Matthew 14:5

_FOR HEROD HAD LAID HOLD ON JOHN, AND BOUND HIM, AND PUT HIM IN PRISON FOR HERODIAS' SAKE, HIS BROTHER PHILIP'S WIFE._ NO JFB COMMENTARY ON THESE VERSES....

5._And though he wished to put him to death. _There is some appearance of contradiction between the words of _Matthew _and _Mark: _for the former says that Herod was desirous to commit this shocking murder, but was restrained by the fear of the people; while the latter charges Herodias alone with this cruelty. But the difficulty is soon removed. At first Herod would have been unwilling, if a stronger necessity had not compelled him reluctantly to do so, to put to death the holy man; because he regarded him with reverence, and, indeed, was prevented by religious scruples from practising such atrocious cruelty against a prophet of God; and that he afterwards shook off this fear of God, in consequence of the incessant urgency of Herodias; but that afterwards, when infuriated by that demon he longed for the death of the holy man, he was withheld by a new restraint, because he dreaded on his...

1-12 The terror and reproach of conscience, which Herod, like other daring offenders, could not shake off, are proofs and warnings of a future judgment, and of future misery to them. But there may be the terror of convictions, where there is not the truth of conversion. When men pretend to favour the gospel, yet live in evil, we must not favour their self-delusion, but must deliver our consciences as John did. The world may call this rudeness and blind zeal. False professors, or timid Christians, may censure it as want of civility; but the most powerful enemies can go no further than the Lord sees good to permit. Herod feared that the putting of John to death might raise a rebellion among the people, which it did not; but he never feared it might stir up his own conscience against him, which it did. Men fear being hanged for what they do not fear being damned for. And times of carnal mi...

Verse Matthew 14:5. _HE FEARED THE MULTITUDE_] Miserable prince! who fears more to offend his people, than to sin against his God, by shedding innocent blood. When a man resists sin only by the help of human motives, he cannot long defend himself....

FOR HEROD HAD LAID HOLD ON JOHN ... - See Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19. This Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great. She was first married to Herod Philip, by whom she had a daughter, Salome, probably the one that danced and pleased Herod. Josephus says that this marriage of Herod Antipas with Herodias took place while he was on a journey to Rome. He stopped at his brother’s; fell in love with his wife; agreed to put away his own wife, the daughter of Aretas, King of Petraea; and Herodias agreed to leave her own husband and live with him. They were living, therefore, in adultery; and John, in faithfulness, though at the risk of his life, had reproved them for their crimes. Herod was guilty of two crimes in this act: * Of “adultery,” since she was the wife of another man.

EXPOSITION MATTHEW 14:1 CHRIST'S POWER TO SUPPLY AND PROTECT AND HEAL, PREFACED BY A STATEMENT OF HEROD'S RELATION TO HIM. MATTHEW 14:1 _Herod_'_s opinion of Jesus, and a parenthetical account of his murder of John the Baptist. _Parallel passages: Mark 6:14; Luke 9:7;...

AND WHEN HE WOULD HAVE PUT HIM TO DEATH,.... As soon as he apprehended him, and put him into prison; being provoked by his reproving him, and being stirred up by Herodias, who was greatly incensed and enraged, and would have killed him herself, but could not, being hindered by Herod: who, though he had a good will and strong inclination to take away his life, yet what with fearing the terror of his own conscience, and the reverence and respect he had for John, as a good man; and especially for the reason here given, he did not do it, for HE FEARED THE MULTITUDE: not God, but the multitude; and these, not only the large number of people that attended on John's ministry, and were baptized by him, and became his disciples, but the generality of the people, the whole body of the Jewish nation. So God is pleased oftentimes to restrain the wickedness of princes, by the fear of their subjects:...

2. JOHN'S MARTYRDOM. The Fourfold Attitude of the Rejected King. CHAPTER 14 _ 1. John's Martyrdom. (Matthew 14:1 .) 2. The Disciples of John with the Lord Jesus. (Matthew 14:12 .) 3. Feeding the Five Thousand. (Matthew 14:13 .) 4. Praying on the Mountain-top. (Matthew 14:22 .) 5. Walking on the Sea; Coming to His Disciples. (Matthew 14:24 .)_ The fourteenth chapter contains the record of events put together so as to harmonize with the purpose of this Gospel. The Lord had revealed the mysteries of the kingdo

HEROD AND JESUS. THE END OF JOHN THE BAPTIST (Mark 6:14 *, Luke 9:7, _cf._ Luke 3:18). Mt.'s narrative is much briefer than Mk.'s, and he goes astray. Thus in Matthew 14:5 he makes Herod himself (rather than Herodias) wish to kill John, though in Matthew 14:9 he is grieved at it. But he adds the information that the disciples of John told Jesus of their master's fate. He makes this the reason of Jesus-' retirement, which in Mk. is due to the disciples-' need of rest after their tour. Mt. is wrong, for the death of John had happened some time earlier, yet there is und

At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus, and said to his servants, "This is John the Baptizer. He has been raised from the dead, and because of this, these deeds of power work in him." For Herod had seized John the Baptizer, and had bound him and put him in prison, because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, for John insisted to him: "It is not right for you to have her." So he wished to kill him, but he was afraid of the crowd, for they regarded him as a prophet. On the occasion of Herod's birthday celebrations the daughter of Herodias danced in public and delighted Herod. Hence he affirmed with an oath that he would give her whatsoever she might ask. Urged on by her mother, she said, "Give me here and now the head of John the Baptizer on a dish." The king was distressed, but, because of his oath, and because of those who sat at table with him, he ordered the re...