.
The two-year time frame wasn't referenced from the day that the magi
spoke with Herod. It was marked beginning with the day the magi first saw
the apparition back in their homeland.
• Matt 2:2 . .We have seen his star in the east
• Matt 2:7 . . Then Herod, when he had privily called the wise men, inquired
of them diligently what time the star appeared.
• Matt 2:16 . . Herod gave orders to kill all the boys in accordance with the
time he had learned from the Magi.
It's commonly assumed the magi set out on their journey the very day that
they spotted the apparition in their homeland; but I don't think we can be
certain that they did.
Plus, it appears from Matt 2:12 that the apparition alone wasn't their only
guide. In other words: I think it reasonable to believe that the magi learned
the meaning of this curious object from God rather than from books, and
began preparing an expedition only after He instructed them to rather than
on their own initiative.
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