And Herodias held a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death, and could not do so;
Parallel translations
- WEB Herodias set herself against him, and desired to kill him, but she couldn’t,
- KJV Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him, and would have killed him; but she could not:
- 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;
- 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 4:26–27“Be angry, and don’t sin.” Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath,
- Eccl 7:9Don’t be hasty in your spirit to be angry, for anger rests in the bosom of fools.
- Gen 39:17–20She spoke to him according to these words, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought to us, came in to me to mock me,
- 1 Kgs 21:20Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me, my enemy?” He answered, “I have found you, because you have sold yourself to do that which is evil in Yahweh’s sight.
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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
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