Matthew 14:4
2 and 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.”
3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
5 Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.
6 On Herod’s birthday, however, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- because John had been telling him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- KJV
- For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
- WEB
- For John said to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- ASV
- For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
- DARBY
- For John said to him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.
- BLB
- For John was saying to him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.”
- ÅB
- For Johannes hadde sagt til ham: «Det er ikke tillatt for deg å ha henne.»
- OTB
- For Johannes hadde sagt til ham: "Det er mot loven for deg å ha henne."
- B1930
- For Johannes hadde sagt til ham: Det er dig ikke tillatt å ha henne.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Leviticus 20:21
If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless.
Read in contextLeviticus 18:16
You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
Read in contextMark 6:18
For John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife!”
Read in contextProverbs 28:1
The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
Read in contextDeuteronomy 25:5–6
When brothers dwell together and one of them dies without a son, the widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother is to take her as his wife and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law for her.
Read in context2 Samuel 12:7
Then Nathan said to David, “You are that man! This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: ‘I anointed you king over Israel, and I delivered you from the hand of Saul.
Read in contextIsaiah 8:20
To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
Read in context2 Chronicles 26:18–19
They took their stand against King Uzziah and said, “Uzziah, you have no right to offer incense to the LORD. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, are consecrated to burn incense. Leave the sanctuary, for you have acted unfaithfully; you will not receive honor from the LORD God.”
Read in context