Mark 6 · Verse 23

Mark 6:23

And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
Mark 6:23, King James Version

Mark 6:23 in other translations

BSBAnd he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half my kingdom!”
WEBHe swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.”
ASVAnd he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.
YLTand he sware to her--‘Whatever thou mayest ask me, I will give to thee--unto the half of my kingdom.'
DARBYAnd he swore to her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask me I will give thee, to half of my kingdom.
BBEAnd he took an oath, saying to her, Whatever is your desire I will give it to you, even half of my kingdom.
WebsterAnd he swore to her, Whatever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, to the half of my kingdom.

What does Mark 6:23 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
23. And he--the king, so called, but only by courtesy (see on Mr 6:14). sware unto her Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, unto the half of my kingdom--Those in whom passion and luxury have destroyed self-command will in a capricious moment say and do what in their cool moments they bitterly regret.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 23.

(n) "Whatsoever" Est 5:3,6, 7:2

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 23 Unto the half of my kingdom - A noble price for a dance! This extravagance in favor of female dancers has the fullest scope in the east, even to the present day. M. Anquetil du Perron, in the preliminary discourse to his Zend Avesta, p. 344 and 345, gives a particular account of the dancers at Surat. This account cannot be transcribed in a comment on the Gospel of God, however illustrative it might be of the conduct of Herodias and her daughter Salome: it is too abominable for a place here. He observes, that the rich vie with each other in the presents they make to the dancing girls of money and jewels; and that persons of opulence have even ruined themselves by the presents they made to those victims of debauch. He mentions a remarkable case, which may throw light on this passage: "That the dancer Laal-koner gained such a complete ascendancy over the Mogul Emperor Maaz-eddin, that he made her joint governess of the empire with himself."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Mark 6:14-29

Herod feared John while he lived, and feared him still more when he was dead. Herod did many of those things which John in his preaching taught him; but it is not enough to do many things, we must have respect to all the commandments. Herod respected John, till he touched him in his Herodias. Thus many love good preaching, if it keep far away from their beloved sin. But it is better that sinners persecute ministers…

Read the full comment on Mark 6:14-29 →

Mark 6:23 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ὤμοσενōmosenhe sworeG3660
αὐτῇautēato herG846
πολλὰpollagreatlyG4183
ὅhowhateverG3739
τιtithingG5100
ἐάνeanifG1437
μεmemeG3165
αἰτήσῃςaitēsēsyou shall askG154
δώσωdōsōI will giveG1325
σοιsoiyouG4771
ἕωςhe'ōsuntilG2193
ἡμίσουςhēmisoushalfG2255
τῆςtēsof theG3588
βασιλείαςbasileiaskingdomG932
μου.¶mouof mine.G3165

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Mark 6:23

  • Esther 5:3

    Then said the king unto her, What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy request? it shall be even given thee to the half of the kingdom.

  • Esther 7:2

    And the king said again unto Esther on the second day at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition, queen Esther? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? and it shall be performed, even to the half of the kingdom.

  • Matthew 4:9

    And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.

  • 1 Samuel 28:10

    And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing.

  • Esther 5:6

    And the king said unto Esther at the banquet of wine, What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee: and what is thy request? even to the half of the kingdom it shall be performed.

  • Matthew 14:7

    Whereupon he promised with an oath to give her whatsoever she would ask.

  • Proverbs 6:2

    Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth.

  • 2 Kings 6:31

    Then he said, God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat shall stand on him this day.

  • Matthew 5:34-37

    But I say unto you, Swear not at all; neither by heaven; for it is God’s throne: Nor by the earth; for it is his footstool: neither by Jerusalem; for it is the city of the great King. Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black. But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
he.
1Sa 28:10; 2Ki 6:31; Mt 5:34-37; 14:7
Whatsoever.
Es 5:3,6; 7:2; Pr 6:2; Mt 4:9

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Mark 6:22

    And when the daughter of the said Herodias came in, and danced, and pleased Herod and them that sat with him, the king said unto the damsel, Ask of me whatsoever thou wilt, and I will give it thee.

  • Mark 6:23

    And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

  • Mark 6:24

    And she went forth, and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

Read all of Mark 6

Mark 6:23 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y le juró: Todo lo que me pidieres te daré, hasta la mitad de mi reino.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il lui jura: Tout ce que tu me demanderas, je te le donnerai, jusqu’à la moitié de mon royaume.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er schwur ihr: Was irgend du von mir bitten wirst, werde ich dir geben, bis zur Hälfte meines Reiches.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		et juravit illi: Quia quidquid petieris dabo tibi, licet dimidium regni mei.