* These men traveled a long way from a country far to the east of Israel. It is not known exactly where they came from or who they were. But they were obviously scholars who studied the stars.
* They may have been descendants of the wise men who served the Babylonian kings in Daniel's time and who were trained in many things, including studying the stars and interpreting dreams.
* Traditionally people have said that there were three of these men because they brought three gifts to Jesus. However, the Bible does not say how many men there were.