CHILDREN OF THE EAST. One of the trs. of the Heb. בְנֵי־קֶֽדֶם, sons of the east in KJV. RSV usually tr. the term “people of the East,” as does KJV occasionally (Gen 29:1). The term “children of the east” does not occur in the RSV.

The term generally describes those E of Pal. In Genesis 29:1, it esp. applies to the inhabitants of Haran in Mesopotamia. Job is described as one of them (Job 1:3).

From 1 Kings 4:30 one can assume that these people were famous for their wisdom, and the wise men mentioned in Matthew 2:1 could be of that same people.