Matthew 14:8

Easy-to-Read Version

Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, "Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this plate."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Prompted by her mother, she answered, “Give me John the Baptist’s head here on a platter.”

King James Version (1611)
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Giue me heere Iohn Baptists head in a charger.

King James Version
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger.

English Standard Version
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

New American Standard Bible
And after being prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

New Century Version
Herodias told her daughter what to ask for, so she said to Herod, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

Amplified Bible
She, being coached by her mother [Herodias], said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Geneva Bible (1587)
And shee being before instructed of her mother, sayde, Giue mee here Iohn Baptists head in a platter.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Having been prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Legacy Standard Bible
Now having been prompted by her mother, she *said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Berean Standard Bible
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."

Contemporary English Version
But the girl's mother told her to say, "Here on a platter I want the head of John the Baptist!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of Yochanan the Immerser."

Darby Translation
But she, being set on by her mother, says, Give me here upon a dish the head of John the baptist.

George Lamsa Translation
And she, because she was instructed by her mother, said, Give me right here on a tray the head of John the Baptist.

Good News Translation
At her mother's suggestion she asked him, "Give me here and now the head of John the Baptist on a plate!"

Lexham English Bible
And coached by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter!"

Literal Translation
But she being urged on by her mother, she says, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

American Standard Version
And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

Bible in Basic English
And she, at her mother's suggestion, said, Give me here on a plate the head of John the Baptist.

Hebrew Names Version
She, being put forward by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of Yochanan the immerser."

International Standard Version
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me, right here on a platter, the head of John the Baptist."

Etheridge Translation
Then she, because instructed by her mother, said, Give me here in a dish the head of Juchanon the Baptizer.

Murdock Translation
And she, as she had been instructed by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptizer.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And she, beyng instruct of her mother before, sayde: geue me here Iohn Baptistes head in a platter.

English Revised Version
And she, being put forward by her mother, saith, Give me here in a charger the head of John the Baptist.

World English Bible
She, being put forward by her mother, said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptizer."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
she said, Give me here John the Baptist's head in a charger.

Weymouth's New Testament
So she, instigated by her mother, said, "Give me here on a dish the head of John the Baptist."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And she bifor warned of hir modir, seide, Yif thou to me here the heed of Joon Baptist in a disch.

Update Bible Version
And she, being put forward by her mother, says, Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist.

Webster's Bible Translation
And she, being before instructed by her mother, said, Give me here the head of John the Baptist in a dish.

New English Translation
Instructed by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

New King James Version
So she, having been prompted by her mother, said, "Give me John the Baptist's head here on a platter."

New Living Translation
At her mother's urging, the girl said, "I want the head of John the Baptist on a tray!"

New Life Bible
Because her mother told her to do it, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist on a plate."

New Revised Standard
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, she, being led on by her mother, - Give me (saith she) here, upon a charger, the head of John the Immerser.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But she being instructed before by her mother, said: Give me here in a dish the head of John the Baptist.

Revised Standard Version
Prompted by her mother, she said, "Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And she beinge informed of her mother before sayde: geve me here Ihon baptistes heed in a platter.

Young's Literal Translation
And she having been instigated by her mother -- `Give me (says she) here upon a plate the head of John the Baptist;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And she (beynge instructe of hir mother afore) sayde: geue me Ihon baptistes heade in a platter.

Mace New Testament (1729)
who being before instructed by her mother, pray, said she, order John Baptist's head to be brought here in a charger.

Simplified Cowboy Version
At her momma's bidding, she asked the King for the head of John the Baptist.

Contextual Overview

¹ About that time, Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard what the people were saying about Jesus. ² So he said to his servants, "This man is really John the Baptizer. He must have risen from death, and that is why he can do these miracles." ³ Before this time, Herod had arrested John. He had him chained and put in prison. He arrested John because of Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod's brother. ⁴ John had told him, "It is not right for you to be married to Herodias." ⁵ Herod wanted to kill him, but he was afraid of the people. They believed that John was a prophet. ⁶ On Herod's birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced for him and his group. Herod was very pleased with her. ⁷ So he promised that he would give her anything she wanted. ⁸ Herodias told her daughter what to ask for. So she said to Herod, "Give me the head of John the Baptizer here on this plate." ⁹ King Herod was very sad. But he had promised to give the daughter anything she wanted. And the people eating with Herod had heard his promise. So he ordered what she asked to be done. ¹⁰ He sent men to the prison, where they cut off John's head.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

being: 2 Chronicles 22:2, 2 Chronicles 22:3, Mark 6:24

Give: 1 Kings 18:4, 1 Kings 18:13, 1 Kings 19:2, 2 Kings 11:1, Proverbs 1:16, Proverbs 29:10

a charger: Numbers 7:13, Numbers 7:19, Numbers 7:84, Numbers 7:85, Ezra 1:9

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 10:7 - slew seventy Proverbs 16:30 - moving Daniel 6:16 - the king Luke 23:20 - General

Cross-References

Genesis 13:10
Lot looked and saw the whole Jordan Valley. He saw that there was much water there. (This was before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. At that time the Jordan Valley all the way to Zoar was like the Lord 's Garden. This was good land, like the land of Egypt.)

Genesis 14:2
All these kings fought a war against King Bera of Sodom: King Birsha of Gomorrah, King Shinab of Admah, King Shemeber of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela. (Bela is also called Zoar.)

Genesis 14:3
All these kings joined their armies in the Valley of Siddim. (The Valley of Siddim is now the Salt Sea.)

Genesis 14:10
There were many holes filled with tar in the Valley of Siddim. When the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah and their armies ran away, some of the soldiers fell into these holes, but the others ran away to the mountains.

Genesis 19:20
Look, there is a very small town near here. Let me run to that town. I can run there and be safe."

Genesis 19:22
But run there quickly. I cannot destroy Sodom until you are safely in that town." (That town is named Zoar, because it is a small town.)

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And she being before instructed of her mother,.... What request to make; for as Mark says, "she went forth" to her mother immediately, as soon as she had received the king's promise, and took advice of her, what she should ask; who bid her ask for the head of John the Baptist; and accordingly she went in, "straightway with haste unto the king", as the same evangelist observes, to take him at his word, and whilst he was in the mood; being urged and hastened on by her mother, who was eager to satisfy her revenge on John; and said,

give me here John Baptist's head in a charger: she desires his head, and this to be brought to her in a large dish, that her mother might be sure of his death; and have an opportunity of insulting that mouth and tongue, that had spoke against her incestuous marriage: and she desires to have it given "here", in that very place, at that very time, where, and while the company was together, who were witnesses of the king's promise and oath; and this she did, lest when the festival was over, and he was out of his cups, he should repent of his folly and rashness. The mother and daughter seem to be much alike, both for lasciviousness, revenge, and cruelty: and if what the historian says w be true, that this same person Salome, the daughter of Herodias, as she walked over a river which was frozen in the winter season, the ice broke, and she fell in, and the pieces of ice cut off her head; the "lex talionis", the law of retaliation, was righteously executed on her.

w Nicephorus, Hist. l. 1. c. 20.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See also Mark 6:21-29. But when Herod’s birthday was come Kings were accustomed to observe the day of their birth with much pomp, and commonly, also, by giving a feast to their principal nobility. See Genesis 40:20. Mark adds that this birthday was kept by making a supper to his “lords, high captains, and chief estates in Galilee;” that is to the chief men in office. “High captains” means, in the original, commanders of thousands, or of a division of 1,000 people.

The daughter of Herodias - That is, “Salome,” her daughter by her former husband. This was a violation of all the rules of modesty and propriety. One great principle of all eastern nations is to keep their females from public view. For this purpose they are confined in a particular part of the house, called the harem. See the notes at Matthew 9:1-8. If they appear in public, it is always with a veil, so closely drawn that their faces cannot be seen. No modest woman would have appeared in this manner before the court, and it is probable, therefore, that she partook of the dissolute principles of her mother. It is also probable that the dance was one well known in Greece - the lascivious and wanton dance of the Ionics.

Matthew 14:7

He promised with an oath - This a foolish and wicked oath.

To please a wanton girl, the monarch called the eternal God to witness his willingness to give her half his kingdom, Mark 6:23. It seems, also, that he was willing to shed the holiest blood it contained. An oath like this it was not lawful to make, and it should have been broken. See Matthew 14:9.

Matthew 14:8

Being before instructed of her mother - Not before she danced, but afterward, and before she made the request of Herod.

See Mark 6:24. The only appearance of what was right in the whole transaction was her honoring her mother by consulting her, but in this she only intended to accomplish the purposes of wickedness more effectively.

In a charger - The original word means a large platter on which food is placed. We should have supposed that she would have been struck with abhorrence at such a direction from her mother; but she seems to have been gratified. John, by his faithfulness, had offended the whole family, and here was ample opportunity for an adulterous mother and her dissolute child to gratify their resentment. It was customary for princes to require the heads of persons ordered for execution to be brought to them. For this there were two reasons:

1. To gratify their resentment - to feast their eyes on the proof that their enemy was dead; and,
2. To ascertain the fact that the sentence had been executed.

There is a similar instance in Roman history of a woman requiring the head of an enemy to be brought to her. Agrippina, the mother of Nero, who was afterward emperor, sent an officer to put to death Lollia Paulina, who had been her rival for the imperial dignity. When Lollia’s head was brought to her, not knowing it at first, she examined it with her own hands until she perceived some particular feature by which the lady was distinguished.

Matthew 14:9

And the king was sorry - There might have been several reasons for this.

1. Herod had a high respect for John, and feared him. He knew that he was a holy man, and had “observed him,” Mark 6:20. In the margin (Mark) this is “kept him,” or “saved him.” In fact he had interposed and saved John from being put to death by Herodias, who had had a quarrel with John, and would have killed him but for Herod, Mark 6:19. Herod, though a bad man, had a respect and veneration for John as a holy and just man, as wicked people often will have.

2. John was in high repute among the people, and Herod might have been afraid that his murder might excite commotion.

3. Herod, though a wicked man, does not appear to have been insensible to some of the common principles of human nature. Here was a great and most manifest crime proposed - no less than the murder of an acknowledged prophet of the Lord. It was deliberate. It was to gratify the malice of a wicked woman. It was the price of a few moments’ entertainment. His conscience, though in feeble and dying accents, checked him. He would have preferred a request not so manifestly wicked, and that would not have involved him in so much difficulty.

For the oath’s sake - Herod felt that he was bound by this oath; but he was not. The oath should not have been taken: but, being taken, he could not be bound by it. No oath could justify a man in committing murder. The true principle is, that Herod was bound by a prior obligation - by the law of God - not to commit murder; and no act of his, be it an oath or anything else, could free him from that obligation.

And them which sat with him at meat - This was the strongest reason why Herod murdered John. He had not firmness enough to obey the law of God and to follow the dictates of conscience against the opinions of wicked people. He was afraid of the charge of cowardice and want of spirit; afraid of ridicule and the contempt of the wicked. This is the principle of the laws of honor; this the foundation of dwelling. It is not so much for his own sake that one man murders another in a duel, for the offence is often a mere trifle - it is a word, or look, that never would injure him. It is because the “men of honor,” as they call themselves, his companions, would consider him a coward and would laugh at him. Those companions may be unprincipled contemners of the laws of God and man; and yet the duellist, against his own conscience, against the laws of God, against the good opinion of the virtuous part of the world, and against the laws of his country, seeks by deadly aim to murder another merely to gratify his dissolute companions. And this is the law of honor! This is the secret of duelling! This the source of that remorse that settles in awful blackness, and that thunders damnation around the duellist in his dying hours! It should be added, this is the course of all youthful guilt. Young men are led along by others. They have not firmness enough to follow the teachings of a father and of the law of God. They are afraid of being called mean and cowardly by the wicked; and they often sink low in vice and crime, never to rise again.

At meat - That is, at supper. The word “meat,” at the time the Bible was translated, meant provisions of all kinds. It is now restricted to flesh, and does not convey a full idea of the original.

Matthew 14:11

And his head was brought in a charger ... - For the sake of these wicked people, the bloody offering - the head of the slaughtered prophet was brought and given as the reward to the daughter and mother.

What an offering to a woman! Josephus says of Herodias that “she was a woman full of ambition and envy, having a mighty influence on Herod, and able to persuade him to things he was not at all inclined to.” This is one of the many proofs that we have that the evangelists drew characters according to truth.

Matthew 14:12

And his disciples ... - The head was with Herodias.

The body, with pious care, they buried.

And went and told Jesus - This was done, probably, for the following reasons:

1. It was an important event, and one particularly connected with the work of Jesus. John was his forerunner, and it was important that he should be made acquainted with his death.
2. It is not unreasonable to suppose that in their affliction they came to him for consolation; nor is it improper in our affliction to follow their example, and go and tell Jesus.
3. Their master had been slain by a cruel king. Jesus was engaged in the same cause, and they probably supposed that he was in danger. They therefore came to warn him of it, and he Matthew 14:13 sought a place of safety.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 14:8. Give me here John Baptist's head in a charger. — The word charger formerly signified a large dish, bowl, or drinking cup: the Saxon has [Anglo-Saxon], a dish, Tindal, a platter; any thing is better than charger, which never conveyed much meaning, and now conveys none. The evangelist says she was instructed before, by her mother, to ask the Baptist's head! What a most infernal mother, to give such instructions to her child! and what a promising daughter to receive them! What a present for a young lady!-the bloody head of the murdered forerunner of Jesus! and what a gratification for an adulterous wife, and incestuous mother! The disturber of her illicit pleasures, and the troubler of her brother-husband's conscience, is no more! Short, however, was their glorying! Matthew 14:3; Matthew 14:3.