Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. The secrecy of Herod's inquiry is the secrecy of calculation: he needs the star's timing to set the age limit for his massacre (verse 16). The wise men who came seeking a king to worship are now unwittingly providing information to a king plotting murder. The contrast between the Magi's open worship and Herod's secret planning is the contrast between two responses to the news of Jesus — one that gives itself and one that tries to eliminate the threat. James 4:13–16 warns against the planning of those who forget that God's purposes override human calculation; Herod's careful timing will be undone by a dream and a flight.

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