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Prompted by her mother, she said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.”
Matthew 14:8 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB She, being prompted by her mother, said, “Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer.”
  • KJV And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.
  • NKJV So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”
  • NASB And after being prompted by her mother, she *said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.”
  • NLT At her mother’s urging, the girl said, “I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!”

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

Prompted by her mother, the girl demands John's head on a platter. Herodias seizes her chance to destroy the prophet who condemned her.

Overview

Instructed beforehand by Herodias, the daughter asks for John the Baptist's head served on a platter. The gruesome request reveals the depth of Herodias's hatred for the prophet who had exposed her sin. The verse portrays how unrepented sin breeds murderous resentment against those who speak God's truth.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Mark 6:24Then she went out and asked her mother, “What should I request?” And her mother answered, “The head of John the Baptist.”
  • Prov 29:10Men of bloodshed hate a blameless man, but the upright care for his life.
  • 1 Kgs 18:4for when Jezebel had slaughtered the prophets of the LORD, Obadiah had taken a hundred prophets and hidden them, fifty men per cave, providing them with food and water.)
  • 1 Kgs 18:13Was it not reported to my lord what I did when Jezebel slaughtered the prophets of the LORD? I hid a hundred prophets of the LORD, fifty men per cave, and I provided them with food and water.
  • 1 Kgs 19:2So Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah, saying, “May the gods deal with me, and ever so severely, if by this time tomorrow I do not make your life like the lives of those you killed!”
  • 2 Kgs 11:1When Athaliah the mother of Ahaziah saw that her son was dead, she proceeded to annihilate all the royal heirs.
  • 2 Chr 22:2–3Ahaziah was twenty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem one year. His mother’s name was Athaliah, the granddaughter of Omri.
  • Prov 1:16For their feet run to evil, and they are swift to shed blood.
  • Num 7:84–85So these were the offerings from the leaders of Israel for the dedication of the altar when it was anointed: twelve silver platters, twelve silver bowls, and twelve gold dishes.
  • Num 7:19The offering he presented was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;
  • Ezra 1:9This was the inventory: 30 gold dishes, 1,000 silver dishes, 29 silver utensils,
  • Num 7:13His offering was one silver platter weighing a hundred and thirty shekels, and one silver bowl weighing seventy shekels, both according to the sanctuary shekel and filled with fine flour mixed with oil for a grain offering;

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (8)

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 14:8YouTube · 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 14:8 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.