Matthew 4:12

Preaching in Galilee

4:12 Now when Jesus ¹  heard that John had been imprisoned, ²  he went into Galilee.

Matthew 14:3

14:3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, ³  and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,

Mark 6:17

6:17 For Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod ⁴  had married her.

Luke 3:19-20

3:19 But when John rebuked Herod ⁵  the tetrarch ⁶  because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, ⁷  and because of all the evil deeds ⁸  that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

Luke 9:7-9

Herod’s Confusion about Jesus

9:7 Now Herod ⁹  the tetrarch ¹⁰  heard about everything that was happening, and he was thoroughly perplexed, ¹¹  because some people were saying that John ¹²  had been raised from the dead, 9:8 while others were saying that Elijah ¹³  had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had risen. ¹⁴  9:9 Herod said, “I had John ¹⁵  beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus. ¹⁶ 

¹ tn Grk “he.”

² tn Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).

³ tc ‡ Most witnesses (א² C D L W Z Θ 0106 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read αὐτόν (auton, “him”) here as a way of clarifying the direct object; various important witnesses lack the word, however (א* B 700 pc ff¹ h q). The original wording most likely lacked it, but it has been included here due to English style. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.

⁴ tn Grk “he”; here it is necessary to specify the referent as “Herod,” since the nearest previous antecedent in the translation is Philip.

⁵ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

⁶ sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

⁷ tc Several mss (A C K W Ψ 33 565 579 1424 2542 al bo) read τῆς γυναικὸς Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ (th" gunaiko" Filippou tou adelfou autou, “the wife of his brother Philip”), specifying whose wife Herodias was. The addition of “Philip,” however, is an assimilation to Matt 14:3 and is lacking in the better witnesses.

⁸ tn Or “immoralities.”

⁹ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

¹⁰ sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

¹¹ tn Or “was very confused.” See L&N 32.10 where this verse is given as an example of the usage.

¹² sn John refers to John the Baptist, whom Herod had beheaded (v. 9).

¹³ sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.

¹⁴ sn The phrase had risen could be understood to mean “had been resurrected,” but this is only a possible option, not a necessary one, since the phrase could merely mean that a figure had appeared on the scene who mirrored an earlier historical figure. The three options of vv. 7-8 will be repeated in v. 19.

¹⁵ tn Grk “John I beheaded”; John’s name is in emphatic position in the Greek text. The verb is causative, since Herod would not have personally carried out the execution.

¹⁶ tn The expression ἐζήτει ἰδεῖν αὐτόν (ezhtei idein auton, “was seeking to see him”) probably indicates that Herod, for curiosity’s sake or more likely for evil purposes, wanted to get to know Jesus, i.e., who he was and what he was doing. See I. H. Marshall, Luke (NIGTC), 357. Herod finally got his wish in Luke 23:6-12, with inconclusive results from his point of view.