Mark 6:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother 's wife."

NIV: For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife."

NASB: For John had been saying to Herod, 'It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.'

CSB: John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife."

NLT: John had been telling Herod, 'It is against God’s law for you to marry your brother’s wife.'

KJV: For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

NKJV: Because John had said to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

Herod the Great had approximately ten wives, two of whom had the same given name, and many children. Readers, and even historians, can be confused when confronted with the names of his children.

Herod Antipas, who imprisoned John the Baptist, is son of Herod the Great and Malthace, a Samaritan. Philip I is apparently one of Antipas' half-brothers. Herodias is the daughter of their half-brother Aristobulus. The Jews have no problem with the marriage of Philip and Herodias, in part because they live in Rome, but largely because according to the Mosaic Law, although a man cannot marry his aunt (Leviticus 18:12), he can marry his niece.

If Philip had died with no sons, the Jews might have considered Herodias' marriage to Antipas a levirate marriage, wherein a man marries his brother's wife to give his brother an heir (Deuteronomy 25:5–10). But both Philip and Antipas' first wife are still alive, so this relationship is legally defined as a form of incest. The Mosaic Law says, "you shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife" (Leviticus 18:16). Herodias' divorce from Philip may be legal under Roman law, but it breaks Jewish law (Mark 10:12).

John's condemnation of the incestuous marriage is consistent with his ministry. His preaching is centered on calling the people to repent for their sins so that they can be forgiven. His purpose is to prepare the people for Jesus' coming. Acknowledging one's sin and agreeing that God's way is better is the first step in receiving the Holy Spirit and gaining eternal life. John isn't trying to make Antipas' life miserable; he's trying to save him.

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.