New English Translation
Matthew 14:4
4because John had repeatedly told him, “It is 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
2and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 3For Herod had arrested John, bound him, and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because John had repeatedly told him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he feared the crowd because they accepted John as a prophet. 6But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias 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 must not have sexual intercourse with your brother’s wife; she is your brother’s nakedness.
- Leviticus 20:21If a man has sexual intercourse with his brother’s wife, it is indecency. He has exposed his brother’s nakedness; they will be childless.
- Deuteronomy 25:5If brothers live together and one of them dies without having a son, the dead man’s wife must not remarry someone outside the family. Instead, her late husband’s brother must go to her, marry her, and perform the duty of a brother-in-law.
- 2 Samuel 12:7Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the Lord God of Israel says: ‘I chose you to be king over Israel and I rescued you from the hand of Saul.
- 1 Kings 21:19Say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “Haven’t you committed murder and taken possession of the property of the deceased?”’ Then say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “In the spot where dogs licked up Naboth’s blood they will also lick up your blood – yes, yours!”’”
- 2 Chronicles 26:18They confronted King Uzziah and said to him, “It is not proper for you, Uzziah, to offer incense to the Lord. That is the responsibility of the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who are consecrated to offer incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have disobeyed and the Lord God will not honor you!”
- Proverbs 28:1The wicked person flees when there is no one pursuing, but the righteous person is as confident as a lion.
- Isaiah 8:20Then you must recall the Lord’s instructions and the prophetic testimony of what would happen. Certainly they say such things because their minds are spiritually darkened.
- Mark 6:18For John had repeatedly told Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
- Acts 24:24Some days later, when Felix arrived with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish, he sent for Paul and heard him speak about 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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