Mark

6:14-29

The journey to God's mountain, 6:1-10:52

1. Growing discontent, 6:1-7:37

iii] John the Baptist's end

In this episode Mark illustrates the effect of the apostles' mission described in the previous episode, 6:7-13. The preaching of the gospel in word and sign has touched the whole Galilean countryside. Even Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, hears of the mission undertaken in Jesus' name. Yet Herod, affected by guilt and remorse as a consequence of his execution of John the Baptist, is overcome by superstition. As far as Herod is concerned, Jesus is the Baptist risen from the dead. The episode illustrates the exceeding value of the Baptist, and by implication, the value of the "one more powerful."

hkousen (akouw) aor. "heard" - hear, listen. Mark underlines the effectiveness of the disciples' mission, v7-13. "For" even Herod hears of their words and signs, although in a state of guilt he assumes that John the Baptist has risen from the dead. Mark goes on to explain why Herod was so guilty. Cranfield's suggestion that Mark adds the story because he hasn't any information covering the period of the mission, is rather thin.

oJ BasileuV HJrwdhV "king Herod" - Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, 4BC-39AD. Officially, tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, but not king. Under Roman administration a tetrarch was an appointed ruler of an oriental province. Antipas' well known desire to be king, reflected by Mark's use of the term here, ultimately brought the Romans down on him.

kai "for" - because. Used instead of oJti, indicating what Herod heard.

eghgertai (egeirw) perf. "has been raised" - has been raised up, woken. It would be difficult to assume that the resurrected powers of John the Baptist are now at work in Jesus if the ministry of both was concurrent. It is likely that Jesus' public ministry did not begin until after the arrest of John.

energousin (energew) pres. "are at work" - are operating, at work. Intransitive. Note that the miraculous powers are identified at work in Jesus, not the disciples. Since the disciples perform the signs in Jesus' name there is no need to argue that the episode is dislocated and has no relevance to the ministry of the twelve.

dunameiV (dunamiV) "miraculous powers" - powers, powerful works, miracles. Most likely meaning "miracles" rather than "powers" or "acts of power", and as such refer to the signs performed by Jesus and the disciples. Although John didn't perform any miracles, a superstitious and guilty person like Herod would tend to miss the obvious. "Who had come back to life with the power to perform miracles", CEV.

elegon (legw) imperf. "[others] said" - were saying. The imperfect indicating ongoing action / imperfective. Mark continues to explain the popular understanding of Jesus. They say of him that he is the foretold Elijah who prepares the way of the Messiah, or that he is like one of the wonder-working prophets, eg. Elisha. Sadly, Jesus is not recognized as the Messiah.

akousaV (akouw) aor. part. "[but] when [Herod] heard" - having heard. Temporal participle. Herod hears the different views and we are given his opinion.

apekefalisa (apokefalizw) aor. "I beheaded" - behead. The construction emphasizes the obvious alarm felt by Herod, although we have no record of him seeking to do Jesus harm. None-the-less, Jesus tends to keep Herod at arms length. "John, he whom I beheaded, this one has been raised."

hgerqh (egeirw) aor. pas. "has been raised [from the dead]" - was raised up, woken. "From the dead" is not in the Greek, but is added to give meaning. We are unsure if Herod thinks that Jesus is actually a resurrected John the Baptist, or an apparition, or a person possessed by the Baptist's spirit.

autoV "himself" - The NIV takes the pronoun as emphatic, but it could be either unemphatic "the aforesaid", or simply anticipating the noun, "Herod", and therefore left untranslated.

aposteilaV (apostellw) aor. part. "had given orders" - having sent. Attendant circumstance participle expressing accompanying the main verb "arrested". "Herod sent his guards to seize John."

ekrathsen (kratew) aor. "arrested" - seized, arrested.

edhsen (dew) aor. "he had [him] bound" - he bound [him]. Herod had John bound and incarcerated in prison. Josephus says that John was imprisoned in the fortress palace of Machaerus in Peraea.

dia + acc. "because of" - because of, on account of. Causal. The arrest was orchestrated by Herodias.

tou adelfou autou "his brother" - the brother of him. Actually his half brother.

egamhsen (gamew) aor. "he had married" - he married. Under Roman law Herodias was legally able to divorce her husband Philip, but under Levitic law, Antipas was not permitted to marry his brother's wife, Lev.18:16, 20:21. Interestingly, Josephus, the Jewish historian, says that Herodias was married to Herod the son of Herod the Great and Mariamne II and that Philip the Tetrarch actually married Salome. It is not easy to identify the actual relationships and names, common and proper, of Herod's family.

elegen (legw) imperf. "had been saying" - was saying. Translated as a pluperfect. The sentence explains why Herodias was so bitter against John, a bitterness that drove her to have him arrested.

oJti "-" - Introducing a dependent statement / indirect speech, what John was saying; "saying to herod that ...."

exestin + dat. "it is not lawful [for you]" - it is not right, proper, lawful. "It isn't right", CEV.

ecein (ecw) pres. inf. "to have" - The infinitive forms a substantive clause which functions as the subject of the verb "is [not] permissible/lawful"; "to have the wife of your brother is not permissible." "John had told Herod that he had no right to marry his brother's wife", Barclay.

eneicen (enecw) imperf. +dat. "nursed a grudge" - bore a grudge against, angry with (when followed by a dative). "Had it in for him"

apekteinai (apekteinw) aor. inf. "to kill" - to kill. Complementary infinitive, completing the sense of the verb "wanted/desired". Note the literary parallel between Ahab and Jezebel's interaction with Elijah, and also Pilate and the Jew's interaction with Jesus. The righteous man, the wicked persecutor and the weak fence-sitter, prompts the question, who do I stand with?

efobeito (fobeomai) imperf. "[Herod] feared" - feared. "Herod had a deep respect for John", Phillips.

sunethrei (sunthrew) imperf. "protected" - he was keeping safe, protecting. Probably protecting John against Herodias.

hporei (aporew) imperf. "puzzled" - he was at wits end, in difficulties, perplexed [greatly]. Herod was "very much perplexed", NAB, or "greatly disturbed", REB, by the mystery of the coming kingdom as proclaimed by John.

hJdewV adv. "liked [to listen to him]" - gladly. Herod appreciated his times with John.

genomenhV hJmeraV eukairou "finally the opportune time came" - an opportune / convenient / suitable day came. "An opportune day", constructed to form a temporal genitive absolute clause. "Finally, Herodias got her chance", CEV.

eukairou adj. "opportune" - opportune, suitable. Possibly "festival [day]." "Then came a holiday", Moffatt.

toiV genesioiV (a) dat. "on [his] birthday" - on the birthday celebrations [of him]. Dative = to one's birth.

megistasin (an anoV) dat. "for [his] high officials" - courtiers, nobles, chief men. Dative of advantage, as NIV. Is the party in Peraea, or Galilee?

toiV protoiV adj. "the leading men [of Galilee]" - first, prominent. The adjective used as a substantive, "prominent persons." "The aristocracy of the country", BAGD.

thV qugatroV authV thV HrwdiadoV "the daughter of Herodias" - A stronger variant reading of the pronoun produces the translation, "his daughter, Herodias." It is possible that Herod had a daughter with Herodias and named her the same as her mother, but it is far more likely that it was his stepdaughter who danced, the girl known as Salome. She would have been a teenager at this point in time.

eiselqoushV (eisercomai) aor. part. "when [the daughter of Herodias] came in" - having come in, gone in, entered. Participle used to construct a temporal clause.

orchsamenhV (orceomai) aor. part. "danced" - having danced. The participle continues the temporal clause, "when the daughter of Herodias came in and danced"

hresen (areskw) aor. "she pleased" - she pleased. There are obvious sexual connotations in the use of this word. Not only did Herod take his brother's wife, he probably wanted the daughter as well.

toiV sunanakeimenoiV (sunanakeimai) pres. part. "his dinner guests" - the ones reclining at table with. The participle as a substantive. Those who reclined at the table with Herod; "his guests", Barclay.

tw/ korasiw/ (on) "to the girl" - to the young girl. As noted above, she is probably a teenager.

aithson (aitew) aor. imp. "ask" - ask. "Ask" in the sense of "request."

dwsw (didwmi) fut. "I'll give [it]" - I will give. The extravagance of the offer and its acceptance, serves to emphasize the value of John the Baptist and by implication, Jesus.

wmosen (omnuw) aor. "he promised" - he made a promise, swore, vowed, took an oath. The offer of "half my kingdom" is, of course, an offer a stepdaughter would graciously decline!

ti aithswmai (aitew) aor. subj. mid. "what shall I ask for" - what should I ask. Deliberative subjunctive. The aorist is futurastic. Because the word is in the middle voice it may mean "what claim shall I make [on Herod]."

euquV "at once" - immediately. The girl seems to be eager to carry out her mother's suggestion. Did they plan to entrap Herod together?

meta spoudhV (h) "hurried" - with haste, speed. Again indicating the girl's eagerness. Possibly "eagerly."

qelw pres. "I want" - I will, wish, desire. As in NIV, the request is most likely demanding. It is possible that linked with hina the construction produces a formal request, "please give me ...."

iJna + subj. "-" - that. Introducing a dependent statement of entreating, expressing what she wants.

exauthV "right now" - at once, immediatly. Again indicating eagerness.

perilupoV adj. "greatly distressed" - sorrowful, sad.... deeply grieved. A strong word again illustrating the worth of John. The description is of a person in a social trap and unable to escape. It is possible that the sense here is of anger, annoyance; "the king was very vexed", Moffatt.

dia + acc. "but because" - because of, on account of. The sense here is a little confusing. Was Herod "distressed/annoyed because of the vow and the guests" or "because of the vow and the guests he did not want to refuse her"? Most translators opt for the second option. "The king was very distressed, but because he had given her his sworn promise in front of his guests, he would not break his word to her", Barclay.

aqethsai (aqetew) aor. inf. "to refuse [her]" - to set aside, disappoint, break one's word. The infinitive is complementary, completing the sense of the verb "he did [not] want". The NIV follows BAGD, but "disappoint" is possible. Herod's reluctance again illustrates the worth of John.

spekoulatora (spekoulatwr) "an executioner" - military scout, member of the headquarter's staff, a soldier with a special commission. He might have been a member of Herod's bodyguard.

epetaxen (epitassw) aor. "with orders" - he ordered, commanded, instructed. The sense is "sent with orders."

enegkai (ferw) aor. inf. "to bring" - to bear, bring, carry. The infinitive introduces a dependent statement of comanding, "he commanded that ...." "At once ordered a soldier of his guard to bring his head", Williams.

oJi maqhtai outou "John's disciples" - his disciples. The existence of an identifiable group of John's disciples is again noted in scripture. It is likely that most of Jesus' disciples were originally members of this group.

to ptwma "body" - the corpse. This word is only used once in Mark.

mhhmeiw/ (on) "a tomb" - tomb, monument. "They laid it in a grave."

Mark Introduction

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