Mark 6:26

And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath's sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her. AND THE KING WAS EXCEEDING SORRY. With his feelings regarding John, and the truths which so told upon his conscience from that preacher's lips, and after so often and carefully saving him from his paramour's rage, it must have been very galling to find himself at length entrapped by his own rash folly. YET FOR HIS OATH'S SAKE. See how men of no principle, but troublesome conscience, will stick at breaking a rash oath, while yielding to the commission of the worst crimes! AND FOR THEIR SAKES WHICH SAT WITH HIM - under the influence of that false shame, which could not brook being thought to be troubled with religious or moral scruples. To how many has this proved a fatal snare! HE WOULD NOT REJECT HER....

26._And the king being sorry. _His heart, as we have said, was no longer influenced by religious sentiments; but, foreseeing the detestation that will be excited by such a crime, he dreads both the loss of character and positive harm, and consequently repents of his levity. And yet he has not the courage to give a refusal to a dancing girl, lest he should incur the reproach of unsteadiness; as if it were more dishonorable to retract a rash and foolish promise than to persist in a heinous crime. With the wonted vanity of kings, he does not choose that what he has once uttered shall be recalled, and orders that the prophet shall be instantly slain. We infer that Herod was at that time supping in the castle of Macherus, where, Josephus tells us, John was imprisoned, (Ant. 18. 5:2.) _On account of the oath, and of those who sat at table with him. _It deserves our attention that the Evangelis...

14-29 Herod feared John while he lived, and feared him still more when he was dead. Herod did many of those things which John in his preaching taught him; but it is not enough to do many things, we must have respect to all the commandments. Herod respected John, till he touched him in his Herodias. Thus many love good preaching, if it keep far away from their beloved sin. But it is better that sinners persecute ministers now for faithfulness, than curse them eternally for unfaithfulness. The ways of God are unsearchable; but we may be sure he never can be at a loss to repay his servants for what they endure or lose for his sake. Death could not come so as to surprise this holy man; and the triumph of the wicked was short....

Verse 26. _FOR THEIR SAKES WHICH SAT WITH HIM_] Probably these persons joined in with the request, and were glad of this opportunity to get this light of Israel extinguished; he being a public reprover of all their vices....

EXPOSITION MARK 6:1 Our Lord now left the neighbourhood of Capernaum, and came INTO HIS OWN COUNTRY, the district of Nazareth, where he had been, not born indeed, but brought up, and where his kinsfolk after the flesh still lived. Nazareth would be about a day's journey from Capernaum. This was not the first public exercise of his ministry at Nazareth. Of that and its results St. Luke gives us the account (Luke 4:16). It would seem reasonable to suppose that, after the fame which he had now acquired, he should again visit the place where he had been brought up. His sisters were still living there. St. Mark here again uses the historical present ἔρχεται, "he cometh," for which there is better authority than for ἧλθεν_. _HIS

AND THE KING WAS EXCEEDING SORRY,.... Matthew 14:9 YET FOR HIS OATH'S SAKE, [AND] FOR THEIR SAKES WHICH SAT WITH HIM; as Matthew adds, "at meat", Matthew 14:9; for it seems as if supper was not over, when all this was transacting. HE WOULD NOT REJECT HER; deny her her request, or send her away without granting it which could not be without grieving her, and treating her with contempt, and defrauding her of the promise; all which ideas are expressed by some versions....

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Servant rejected in Nazareth. (Mark 6:1. Matthew 13:54; Luke 4:16)_ 2. The Servant sends forth the Twelve. (Mark 6:7 .Matthew 10:5; Luke 9:1) 3. King Herod troubled. (Mark 6:14. Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7)...

HEROD AND JESUS. THE END OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. Wellhausen, J. Weiss, and Klostermann would begin a new period with this section the period of constant wandering, in which Jesus is mostly outside Galilee, _e.g._ in the districts of Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24), Decapolis (Mark 7:31), Bethsaida (Mark 8:22), Cæ sarea Philippi (Mark 8:27). The restless journeying across the lake, and the avoidance of Galilee, would be explained by the fact that the suspicions of Herod have been aroused. This characterisation of the period is correct and the hint as to its cause is also probable (_cf._ L

WITHOUT HONOR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY (Mark 6:1-6)...

_exceeding sorry_ The Greek word thus translated is very strong, and denotes very great grief and sorrow. It is used of (1) the rich young ruler, "when he heard this, he was _very sorrowful_," Luke 18:23; (2) of our Lord Himself in the Garden of Gethsemane, "My soul is _exceeding sorrowful_, even unto death," Matthew 26:38; Mark 14:34....