Matthew 14:9
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
Matthew 14:9 in other translations
| BSB | The king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his guests, he ordered that her wish be granted |
|---|---|
| WEB | The king was grieved, but for the sake of his oaths and of those who sat at the table with him, he commanded it to be given, |
| ASV | And the king was grieved; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat with him, he commanded it to be given; |
| YLT | and the king was grieved, but because of the oaths and of those reclining with him, he commanded it to be given; |
| DARBY | And the king was grieved; but on account of the oaths, and those lying at table with him, he commanded it to be given. |
| BBE | And the king was sad; but because of his oaths and because of his guests, he gave the order for it to be given to her; |
| Webster | And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the sake of the oath, and of them who sat with him at table, he commanded it to be given her. |
What does Matthew 14:9 mean?
Barnes' Notes
(1.) Herod had a high respect for John, and feared him. He knew that he was a holy man, and had "observed him," that is, regarded him with respect and veneration. He had done some things in obedience to John's precepts, Mk 6:20.
(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 the 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 men. 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 honour--this the foundation of duelling. 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 honour, as they call themselves, his companions, would consider him a coward, and 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 opinions 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 honour! 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 source of all youthful guilt. We are led along by others. We have not firmness enough to follow the teachings of a father, and of the law of God. Young men are afraid of being called mean and cowardly, by the wicked; and they often sink low m wee, 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.
(b) "oath's sake" Jud 21:1, 1Sam 14:28, 25:22, Eccl 5:2
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 14:1-12
The terror and reproach of conscience, which Herod, like other daring offenders, could not shake off, are proofs and warnings of a future judgment, and of future misery to them. But there may be the terror of convictions, where there is not the truth of conversion. When men pretend to favour the gospel, yet live in evil, we must not favour their self-delusion, but must deliver our consciences as John did. The world…
Matthew 14:9 in the original Greek
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Cross references for Matthew 14:9
- John 19:12-16
And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Cesar’s friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Cesar. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha. And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Cesar. …
- Mark 6:14
And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
- Mark 6:26
And the king was exceeding sorry; yet for his oath’s sake, and for their sakes which sat with him, he would not reject her.
- Ecclesiastes 5:2
Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few.
- Daniel 6:14-16
Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him. Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
- Luke 13:32
And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.
- Acts 25:3-9
And desired favour against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him. But Festus answered, that Paul should be kept at Cesarea, and that he himself would depart shortly thither. Let them therefore, said he, which among you are able, go down with me, and accuse this man, if there be any wickedness in him. And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Cesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. …
- 1 Samuel 25:32-34
And David said to Abigail, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: And blessed be thy advice, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from coming to shed blood, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the Lord God of Israel liveth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light any that pisseth against the wall.
- Judges 21:1
Now the men of Israel had sworn in Mizpeh, saying, There shall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife.
- Matthew 14:5
And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a prophet.
- 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.
- Matthew 14:1
At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus,
Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1; Mr 6:14
sorry.
5; 27:17-26; Da 6:14-16; Mr 6:20,26; Lu 13:32; Joh 19:12-16
Ac 24:23-27; 25:3-9
the oath's.
Nu 30:5-8; Jud 11:30,31,39; 21:1,7-23; 1Sa 14:24,28,39-45; 25:22
1Sa 25:32-34; 28:10; 2Ki 6:31-33; Ec 5:2
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Matthew 14:8
And she, being before instructed of her mother, said, Give me here John Baptist’s head in a charger.
- Matthew 14:9
And the king was sorry: nevertheless for the oath’s sake, and them which sat with him at meat, he commanded it to be given her.
- Matthew 14:10
And he sent, and beheaded John in the prison.
Matthew 14:9 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Entonces el rey se entristeció; mas por el juramento, y por los que estaban juntamente á la mesa, mandó que se le diese. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et le roi en fut affligé; mais, à cause des serments et de ceux qui étaient à table avec lui, il donna l’ordre qu’on la lui donne. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Und der König wurde traurig; aber um der Eide und um derer willen, die mit zu Tische lagen, befahl er, es zu geben. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Et contristatus est rex: propter juramentum autem, et eos qui pariter recumbebant, jussit dari. |