Matthew 14:5

Matthew 14:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
• New International Version (NIV)Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered John a prophet.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And though he wanted to put him to death, he feared the people, because they held him to be a prophet.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And although he wanted to put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.

Context of Matthew 14:5

3Herod had arrested John, tied him up, and put him in prison. Herod did this for Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip. 4John had been telling Herod, “It’s not right for you to be married to her.” So Herod wanted to kill John. However, he was afraid of the people because they thought John was a prophet. 6When Herod celebrated his birthday, Herodias’ daughter danced for his guests. Herod was so delighted with her that 7he swore he would give her anything she wanted.

Matthew 14:5 word by word

καὶ θέλων αὐτὸν ἀποκτεῖναι ἐφοβήθη τὸν ὄχλον ὅτι ὡς προφήτην αὐτὸν εἶχον.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• whenθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• put him to deathἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
• he fearedφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
• the multitudeὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the multitudeὄχλοςochlos · crowdG3793
• becauseὅτιhoti · that/since: sinceG3754
• they countedἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• asὡςhōs · as/whenG5613
• a prophetπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396

Cross-references for Matthew 14:5

• Mark 6:19So Herodias held a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she wasn’t allowed to do it
• Mark 14:1It was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the experts in Moses’ Teachings were looking for some underhanded way to arrest Jesus and to kill him.
• Acts 4:21The authorities threatened them even more and then let them go. Since all the people were praising God for what had happened, the authorities couldn’t find any way to punish Peter and John.
• Acts 5:26Then the officer of the temple guards went with some of his men to bring back the apostles without using force. After all, the officer and his guards were afraid that the people would stone them to death for using force.
• Matthew 21:26But if we say, ‘from humans,’ we’re afraid of what the crowd might do. All those people think of John as a prophet.”
• Mark 11:30Did John’s right to baptize come from heaven or from humans? Answer me!”
• Luke 20:6But if we say, ‘from humans,’ everyone will stone us to death. They’re convinced that John was a prophet.”

Commentaries on Matthew 14:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5He feared the multitude - Miserable prince! who fears more to offend his people, than to sin against his God, by shedding innocent blood. When a man resists sin only by the help of human motives, he cannot long defend himself.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. 3-12John the Baptist’s message drew large crowds, which leaders saw as a political threat (see Josephus, Antiquities 18.5.2). Years after John was executed, many Jews believed that Herod’s military defeat by King Aretas in AD 36 was God’s judgment for killing an innocent man.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 14:5

• Herod
• John
• King
• Malice
• Oath
• Persecution
• Politics
• Prisoners
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• Antipas
• Bid
• Dead
• Delay
• Herodias
• Instruct
• John the Baptist
• Save
• Sorry
• Walk

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