Real Bible Translation

those who are saying, "Where is he? The King who was begotten of the Casters ("Judeans")? For we perceived the Star of Himself within the Rising One ("the East") and we came to fall in worship to himself!"⁷

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
Where is he born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the sunrising, and have come to worship him.

LITV Translation:
saying, Where is He born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.

Footnotes

Mat 2:2

Strong's Greek #792 ἀστέρα, estera. a star.

Parallels אסתר the pronunciation almost exactly. See Strongs Hebrew #635, ester. Esther, (Persian stâra, star).

“the King who was brought forth of the Judeans” (ὁ βασιλεὺς ὁ τεχθεὶς τῶν Ἰουδαίων) is a grammatically valid and meaningful formulation in Greek, and obviously with a distinct nuance from the canonical renderings of ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων. With a nominative "king" stuck right between "born" and "the Judeans/Jews" and the flexible word ordering of Greek, which way should it be interpreted?

Greek phrase	Literal syntax	English sense	Emphasis
ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων	participle first → “the one born [as] king of the Judeans”	“the king of the Judeans who was born”	stresses the event of birth as revealing kingship
ὁ τεχθεὶς βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων	noun first → “the king who was born of the Judeans”	“the king who was brought forth from the Judeans”	stresses identity (king) and origin (from the Judeans/Jews)

The Genitive case here would most naturally be interpreted as a Genitive of Separation (e.g., from the Judeans) or a Partitive Genitive (e.g., one of the Judeans). The verb τίκτω literally means "to bring forth into the world, engender" and usually takes a $genitive$ or the preposition $ε κ$ ( $ek$ + genitive) to denote the parent (the source of birth). One wouldn't expect a group or nation to engender a child, and thus the idea overlooked. But then, that is wholly dependent on contextual interpretation and moreover the word τίκτω is used in such metaphorical sense:

In Greek literature, τίκτω (and its related forms) is used not only for physical birth but also to describe generation, production, and causation in abstract, moral, cosmic, and literary contexts. Have a look at these examples:

1. Producing social or natural phenomena

λέγω τὴν χώρην λιμὸν τέξεσθαι (Hdt. 7.49)
- “I say that the land produces famine.”
- Here τίκτει is used metaphorically: the land is mother to famine, producing it as an effect of scarcity or mismanagement.
- Sense: environment or conditions generating outcomes.
ἐπειχθῆναι πρῆγμα τίκτει σφάλματα (Hdt. 10.ζ)
- “When a matter is handled harshly, it gives birth to mistakes.”
- Metaphorical causation: human actions produce consequences, conceptualized as offspring.
- Sense: agency or effect as generative.

2. Moral and ethical generation

τὸ γὰρ δυσσεβὲς ἔργον … τίκτει (Aeschylus, Ag. 759; cf. 763, Ch. 805)
- “An impious deed brings forth (generates) consequences.”
- τίκτει here expresses moral causality: an immoral act begets further evil.
- Abstract “birth” of consequences, reinforcing the causal imagery of τίκτω.
ἡ ἐπιθυμία … τίκτει ἁμαρτίαν (Ep. Jac. 1.15)
- “Desire engenders sin.”
- Metaphorically, psychological states produce moral outcomes.
μὴ θράσος τέκῃ φόβον (Aeschylus, Supp. 498)
- “May boldness not give birth to fear.”
- Expresses a proverbial or conditional causation, still using birth imagery.

3. Cosmic and natural generation

τῆς … τεκούσης φῶς τόδʼ εὐφρόνης (Id. Ag. 279)
- “Of her, bringing forth light, fair-minded.”
- Often applied to deities or cosmic principles, like Night as a “mother” producing Day or Sun.
- Personification: natural entities generate physical or temporal phenomena.
ὃν αἰόλα νὺξ … τίκτει … Ἅλιον αἰτῶ (S. Tr. 95)
- “Whom swift Night gives birth to, the Sun.”
- Cosmogony: night generates the day; again τίκτει = metaphorical birth, not biological.
τ. [νόμους] (Id. OT 870)
- “Brings forth laws” — metaphorical generation of institutions.

4. Literary and artistic generation

τ. ἀοιδάς (Eur. HF 767)
- “Generates songs” — creative production.
τ. ῥήματα (Ar. Ra. 1059)
- “Produces words” — speech or literary composition framed as offspring.
πολλοὺς καὶ καλοὺς λόγους (Pl. Smp. 210d)
- “Generates many fine speeches” — rhetorical or intellectual creation as metaphorical birth.

5. Abstract or material causation

ὕδωρ δὲ πίνων οὐδὲν ἂν τέκοι σοφόν (Cratinus, 199)
- “Drinking water would give birth to nothing wise.”
- τίκω indicates potential generation: consuming something does not generate wisdom.
τῷδε κέρδει … κέρδος ἄλλο τίκτεται (A. Th. 437, pass.)
- “From this gain, another gain is born.”
- Passive, impersonal, abstract: τίκτει expresses succession or derivation, the “birth” of one outcome from another.

(See LSJ under the word τίκτω IV)