He even vowed, “I will give you whatever you ask, up to half my kingdom!”
Parallel translations
- WEB He swore to her, “Whatever you shall ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
- KJV And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
- BSB And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
- NKJV He also swore to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
- NASB And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you, up to half of my kingdom.”
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 sealed his offer with an oath, promising up to half his kingdom. It shows how pride traps a sinner in commitments he should never have made.
Overview
Herod's grandiose oath, echoing language used in Esther, was meant to display his generosity before his guests. Bound by misplaced honor, he set himself up to be manipulated. Scripture shows that a foolish oath does not bind one to commit sin; Herod's later regret proves he knew, too late, that keeping such a vow was itself evil.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Esth 7:2The king said again to Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition, queen Esther? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”
- Esth 5:3Then the king asked her, “What would you like, queen Esther? What is your request? It shall be given you even to the half of the kingdom.”
- Esth 5:6The king said to Esther at the banquet of wine, “What is your petition? It shall be granted you. What is your request? Even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.”
- Matt 4:9He said to him, “I will give you all of these things, if you will fall down and worship me.”
- 1 Sam 28:10Saul swore to her by Yahweh, saying, “As Yahweh lives, no punishment will happen to you for this thing.”
- 2 Kgs 6:31Then he said, “God do so to me, and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat stays on him today.”
- Prov 6:2You are trapped by the words of your mouth. You are ensnared with the words of your mouth.
- Matt 14:7Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatever she should ask.
- Matt 5:34–37but I tell you, don’t swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
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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 6:23 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.