning with the Lord’s truth and justice. Isaiah 1:17 encourages people to “seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.” Disciples of Jesus should actively advocate for those who can’t defend themselves. When men and women abuse their power over others, especially the weak and marginalized, God brings consequences. Deuteronomy 27:25 states, “Cursed is anyone who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.” 

Jesus reiterates these points when he warns against harming children. “If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.” Jesus teaches here regarding his care for the innocents of children and also warns of severe ramifications for those who harm children. 

What happened to Herod? He died in four BC after a long and painful illness, probably some type of kidney disease and gangrene. The historian Josephus writes his final days were filled with even greater paranoia. He tried to make sure people would mourn him, and he ordered the execution of Jewish leaders when he died, those who he thought opposed him. However, no one carried out this insane order. Once he died, the area was divided among his sons which led to a weaker rule. 

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Jesus warned his disciples, “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first” (John 15:18). Looking through the rest of Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, the narrative surrounding Jesus’ death would be incomplete if it didn’t include great and violent resistance. The Gospel calls us to the cross, to put to death our pride, and to receive eternal life now and forever. However, many reject this, and Scripture is clear that there will be spiritual and political resistance to the Gospel. 

Further, killing babies isn’t new. It reflects a recurring pattern in history. Tyrannies and oppressive systems encourage or carry out the murder of innocent babies, like Pharaoh’s command in Exodus 1:22. Pharaoh also feared the growing population of God’s people and sought to curb their growth by killing boy babies. Pharaoh’s plan ultimately failed due to the shrewd wisdom of the Hebrew midwives. Herod’s massacre echoes Pharaoh’s instructions, revealing to us how oppressive powers target the innocent and the people of God out of hatred or in an attempt to gain more control and power. 

This leads us to look at two modern day aspects. Many political platforms support or actually celebrate the killing of the unborn, even up to the day of birth when the child could clearly live apart from the mother. Out of love for mothers, fathers, and children, Christians must seriously advocate for the innocent, unborn lives made in God’s image. It is an act of love for all people to stand against these injustices, since God holds people accountable. 

Second, an estimated 26 million Christians have been martyred worldwide over the last century. These deaths have occurred in many areas and countries openly hostile to Christianity. Believers have faced prison, torture, and execution in such nations. Martyrs keep preaching the Gospel, refusing to renounce their faith. We should pray for these courageous people and advocate for their human dignity and justice. Despite their suffering, martyrs testify according to the power of the Gospel and will receive a heavenly reward (Matthew 5:10). Often, the Gospel explodes in countries seeking to persecute believers. 

Despite Herod’s attempt to destroy the Messiah, God’s sovereignty protected his Son and fulfilled his redemptive plan. This encourages us today. No matter how violently the world reacts to the Gospel and we who preach it, God’s purposes will endure and have victory. As Jesus declared, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it” (Matthew 16:18). Just as death and oppression couldn’t stop Jesus, neither can it stop his Word from completing the eternal story. 

Throughout history, tyrants have tried to end Christ’s message, but it has always endured. We must trust God’s sovereignty and proclaim the message with courage, knowing his unshakable Kingdom will prevail. 

Peace. 

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