Mark 6:22 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For when Herodias 's daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, "Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you."

NIV: When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you."

NASB: and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, 'Ask me for whatever you want, and I will give it to you.'

CSB: When Herodias’s own daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. The king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I’ll give it to you."

NLT: Then his daughter, also named Herodias, came in and performed a dance that greatly pleased Herod and his guests. 'Ask me for anything you like,' the king said to the girl, 'and I will give it to you.'

KJV: And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

NKJV: And when Herodias’ daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, “Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you.”

Herodias had been married to Philip I, but divorced him to marry Philip's half-brother Antipas. Presumably, her daughter is from her first marriage. The Bible doesn't explain what type of dancing the girl performs, but scholars speculate that Antipas and his guests become sexually excited. If so, the girl provides a good foil for John the Baptist. She shows the men what they want to see but cannot have. She makes Antipas look good in front of his nobles and commanders. She raises his political stature while sending his moral character into a free fall.

John the Baptist does the opposite. He tells Antipas what he does not want to hear: that his marriage to his brother's wife is immoral, and legally defined as incestuous. His accusations smear Antipas' reputation and threaten his political authority. John risks destroying Antipas' rule in an attempt to save his soul.

Antipas responds in a manner consistent with worldly, powerful people. He rewards the dancer and destroys the prophet. In fact, his appreciation for what the girl has offered is so careless it directly causes the death of the man who would save him.

We are all susceptible to this temptation. The world offers many things that look enticing. God presents only those things that will lead to life. When we reject God's offer, we destroy ourselves (Romans 6:23).

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.