And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
Parallel translations
- WEB and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer. He is risen from the dead. That is why these powers work in him.”
- BSB and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
- NKJV and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”
- NASB and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he himself has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
- NLT he said to his advisers, “This must be John the Baptist raised from the dead! That is why he can do such miracles.”
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 fears that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead. A guilty conscience haunts the man who killed God's prophet.
Overview
Herod concludes that Jesus must be John the Baptist raised to life, whose powers explain the miracles. His superstitious dread reveals a conscience burdened by the murder he had ordered. The verse exposes the inner torment of unrepentant guilt and prepares Matthew's readers for the full account of John's death that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 16:14And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
- John 10:41And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.
- Mark 8:28And they answered, John the Baptist: but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets.
- Matt 11:11Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
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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 14:2 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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