Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
Parallel translations
- WEB For Herod had laid hold of John, and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.
- KJV For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias’ sake, his brother Philip’s wife.
- NKJV For Herod had laid hold of John and bound him, and put him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife.
- NASB For when Herod had John arrested, he bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip.
- NLT For Herod had arrested and imprisoned John as a favor to his wife Herodias (the former wife of Herod’s brother Philip).
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 had arrested and imprisoned John because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. John suffered for confronting sin in high places.
Overview
Matthew explains the background: Herod had seized and bound John on account of Herodias, whom he had unlawfully taken as his wife. John's imprisonment stemmed from his faithful rebuke of Herod's immoral union. The verse highlights the cost of prophetic faithfulness and the corruption of a ruler who silenced the truth he did not want to hear.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Mark 6:17For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.
- Luke 3:19–20But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,
- Matt 4:12When Jesus heard that John had been imprisoned, He withdrew to Galilee.
- Matt 11:2Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples
- Luke 13:1At that time some of those present told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
- Mark 6:22When the daughter of Herodias came and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests, and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.”
- Mark 6:19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she had been unable,
- John 3:23–24Now John was also baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because the water was plentiful there, and people kept coming to be baptized.
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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 14:3 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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