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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

Geneva Bible

Mark 6:18

For Iohn sayd vnto Herod, It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Adultery;   Herod;   Incest;   John;   Marriage;   Martyrdom;   Minister, Christian;   Politics;   Reproof;   Women;   Thompson Chain Reference - Hatred;   Love-Hatred;   Magistrates;   Nation, the;   Rebuke;   Rulers;   Wicked, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Herod;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Courage;   Galilee;   Herod;   John the baptist;   Marriage;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Incest;   John the Baptist;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Herodias;   Machaerus;   Salome;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Aretas;   Herod;   John;   Mark, the Gospel of;   Marriage;   Prison, Prisoners;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John the Baptist;   Salome;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Herod ;   John the Baptist;   Lust (2);   Machaerus;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Herod, Family of;   John the Baptist;   New Testament;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Herod;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Anitipas;   Divorce;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Brother's Wife;   John the Baptist;   Salome;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”
King James Version (1611)
For Iohn had said vnto Herod, It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife.
King James Version
For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
English Standard Version
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
New American Standard Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
New Century Version
John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to be married to your brother's wife."
Amplified Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful [under Mosaic Law] for you to have your brother's wife."
New American Standard Bible (1995)
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Legacy Standard Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Berean Standard Bible
For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife!"
Complete Jewish Bible
but Yochanan had told him, "It violates the Torah for you to marry your brother's wife."
Darby Translation
For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have the wife of thy brother.
Easy-to-Read Version
John told Herod, "It is not right for you to be married to your brother's wife."
George Lamsa Translation
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to marry your brother''s wife.
Good News Translation
John the Baptist kept telling Herod, "It isn't right for you to marry your brother's wife!"
Lexham English Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not permitted for you to have your brother's wife."
Literal Translation
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother.
American Standard Version
For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
Bible in Basic English
For John said to Herod, It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife.
Hebrew Names Version
For Yochanan said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
International Standard Version
John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."Leviticus 18:16; 20:21;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
For Juchanon had said to Herodes, It is not lawful to thee to take the wife of thy brother.
Murdock Translation
For John had said to Herod: It is not lawful for thee to take thy brother's wife.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For Iohn sayde vnto Herode: It is not lawful for thee to haue thy brothers wyfe.
English Revised Version
For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
World English Bible
For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee, to have thy brother's wife.
Weymouth's New Testament
For John had repeatedly told Herod, "You have no right to be living with your brother's wife."
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For Joon seide to Eroude, It is not leueful to thee, to haue the wijf of thi brothir.
Update Bible Version
For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.
Webster's Bible Translation
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.
New English Translation
For John had repeatedly told Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
New King James Version
Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
New Living Translation
John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife."
New Life Bible
John the Baptist had said to Herod, "It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife."
New Revised Standard
For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For John had been saying to Herod - It is not allowed thee, to have, the wife of thy brother.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For John said to Herod: It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.
Revised Standard Version
For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Iohn sayd vnto Herode: It is not laufull for the to have thy brothers wyfe.
Young's Literal Translation
for John said to Herod -- `It is not lawful to thee to have the wife of thy brother;'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles Ihon sayde vnto Herode It is not laufull for the to haue yi brothers wife.
Mace New Testament (1729)
upon which John told him, "it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."
Simplified Cowboy Version
John had criticized Herod for marrying her in the first place. This wasn't just some gal off the street. She had been married to Herod's brother, Philip. It was against God's law to marry your brother's wife if he was still alive and Philip was still kicking around somewhere.

Contextual Overview

14 Then King Herod heard of him (for his name was made manifest) and sayd, Iohn Baptist is risen againe from the dead, and therefore great workes are wrought by him. 15 Other sayd, It is Elias, and some sayd, It is a Prophet, or as one of those Prophets. 16 So when Herod heard it, he said, It is Iohn whom I beheaded: he is risen from the dead. 17 For Herod him selfe had sent forth, & had taken Iohn, and bound him in prison for Herodias sake, which was his brother Philippes wife, because he had maried her. 18 For Iohn sayd vnto Herod, It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife. 19 Therefore Herodias layd waite against him, & would haue killed him, but she could not: 20 For Herod feared Iohn, knowing that hee was a iust man, and an holy, and reuerenced him, and when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. 21 But the time being conuenient, when Herod on his birth day made a banket to his princes and captaines, and chiefe estates of Galile: 22 And the daughter of the same Herodias came in, & daunced, and pleased Herod, and them that sate at table together, the King sayd vnto the mayde, Aske of me what thou wilt, and I will giue it thee. 23 And he sware vnto her, Whatsoeuer thou shalt aske of me, I will giue it thee, euen vnto the halfe of my kingdome.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

It is: Leviticus 18:16, Leviticus 20:21, 1 Kings 22:14, Ezekiel 3:18, Ezekiel 3:19, Matthew 14:3, Matthew 14:4, Acts 20:26, Acts 20:27, Acts 24:24-26

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:8 - Abner 2 Kings 20:14 - What said 2 Chronicles 18:7 - I hate him Job 21:31 - declare Proverbs 29:10 - The bloodthirsty Jeremiah 22:1 - Go Luke 3:19 - General Luke 13:24 - for Acts 24:25 - temperance

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a iust and vpright man in his time: and Noah walked with God.
Genesis 6:16
A windowe shalt thou make in the Arke, and in a cubite shalt thou finish it aboue, and the doore of the Arke shalt thou set in the side thereof: thou shalt make it with the lowe, seconde and third roume.
Genesis 7:1
And the Lord said vnto Noah, Enter thou and all thine house into the Arke: for thee haue I seene righteous before me in this age.
Genesis 7:7
So Noah entred and his sonnes, and his wife, & his sonnes wiues with him into the Arke, because of the waters of the flood.
Genesis 7:13
In the selfe same day entred Noah with Shem, and Ham and Iapheth, the sonnes of Noah, and Noahs wife, and the three wiues of his sonnes with them into the Arke.
Genesis 17:4
Beholde, I make my couenant with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations,
Genesis 17:7
Moreouer I wil establish my couenant betweene me and thee, and thy seede after thee in their generations, for an euerlasting couenant, to be God vnto thee and to thy seede after thee.
Genesis 17:21
But my couenant will I establish with Izhak, which Sarah shall beare vnto thee, the next yeere at this season.
Isaiah 26:20
Come, my people: enter thou into thy chambers, and shut thy doores after thee: hide thy selfe for a very litle while, vntill the indignation passe ouer.
Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noe being warned of God of the things which were as yet not seene, mooued with reuerence, prepared the Arke to the sauing of his housholde, through the which Arke hee condemned the world, and was made heire of the righteousnes, which is by faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For John had said unto Herod,.... He had been personally with him, and had plainly and freely told him of his sin, and faithfully reproved him for it; alleging what he had done was contrary to the law of God:

it is not lawful, for thee to have thy brother's wife:

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this account of the death of John the Baptist fully explained in the notes at Matthew 14:1-12.

Mark 6:20

For Herod feared John - That is, he stood in awe of him on account of his sanctity, and his boldness and fearlessness in reproving sin.

Knowing that he was a just man and an Holy - A holy, pious, upright, honest man - a man who would not be afraid of him, or afraid to speak his real sentiments.

And observed him - Margin, “kept him, or saved him.” This does not mean that he “observed” or obeyed his teachings, but that he kept him in safe custody in order to preserve him from the machinations of Herodias. He was willing to show his respect for John, and to secure him from danger, and even to do “many things” which might indicate respect for him - at least, to do so much as to guard him from his enemies.

And did many things - But he did not do the thing which was demanded of him - to break off from his sins. He attempted to make a compromise with his conscience. He still loved his sins, and did “other” things which he supposed might be accepted in the place of putting away, as he ought, the wife of his brother - the polluted and adulterous woman with whom he lived. Perhaps he treated John kindly, or spoke well of him, or aided him in his wants, and attempted in this way to silence his rebukes and destroy his faithfulness. This was probably before John was imprisoned. So sinners often treat ministers kindly, and do much to make them comfortable, and hear them gladly, while they are still unwilling to do the thing which is demanded of them - to repent and believe the gospel. They expect that their kind attentions will be accepted in the place of what God demands - repentance and the forsaking of their sins.


 
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