Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
Parallel translations
- WEB Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,
- BSB So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,
- NKJV Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not;
- NASB And Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, and could not do so;
- NLT So Herodias bore a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But without Herod’s approval she was powerless,
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
Herodias nursed a grudge against John the Baptist and wanted him dead, but could not yet act on it. It shows how unrepented sin breeds murderous hostility toward God's truth.
Overview
John had condemned Herod's unlawful marriage to Herodias, his brother's wife, and she resented the rebuke. Her desire to kill John mirrors the way the world hates the light that exposes its sin (John 3:20). Herod's restraint frustrated her plans for a time, but her settled malice would soon find its opportunity.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Eph 4:26–27Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:
- Eccl 7:9Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
- Gen 39:17–20And she spake unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me:
- 1 Kgs 21:20And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the LORD.
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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 6:19 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.