Mark 6:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip 's wife, because he had married her.

NIV: For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married.

NASB: For Herod himself had sent men and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her.

CSB: For Herod himself had given orders to arrest John and to chain him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her.

NLT: For Herod had sent soldiers to arrest and imprison John as a favor to Herodias. She had been his brother Philip’s wife, but Herod had married her.

KJV: For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

NKJV: 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.

The family history of Herod the Great is twisted and confusing. This is especially true given that "Herod" means "king" and seems to have been used as a family name by several members, whether they were recognized as kings by the Roman emperor or not. Herod Antipas is one of at least eight sons. Upon the death of Herod the Great, the kingdom was split into four tetrarchies, and Antipas the Tetrarch was given rule over Galilee, north of Samaria, and Perea, across the Jordan River from Judea. Antipas married the daughter of the king of Nabatea, a nation which bordered southeast Perea, and settled down to a life of irritating the Jews.

When Herod Antipas first meets Herodias, he is visiting his half-brother in Rome. Mark calls him Philip I and history calls him Herod II, but it is unclear who exactly this figure is. It is not Philip the Tetrarch, son of Herod the Great and Cleopatra of Jerusalem. Philip the Tetrarch actually goes on to marry Herodias' daughter, Salome. This Philip is married to Herodias, the daughter of Antipas' and Philip's half-brother Aristobulus (making her their niece), and Antipas quickly falls in love.

We are not given Herodias' motivations for marrying Antipas. She and Philip live as private citizens in Rome, but she is apparently unsatisfied. With Antipas, she has a chance to live up to her name and act as queen. Herodias agrees to divorce Philip and marry Antipas if he will divorce his current wife, the woman who is ensuring the peace of his southeast border.

John the Baptist threatens Herodias' position by his public insistence on this point. Their marriage is considered incestuous, from a legal standpoint, because Herodias' first husband, Antipas' brother, is still living. If the Jewish leadership comes to agree with John, Herodias could lose her marriage and Antipas could face outright rebellion from his citizens. But Antipas likes John and wants to keep him safe from Herodias, so he holds him in prison.

Antipas will live to regret the decision to leave his first wife for Herodias. In addition to suffering major losses in a battle with Nabatea, Herodias' prodding leads to trouble with Rome. She pushes Antipas to request the title of "Herod." Several political intrigues later, Antipas and Herodias find themselves without a kingdom, exiled in Gaul.

Mark 6:14–29 follows the disciples' success in continuing John the Baptist's work with a flashback of John's execution. John was Jesus' cousin (Luke 1:36) and the herald of Jesus' ministry (John 1:19–28). He preached repentance to many, including Andrew and Peter (John 1:35–42). He also baptized Jesus (Mark 1:9–11). Herod Antipas ruled over Galilee, where Jesus was from, and Perea, near where John preached. Antipas was fascinated by John, but his wife felt threatened by John's condemnation of their incestuous marriage. This story is also found in Matthew 14:1–12, Luke 3:19–20, and Luke 9:7–9.

Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, but the people there are faithless and skeptical. As a result, Jesus performs no more than a few minor miracles. He then assigns His twelve apostles to travel in pairs, preaching repentance and healing various conditions. Mark then takes a brief detour to explain the death of John the Baptist, beheaded after Herod Antipas is tricked by his wife. The focus then returns to Jesus, explaining His miraculous feeding of thousands of people, walking on water, and healing people in Gennesaret.

Even as the Twelve are given opportunity to wield some of Jesus' power and authority, they still struggle to understand. They misinterpret who He is, what He has come to do, and how much He will ask of them. They fear Jesus' display of deity, but seem to dismiss the murderous rejection of His hometown and the death of John the Baptist. It's easy to have faith in a prophet who seems poised to rescue Israel from foreign rule. It is still beyond them to understand that He is actually God.

The Gospel of Mark emphasizes both Jesus' servanthood and His role as the promised Messiah: the Son of God. This is done through a concise, action-packed style. Mark provides relatively few details, instead focusing on actions and simple statements. This relates to the Gospel's authorship, which is believed to be based on the memories of the apostle Peter. These include many of Jesus' miracles, in contrast to other Gospels which include many more of Jesus' teachings and parables. Mark also makes frequent mention of Jesus' ministry being misunderstood by others.