Matthew 14:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: so that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

NIV: that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

NASB: so much that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

CSB: So he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.

NLT: so he promised with a vow to give her anything she wanted.

KJV: Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

NKJV: Therefore he promised with an oath to give her whatever she might ask.

Herod Antipas, son of the Herod who once tried to kill Jesus (Mathew 2:7, 13) has thrown a lavish birthday party for himself. As a gift, his wife's daughter by her previous marriage has danced for Herod and his guests. Some commentators speculate that the dance by this teenage girl may have been very sensual. It is also likely that Herod had been drinking freely. Those are possible reasons for his excessive response to the gift—whatever the circumstances, Herod was very pleased by the dance.

In response, Herod makes a grand gesture. He promises to give the girl whatever she wants. Many kings had made impulsive, drunken promises like this down through history. Although Mark's gospel calls Herod a king, his actual power was limited to what was allowed by the Roman government and what happened within the part of Israel he ruled over.

Herod had foolishly set himself up for a difficult situation. If the girl asked for something he could not give, he risked dishonoring himself before his guests on his birthday. He had put himself at the mercy of a teenage girl. In this case, that girl happened to be the daughter of an angry, spiteful woman (Mark 6:18–19).

Matthew 14:1–12 describes how Herod the tetrarch, ruler over Galilee, has heard of Jesus' fame and power. He believes Jesus is a resurrected John the Baptist. Matthew then explains that Herod had arrested John the Baptist. His "crime" was publicly condemning Herod's marriage to his own brother's wife. Later, Herod was manipulated into a promise by his wife's daughter, after she danced for him and his guests. On behalf of her mother, she asked for John the Baptist's head on a platter (Mark 6:14–29). Herod agreed and had John executed immediately. John's disciples came and buried him, then went and told Jesus the news of his death.

Matthew 14 begins with a backstory about the arrest and execution of John the Baptist by Herod the tetrarch, the Jewish ruler of the region. Jesus and the disciples take a boat to a desolate place only to find crowds waiting. Jesus heals many and then feeds as many as twenty thousand people with five loaves and two fish. Later, the disciples row against a strong wind until Jesus walks on the water to meet them and calm the wind. Peter walks on water briefly and then doubts and begins to sink. The disciples worship Jesus. On the other side of the lake, Jesus continues to heal the sick.

Matthew 13 included more of Jesus' parables and an unfortunate incident where His own hometown rejected His ministry. Chapter 14 begins with news that Herod the tetrarch—the man who killed John the Baptist—is aware of Jesus' fame and power. Jesus and the disciples intend to withdraw to somewhere desolate, but a crowd is waiting for them. Jesus heals people, miraculously feeds thousands, and walks on water. When they reach the other side, Jesus heals more people. Chapter 15 sees Jesus once again debating with His critics and performing more healings.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.