How Many Babies Did Herod Kill? (Massacre of the Innocents)

The Massacre of the Innocents and Herod’s Rage

When the wise men who came to worship the baby Jesus did not return to King Herod, the king was enraged. He sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.

This is referred to as the Massacre of the Innocents. Some assume this to have been a massive slaughter. The Byzantine liturgical calendar records that 14 ,000 holy innocents were slain by Herod. The Coptics believe it was 144 ,000 children, which would have been a quarter of the population of Jerusalem at that time.

Why the Number of Victims Was Small but the Event Was Still a Massacre

But realistically, less than a hundred boys were killed. Only male children under the age of two were slain, in Bethlehem and the surrounding rule area. The number was fewer than we imagine, but this was still a massacre, fulfilling a prophecy made by Jeremiah.

Habakkuk’s Cry Over Violence and God’s Answer

Why would God allow such carnage? Hundreds of years earlier, the prophet Habakkuk asked God, How long shall I cry to you, violence, and you will not save? Why do you make me see iniquity, and why do you idly look at wrong?

And God replied, Look among the nations, and see, wonder, and be astounded. For I am doing a work in your days that you would not believe if told. Such evil occurs because of sin, and justice is coming.

God’s Sovereign Use of Evil to Bring Salvation

But God is using even the wickedness of man to accomplish His will. Through the violent death of His own Son, which God foreordained, He brings salvation to sinners. Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and you will be saved from judgment when we understand the text.

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