Mark 6:14-29

¹⁴ Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, “John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”

¹⁵ Others said, “It is Elijah.” And others said, “It is the Prophet, or like one of the prophets.”

¹⁶ But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!”

¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; for he had married her.

¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

¹⁹ Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not;

²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly.

²¹ Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee.

²² And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

²³ He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”

²⁴ So she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist!”

²⁵ Immediately she came in with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.”

²⁶ And the king was exceedingly sorry; yet, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he did not want to refuse her.

²⁷ Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded his head to be brought. And he went and beheaded him in prison,

²⁸ brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother.

²⁹ When his disciples heard of it, they came and took away his corpse and laid it in a tomb.

Also found in Matthew 14:1-12 and Luke 9:7-9.

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great (Matthew 2:1) and Malthace. The title king as applied to him is at best one of courtesy or local custom.He was actually “tetrarch,” or ruler of a fourth part, in Galilee and Peraea, over the overlordship of Rome, and is … so described by Luke. Of the varying reports of Jesus which reached the ears of Herod, pangs of conscience probably led him to fix on the first as the most likely, John the baptist had been raised from the dead, and that was why supernatural powers were at work. Mark [narrated] retrospectively and with some fullness the circumstances which led to the murder of John. This not only throws light upon the character of Herod, but seems to be a kind of interlude before proceeding to the account of Jesus’ further ministry in Galilee, within Herod’s jurisdiction … According to Josephus, the scene of John’s imprisonment was Machaerus, a combined fortress, palace, and prison [on the heights of Moab] just northeast of the Dead Sea. Herodias was in fact the niece of Antipas, being the daughter of Aristobulus his half-brother; she had married yet another half-brother whom Josephus calls Herod, but who may also have borne the name Philip. … [The daughter of Herodias] would refer to Salome, Herodias’ daughter by her first husband, Herod Philip. — Guthrie, page 865.

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Mark is entirely correct in calling [Herod] a king, for he was writing for the Roman world, and this title was applied freely in the Roman world to all eastern rulers. … Herod’s explanation of our Lord and His miracles was that John the Baptist had risen from the dead, that while John had not performed any miracles, yet death had put him into touch with the unseen world and had enabled him to utilize its powers. — Wuest, page 126.

said (v.15 2x, v.16) — kept on saying

held it against him (v.19) = be enraged with, set one’s self against, hold a grudge against. Herodias had it in for John and was looking for a chance to take her revenge. She had the will to kill him, but not the power.

feared (v.20) — tense indicates ongoing action

protected (v.20) — Herod kept John safe from Herodias’ plots, Again, tense indicates ongoing action. Herodias was actively looking for a way to kill John, and Herod had to actively protect him from her.

did many things (v.20) —This translation is based upon an erroneous reading. … The word means “without a way.” [This] means “to be without resources, to be in straits, to be embarrassed, not to know which way to turn, to be perplexed.” This was Herod’s state of mind when he heard John. He heard him gladly. The Greek has the imperfect, speaking of repeated visits of Herod to see John in the prison of Machaerus. but his visits to John, his life with Herodias, his guilty conscience, and the insistent demands of his wife, brought him to his wit’s end, perplexed, knowing not which way to turn. “He was in perplexity about many things,” the Greek has it. — Wuest, page 128.

opportune day (v.21) — for Herodias and her plot to get rid of John

Those invited to the birthday-banquet were the lords (great ones), the high captains (commanders of a thousand soldiers, a Roman cohort), and chief estates of Galilee (the first-ones of Galilee, or the chief men). This was a notable gathering, composed of men from governmental, military, and civil life. — Wuest, page 129.

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It was Herodias’ own [emphasized] daughter who degraded herself in a licentious dance in which only professional actors of loose morals would engage. Such dancing was almost an unprecedented thing for women of rank, or even respectability. it was mimetic and licentious, and performed by professionals. the immoral spectacle catered to the totally depraved natures of the drunken men, and Herod offers her a reward. — Wuest, page 129.

ask (v.22) = ask at once

sword (v.23) = sword under oath

Up to half my kingdom (v.23) — A ridiculous promise, since Herod was a tetrarch and didn’t have a kingdom — and what he had was controlled by Rome.

What shall I ask? (v.24) — lit. “what shall I ask for myself?” Herodias was almost certainly plotting the entire time, but her daughter was likely unaware and unprepared for her mother’s answer.

immediately (v.25) — While Herod was still under the influence of the dance, while those who heard him vow were still there, and before he could reflect and change his mind.

at once (v.25) — on the spot, again before Herod could reflect

exceedingly sorry (v.26) — The drunken king became as sorrowful as one in his condition could become. He realized all the implications of the request. He was not to become the murderer of the prophet whom he feared and respected. — Wuest, page 131.

refuse (v.26) = reject, nullify, frustrate, slight, break faith with

executioner (v.27) = lit. “watcher.” A guardsman whose business it was to watch or spy out. One of the armed bodyguards, like those used by Roman emperors who surrounded them. Herod had apparently copied this practice and appointed guards for himself.