Herod Laid Hold Upon John - Mark 6:17

Mark wrote how, “king Herod heard of” Jesus; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him, Others said, That it is Elias. And others said, That it is a prophet, or as one of the prophets. But when Herod heard thereof, he said, It is John, whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead”, and in chapter six and verse seventeen of his book, Mark wrote how, “Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John” where we read:

For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.

The verse reads, “For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, ...” Mark began with the words, “for Herod himself” or “because, since and on account that Herod his own self whose name means heroic” “had sent forth” which means “had ordered and appointed” “and laid hold upon John” or “and took power over, seized, obtained and arrested John the Baptist”. Mark shared how “King Herod” ordered John the Baptist to be arrested.

The verse continues, “... and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.” Mark added the words, “and bound him” which means “and tied, fastened and put him under obligation” “in prison” or “under guard and watch as well as captive” “for Herodias' sake” which means “for King Herod's wife's cause whose name means heroic and was the daughter of Aristobulus and granddaughter of Herod the Great”, “his brother Philip's wife” or “the wife of Herod's own brother whose name Philip means lover of horses”: “for he had married her” which means “because, since and on account that Herod had married his brother Philip's wife Herodias”. Mark shared how King Herod had John the Baptist arrested for the “sake” of his wife “Herodias” who was formerly Herod's brother Philip's wife.

When we meditate upon Mark's words in this verse, we see how King Herod was influenced by his wife who was previously the wife of his brother “Philip”. We shall learn more of this story in the next few verses, but for now let it suffice to know that God was overseeing all these events, and whether Herod, Herodias or John the Baptist were involved, Jesus was the One whom all people were to look to for “salvation”. Those who are wise shall learn who Jesus is and submit their lives to Him as their personal “Savior and Lord”.

Next time Mark shares how, “because had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".