Bread on the Hillside
Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, Matthew 14:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Here's the backstory: Herod had arrested John the Baptist because John called out his sinful marriage to his brother's wife.
Sometimes doing the right thing gets you in trouble. John spoke the truth to power and paid dearly for it.
Matthew fills in the background, explaining why John was in prison.
This flashback gives you the full picture of the tension between Herod and John, rooted in Herod's refusal to repent.
Matthew provides background context using a flashback. Herod's arrest of John was motivated by his unlawful marriage to Herodias, who had been the wife of his half-brother Philip.
Jewish law (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21) prohibited marriage to a brother's wife while the brother was still alive. This was not merely a moral issue but a violation of Torah.
The narrator provides this historical background.
Matthew interrupts the present narrative to explain the backstory of John's imprisonment, which is essential to understanding Herod's guilt.
1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus
2and said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him.”
3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
4because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.
Read all of Matthew 14 — A king's guilty banquet ends with a prophet's head on a platter. Hours later, Jesus feeds thousands and walks on water through the night.
This page covers one. BibleKey does all 31,102 — tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and keep reading without leaving the chapter.
Not just the famous ones. BibleKey is free on iPhone and iPad.
Download on the App StoreFree on iPhone & iPad