Matthew 11:2

Jesus and John the Baptist

11:2 Now when John ¹  heard in prison about the deeds Christ ²  had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question: ³ 

Matthew 14:3-10

14:3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, ⁴  and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 14:4 because John had repeatedly told ⁵  him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” ⁶  14:5 Although ⁷  Herod ⁸  wanted to kill John, ⁹  he feared the crowd because they accepted John as a prophet. 14:6 But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 14:7 so much that he promised with an oath ¹⁰  to give her whatever she asked. 14:8 Instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 14:9 Although it grieved the king, ¹¹  because of his oath and the dinner guests he commanded it to be given. 14:10 So ¹²  he sent and had John beheaded in the prison.

Mark 6:14-28

The Death of John the Baptist

6:14 Now ¹³  King Herod ¹⁴  heard this, for Jesus’ ¹⁵  name had become known. Some ¹⁶  were saying, “John the baptizer ¹⁷  has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 6:15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past.” 6:16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” 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 ¹⁸  had married her. 6:18 For John had repeatedly told ¹⁹  Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” ²⁰  6:19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But ²¹  she could not 6:20 because Herod stood in awe of ²²  John and protected him, since he knew that John ²³  was a righteous and holy man. When Herod ²⁴  heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, ²⁵  and yet ²⁶  he liked to listen to John. ²⁷ 

6:21 But ²⁸  a suitable day ²⁹  came, when Herod gave a banquet on his birthday for his court officials, military commanders, and leaders of Galilee. 6:22 When his daughter Herodias ³⁰  came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 6:23 He swore to her, ³¹  “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.” ³²  6:24 So ³³  she went out and said to her mother, “What should I ask for?” Her mother ³⁴  said, “The head of John the baptizer.” ³⁵  6:25 Immediately she hurried back to the king and made her request: ³⁶  “I want the head of John the Baptist on a platter immediately.” 6:26 Although it grieved the king deeply, ³⁷  he did not want to reject her request because of his oath and his guests. 6:27 So ³⁸  the king sent an executioner at once to bring John’s ³⁹  head, and he went and beheaded John in prison. 6:28 He brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother.

Luke 3:19-20

3:19 But when John rebuked Herod ⁴⁰  the tetrarch ⁴¹  because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, ⁴²  and because of all the evil deeds ⁴³  that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

Acts 7:52

7:52 Which of the prophets did your ancestors ⁴⁴  not persecute? ⁴⁵  They ⁴⁶  killed those who foretold long ago the coming of the Righteous One, ⁴⁷  whose betrayers and murderers you have now become! ⁴⁸ 

[11:2]  ¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[11:2]  ² tc The Western codex D and a few other mss (0233 1424 al) read “Jesus” here instead of “Christ.” This is not likely to be original because it is not found in the earliest and most important mss, nor in the rest of the ms tradition.

[11:2]  ³ tc Instead of “by his disciples” (see the tn below for the reading of the Greek), the majority of later mss (C³ L ˹ Ï lat bo) have “two of his disciples.” The difference in Greek, however, is only two letters: διὰ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ vs. δύο τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ (dia twn maqhtwn autou vs. duo twn maqhtwn autou). Although an accidental alteration could account for either of these readings, it is more likely that δύο is an assimilation to the parallel in Luke 7:18. Further, διά is read by a good number of early and excellent witnesses (א B C* D P W Z Δ Θ 0233 ˹³ 33 sa), and thus should be considered original.

[14:3]  ⁴ 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.

[14:4]  ⁵ tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.

[14:4]  ⁶ sn This marriage of Herod to his brother Philip’s wife was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.

[14:5]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[14:5]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “him” (also in the following phrase, Grk “accepted him”); in both cases the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[14:7]  ¹⁰ tn The Greek text reads here ὁμολογέω (Jomologew); though normally translated “acknowledge, confess,” BDAG (708 s.v. 1) lists “assure, promise with an oath” for certain contexts such as here.

[14:9]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and being grieved, the king commanded.”

[14:10]  ¹² tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:14]  ¹³ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[6:14]  ¹⁴ sn Herod was technically not a king, but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.

[6:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:14]  ¹⁶ tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[6:14]  ¹⁷ tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).

[6:17]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “he”; here it is necessary to specify the referent as “Herod,” since the nearest previous antecedent in the translation is Philip.

[6:18]  ¹⁹ tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.

[6:18]  ²⁰ sn It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.

[6:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[6:20]  ²² tn Grk “was fearing,” “was respecting”; the imperfect tense connotes an ongoing fear or respect for John.

[6:20]  ²³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:20]  ²⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:20]  ²⁵ tc In place of ἠπόρει (hporei, “he was baffled”) the majority of mss (A C D ˹ 33 Ï lat sy) have ἐποίει (epoiei, “he did”; cf. KJV’s “he did many things.”) The best mss (א B L [W] Θ 2427 co) support the reading followed in the translation. The variation may be no more than a simple case of confusion of letters, since the two readings look very much alike. The verb ποιέω (poiew, “I do”) certainly occurs more frequently than ἀπορέω (aporew, “I am at a loss”), so a scribe would be more likely to write a more familiar word. Further, even though the reading ἐποίει is the harder reading in terms of the sense, it is virtually nonsensical here, rendering it most likely an unintentional corruption.

[6:20]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “and yet” to indicate the concessive nature of the final clause.

[6:20]  ²⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:21]  ²⁸ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[6:21]  ²⁹ tn Grk “a day of opportunity”; cf. BDAG 407 s.v. εὔκαιρος, “in our lit. only pert. to time than is considered a favorable occasion for some event or circumstance, well-timed, suitable.”

[6:22]  ³⁰ tc Behind “his daughter Herodias” is a most difficult textual problem. The reading adopted in the translation, τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (th" qugatro" aujtou Jerwdiado"), is supported by א B D L Δ 565 pc; it is also the most difficult reading internally since it describes Herodias as Herod’s daughter. Other readings are less awkward, but they do not have adequate external support. The reading τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτῆς τῆς ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (th" qugatro" auth" th" &erwdiado", “the daughter of Herodias herself”) is supported by A C (W) Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï, but this is also grammatically awkward. The easiest reading, τῆς θυγατρὸς τῆς ῾Ηρῳδιάδος (“the daughter of Herodias”) is supported by ˹ pc, but this reading probably arose from an accidental omission of αὐτῆς in the previous reading. The reading τῆς θυγατρὸς αὐτοῦ ῾Ηρῳδιάδος, despite its historical difficulties, is most likely original due to external attestation and the fact that it most likely gave rise to the other readings as scribes sought to correct it.

[6:23]  ³¹ tc ‡ The witnesses here support several different readings: αὐτῇ πολλά (auth polla, “to her insistently”) is found in D Θ 565 700 it; πολλά is the reading of Ì^45vid 28; both words are lacking in L pc; and א A B C^2vid ˹³ 33 2427 Ï lat have just αὐτῇ. The best candidates for authenticity, on external grounds, are αὐτῇ πολλά and αὐτῇ. So the issue revolves around whether πολλά is part of the text. On the one hand, πολλά used adverbially is a distinctive Markanism (10 of the 16 NT instances are found in Mark; of the other Gospels, Matthew alone adds a single example [Matt 9:14]). It could be argued that such an unremarkable term would go unnoticed by the scribes, and consequently would not have been inserted in imitation of Mark’s style observed elsewhere. On the other hand, the largest cluster of instances of an adverbial πολλά are in Mark 5-6, with the most recent example coming just three verses earlier (Mark 5:23, 38, 43; 6:20). Scribes may well have imitated the usage so recently and so frequently seen. Further, the best Alexandrian witnesses, as well as good representatives of the Western and Byzantines texts, lack πολλά. On the whole, though a decision is difficult, it is probably best to read the text without πολλά. NA²⁷ places the word in brackets, indicating some doubt as to its authenticity.

[6:23]  ³² sn The expression up to half my kingdom is a proverbial comment meaning “great wealth.”

[6:24]  ³³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:24]  ³⁴ tn Grk “She said”; the referent (the girl’s mother) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:24]  ³⁵ tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark employs the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (though twice he does use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).

[6:25]  ³⁶ tn Grk “she asked, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant and has not been translated.

[6:26]  ³⁷ tn Grk “and being deeply grieved, the king did not want.”

[6:27]  ³⁸ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[6:27]  ³⁹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[3:19]  ⁴⁰ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

[3:19]  ⁴¹ sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

[3:19]  ⁴² 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.

[3:19]  ⁴³ tn Or “immoralities.”

[7:52]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[7:52]  ⁴⁵ sn Which…persecute. The rhetorical question suggests they persecuted them all.

[7:52]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[7:52]  ⁴⁷ sn The Righteous One is a reference to Jesus Christ.

[7:52]  ⁴⁸ sn Whose betrayers and murderers you have now become. The harsh critique has OT precedent (1 Kgs 19:10-14; Neh 9:26; 2 Chr 36:16).