For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
Parallel translations
- WEB For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- BSB because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- NKJV Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- NASB For John had been saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- NLT John had been telling Herod, “It is against God’s law for you to marry her.”
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
John had told Herod it was unlawful for him to have Herodias. The prophet boldly spoke God's truth regardless of the danger.
Overview
John had directly confronted Herod, declaring that his marriage to Herodias violated God's law. His courage in rebuking a powerful ruler exemplifies prophetic faithfulness that fears God more than man. This bold stand for righteousness, even at personal cost, foreshadows John's martyrdom and models uncompromising integrity for all who serve God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Lev 20:21And if a man shall take his brother’s wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother’s nakedness; they shall be childless.
- Lev 18:16Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother’s wife: it is thy brother’s nakedness.
- Mark 6:18For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.
- 2 Chr 26:18–19And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the LORD, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the LORD God.
- Isa 8:20To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
- 1 Kgs 21:19And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying, Thus saith the LORD, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine.
- Prov 28:1The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.
- Deut 25:5–6If brethren dwell together, and one of them die, and have no child, the wife of the dead shall not marry without unto a stranger: her husband’s brother shall go in unto her, and take her to him to wife, and perform the duty of an husband’s brother unto her.
- 2 Sam 12:7And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man. Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I anointed thee king over Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul;
- Acts 24:24–25And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ.
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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 14:4 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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