Matthew 14:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the king was sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he commanded it to be given.

NIV: The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted

NASB: And although he was grieved, the king commanded it to be given because of his oaths and his dinner guests.

CSB: Although the king regretted it, he commanded that it be granted because of his oaths and his guests.

NLT: Then the king regretted what he had said; but because of the vow he had made in front of his guests, he issued the necessary orders.

KJV: And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.

NKJV: And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her.

The king mentioned here is Herod Antipas, son of the man who once tried to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:7, 13). He controls part of Israel under an appointment from Roman authorities. He regrets an impulsive promise he made to a teenaged girl. This girl is his stepdaughter, a child of his wife Herodias by way of Herod's brother, Philip. She has performed a birthday dance for Herod and his guests. Greatly pleased by the dance, Herod has made what was probably a drunken promise to give the girl anything she wants (Matthew 14:1–8; Mark 6:21–23).

Herodias seems only too ready for this moment. She instructs her daughter to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter. This is her revenge against the prophet who publicly declared her marriage to Herod unlawful (Matthew 14:4; Mark 6:18). Getting her husband to arrest and imprison John was not enough. She not only wants John dead, she wants his death to be dramatic and humiliating.

Herod's terrible choice is to either dishonor himself in front of his guests by breaking his promise to the girl or to risk civil unrest in his part of the kingdom by killing a man thought to be God's prophet. Herod chooses to make his wife happy. He commands that John be killed.

This party is likely taking place at Machaerus, Herod's fortress east of the Dead Sea. Conveniently, John is also imprisoned at the same location. Herod's order will be obeyed immediately.

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.