Word of the Day - 1/7/2009

Equivocate

To equivocate is to use ambiguous or unclear expressions, usually to avoid commitment or in order to mislead.

Herod I (or Herod the Great) equivocates to the Magi. He tells them that he wishes them to find the Bethlehem baby because he wishes to worship him when in reality he wishes to eliminate a perceived rival to his throne.

And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him." (Matthew 2:8, NASB)

Note: This painting of Herod and the Magi comes from the early fifteenth century.