But when Herod heard about it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”
Parallel translations
- WEB But Herod, when he heard this, said, “This is John, whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead.”
- KJV But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead.
- BSB But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!”
- NKJV But when Herod heard, he said, “This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!”
- NLT When Herod heard about Jesus, he said, “John, the man I beheaded, has come back from the dead.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Herod concludes that Jesus is John, whom he beheaded, raised from the dead.
Overview
Herod's haunted conclusion reveals the weight of his guilt over executing John. His fearful conscience cannot escape the memory of the prophet he killed. This sets up the flashback explaining how John came to be put to death.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 53:5There they were in great fear, where no fear was, for God has scattered the bones of him who encamps against you. You have put them to shame, because God has rejected them.
- Luke 9:9Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this, about whom I hear such things?” He sought to see him.
- Rev 11:10–13Those who dwell on the earth rejoice over them, and they will be glad. They will give gifts to one another, because these two prophets tormented those who dwell on the earth.
- Matt 27:4saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
- Gen 40:10–11and in the vine were three branches. It was as though it budded, it blossomed, and its clusters produced ripe grapes.
- Matt 14:2and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 6:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.