Christian Standard Bible
Matthew 14:4
4since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful for you to have her.”
Matthew 14:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
- New International Version (NIV)for John had been saying to him: “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)because John had been saying to him, "It is not lawful for you to have her."
- New King James Version (NKJV)Because John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
Context of Matthew 14:4
2“This is John the Baptist,” he told his servants. “He has been raised from the dead, and that’s why miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3For Herod had arrested John, chained him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, since John had been telling him, “It’s not lawful for you to have her.” 5Though Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd since they regarded John as a prophet. 6When Herod’s birthday celebration came, Herodias’s daughter danced before them and pleased Herod.
Read all of Matthew 14Matthew 14:4 word by word
ἔλεγεν γὰρ ὁ Ἰωάννης αὐτῷ· οὐκ ἔξεστίν σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Matthew 14:4
- Leviticus 18:16You are not to have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s family.
- Leviticus 20:21If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is impurity. He has violated the intimacy that belongs to his brother; they will be childless.
- Deuteronomy 25:5“When brothers live on the same property and one of them dies without a son, the wife of the dead man may not marry a stranger outside the family. Her brother-in-law is to take her as his wife, have sexual relations with her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
- 2 Samuel 12:7Nathan replied to David, “You are the man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I rescued you from Saul.
- 1 Kings 21:19Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Have you murdered and also taken possession? ’ Then tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: In the place where the dogs licked up Naboth’s blood, the dogs will also lick up your blood!’”
- 2 Chronicles 26:18They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the Lord — only the consecrated priests, the descendants of Aaron, have the right to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully! You will not receive honor from the Lord God.”
- Proverbs 28:1The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
- Isaiah 8:20Go to God’s instruction and testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, there will be no dawn for them.
- Mark 6:18John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
- Acts 24:24Several days later, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and listened to him on the subject of faith in Christ Jesus.
Commentaries on Matthew 14:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. - Here is an instance of zeal, fidelity, and courage, highly worthy of imitation. Plainness, mildness, and modesty, are qualifications necessary to be observed when we reprove the great. The best service a subject can render his prince is to lay before him, in the plainest but most respectful manner, what the law of God requires of him, and what it forbids. How unutterable must the punishment…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3-5Verses 3-5 For Herod had laid hold on John - See Mark 6:17-20; Luke 3:19-20. This Herodias was a granddaughter of Herod the Great. She was first married to Herod Philip, by whom she had a daughter, Salome, probably the one that danced and pleased Herod. Josephus says that this marriage of Herod Antipas with Herodias took place while he was on a journey to Rome. He stopped at his brother‘s; fell in love with his wife; agreed to put away his own wife, the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4John kept warning Herod about his sin (see Leviticus 18:6; 20:21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-12The time of this alarm of Herod Antipas appears to have been during the mission of the Twelve, and shortly after the Baptist--who had been in prison for probably more than a year--had been cruelly put to death. Herod's Theory of the Works of Christ (Mt 14:1, 2). 1. At that time Herod the tetrarch--Herod Antipas, one of the three sons of Herod the Great, and own brother of Archelaus (Mt 2:22), who ruled as ethnarch over Galilee and Perea. heard of the fame…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 14:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 14
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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