When Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee, heard about Jesus,
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,
- BSB At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about 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,
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 3:1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
- Mark 8:15He warned them, saying, “Take heed: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod.”
- Luke 23:15Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.
- Acts 4:27“For truly, in this city against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together
- Luke 9:7–9Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by him; and he was very perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,
- Mark 6:14–29King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”
- Luke 23:7–12When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.
- Luke 13:31–32On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, “Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you.”
- Acts 12:1Now about that time, King Herod stretched out his hands to oppress some of the assembly.
- Luke 3:19but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done,
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
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.