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At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus
Matthew 14:1 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB At that time, Herod the tetrarch heard the report concerning Jesus,
  • KJV At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
  • NKJV At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the report about Jesus
  • NASB At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the news about Jesus,
  • NLT When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus,

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 the tetrarch hears reports about Jesus. Jesus' fame reaches the highest levels of power.

Overview

Matthew turns to Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, who hears of Jesus' growing reputation. This introduces the account of John the Baptist's death, told as a flashback explaining Herod's guilty reaction. The mention shows how the news of Jesus spread widely and sets the stage for the contrast between worldly rulers and the coming King.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 10

  • Luke 3:1In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
  • Mark 8:15“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
  • Luke 23:15Neither has Herod, for he sent Him back to us. As you can see, He has done nothing deserving of death.
  • Acts 4:27In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
  • Luke 9:7–9When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead,
  • Mark 6:14–29Now King Herod heard about this, for Jesus’ name had become well known, and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
  • Luke 23:7–12And learning that Jesus was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who himself was in Jerusalem at that time.
  • Luke 13:31–32At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”
  • Acts 12:1About that time, King Herod reached out to harm some who belonged to the church.
  • Luke 3:19But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 14:1YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'

How Matthew 14:1 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.