Mark 6:21

§ 60. — DEATH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, Mar_6:21-29.

(See notes on Mat_14:6-12.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 6:21. Γενεσίοις) Γενέσια, This is the genus: γενέθλια, the species. The latter denotes properly a birth-day feast [or celebration]; the former, any anniversary feast-day whatever; for instance, the anniversary of entering on a kingdom.—μεγιστᾶσιν, the great men) of the palace and of the court.—χιλιάρχοις, chief captains) of his soldiery.—τοῖς πρώτοις, the nobles) in provincial posts.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Mar 6:21-29 . The fatal day .

Mar 6:21 . εὐκαίρου , a day convenient for the long cherished purpose of Herodias; so regarded by her as well as by the evangelist. She had a chance then, if ever, and might hope that by wine, love, and the assistance of obsequious guests, her irresolute husband would at last be brought to the point (Grotius). The word occurs again in the N. T., Heb 4:16 , εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν = seasonable succour. μεγιστᾶσιν ( μεγιστᾶνες from μέγιστος ), magnates . A word belonging to Macedonian Greek, condemned by Phryn. (p. 196: μέγα δυναμένοι the right expression), frequent in Sept [52] With these magnates, the civil authorities, are named the chief military men ( χιλιάρχοις ) and the socially important persons of Galilee ( πρώτοις ) an imposing gathering on Herod’s birthday.

[52]Septuagint.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Verse 21. Lords] μεγιστασιν, probably governors of particular districts.

High captains] χιλιαρχοις; literally, chiefs or captains over a thousand men, military chiefs.

Chief estates] πρωτοις; probably such as might be called nobles by title only, having no office civil or military; probably magistrates. See KYPKE an the place.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(21-29) And when a convenient day was come.—See Notes on Mat_14:6-12.

His lords, high captains, and chief estates.—St. Mark alone gives the account of the guests. The three words mean respectively—(1) the magnates, or officials of the court; (2) the chiliarchs, or chief captains (literally, captain of a thousand—the same word as in Act_21:31; Act_26:26) in the Roman legion; (3) the chief men (“estates” to modern ears is too formal a word), probably the large landowners of the province.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. a convenient day] i. e. a suitable day for her fell designs.

on his birthday] In imitation of the Roman emperors, the Herodian princes kept their birthdays with feasting and revelry and magnificent banquets. Wieseler, however, considers the word denotes a feast celebrating Herod’s accession, but this is more than doubtful. Birthday festivals were one sample of foreign habits introduced into Palestine and spread there by the Herodians.

made a supper] probably at Machærus or some neighbouring palace.

lords, high captains] or “chiliarchs.” The words here used denote servants of the state, civil and military.

chief estates] This term denotes men of high rank, and includes the Galilæan nobles generally. Comp. Fuller Ch. Hist. V. iii. 28, “God never gave grace nor knowledge of Holy Scripture to any great estate or rich man.” State is also employed in the same way. Thus Adams says (Nichol’s Puritan Divines), “Sin deals with her guests as that bloody prince that, having invited many great states to a solemn feast.”

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And when a convenient day was come,.... For Herodias; who had long sought and watched for an opportunity of avenging herself on John, and such a time Herod's birthday proved; though some think, that this phrase is the same with , "a good day"; often used by the Jews for a festival, any one of their feast days; there is a tract in their Misna which bears this name; and that such a day was this. But not one of the festivals of the Jews was this, as either their passover, or pentecost, or feast of tabernacles, which Herod had no regard to; but his own birthday, which he kept as a festival, in eating, and drinking, and dancing; and so was a very opportune and seasonable time for Herodias to take the advantage of Herod when in a good humour, amidst his company, and in his cups, to solicit that, which she had often done without success: and so it was now,

that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee: this birthday, was either the day of his natural, or civil birth; the day when he was born into the world, or of his accession to the throne; See Gill on Mat 14:6, when he made a grand entertainment in the evening for his nobles, and the officers of the army, the captains of thousands, and the principal men, those of the first rank and quality in Galilee, of which he was Tetrarch.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

21 And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

Ver. 21. Made a supper] The ancients took a light dinner usually, and therefore called it prandium quasi perendium: at supper they feasted more freely, and therefore called it Δειπνον παρα το δειν παυειν, because then their day’s work was done.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vers. 21-28. The murderers of John the Baptist.

The name of Herod Antipas is associated with that of our Lord on three occasions. The first is mentioned in this chapter. On the second he sends a threatening message through the Pharisees; (Luk_13:31) and on the third, with his men of war, he mocked the world"s Redeemer. (Luk_23:8-12) These together afford an example of the progressive nature of sin. Herod passed from superstitious fear to anger, and from anger to mockery and scorn. He "walked in the counsel of the ungodly," and "stood in the way of sinners," and at last "sat in the seat of the scornful" (Psalm 1). It appears to have been the extension of our Lord"s influence, doubtless through the work of his newly appointed apostles, which aroused the interest and fear of Herod. The miracles which were wrought vividly brought before his guilty conscience the terrible crime which he had recently committed, in the murder of John the Baptist, of which Mark gives us the most graphic and detailed narrative we have. The feast described could hardly have taken place in Tiberias, but probably in some other palace close by the castle of Machaerus, in which John was a prisoner. In the scene which is here portrayed we see three types of character, represented by the three chief actors in this tragedy, which are worthy of our study.

I CONSIDER HEROD AS AN EXAMPLE OF MORAL WEAKNESS, He was the son of Herod the Great, by Malthace, a Samaritan woman, and inherited his father"s vices without his vigor. Profligate and luxurious, he had no vestige of moral greatness. His language was that of a braggart, as we can see in his promise that he would give "the half of his kingdom;" as if he were a mighty Ahasuerus, whereas he was but the subordinate ruler of the small districts of Galilee and Peraea. In the scene before us we notice in him the following faults:

1. He was disloyal to his convictions. Impressed by John"s words, he did not forsake his sins. like Pilate, he acknowledged the innocence and dignity of his victim, yet he had not the moral courage to set him free. To know the right, and yet to fail in following it, is the germ of grosser sins.

2. He was easily influenced by circumstances. A convenient day" came at last for Herodias"s purpose, a time when the weak king would be inflamed by wine and lust. The tempter ever waits and watches for such occasions to effect the moral ruin of those who do not resolutely resist him. The opinion of the civil and military officials around him also prevented Herod"s refusal of Salome"s request. like all moral cowards, he had more fear of the scorn of men than of the wrath of God.

3. He was led gradually to the worst crime, There had been a time when he would have shrunk from the murder of John; but he had been gradually prepared for it. His sinful connection with Herodias blunted any sensibility to good, as sensuality always does. His unwillingness to put her away led him to silence the bold preacher who denounced his crime. And when licentiousness had led to persecution, it was not long before persecution led to murder.

4. He was moulded by the stronger will of companion in guilt. The weakness of a vacillating man is easily overcome by one who is resolutely bad. Give examples from Scripture, and illustrations from daily life, of the perils besetting those who have no moral firmness and strength.

II CONSIDER SALOME AS AN EXAMPLE OF ABUSED GIFTS. Physical beauty is as much God"s gift as wealth, or position, or mental talent. Too often it has been used for the sake of display, for the gratification of vanity, or for the excitement of evil passions. Many have hereby been led into moral ruin. Salome degraded herself unspeakably by coming forward in this shameless dance. Forgetting all decency and decorum, she danced" in the midst," that is, in a circle of half-intoxicated admirers.

1. Her regal dignity was forgotten. With amazement the historian records that it was the "daughter of Herodias herself" (not "of the said Herodias") a princess of royal blood. Even social position and family repute may be fairly regarded as defences against sin.

2. Her maiden modesty was sacrificed. In modern social life Christians should set themselves against all that seems to have the slightest tendency to this.

3. Her feminine tenderness was repudiated. The twenty-fifth verse indicates that she eagerly shared her mother"s hatred against John. But her womanly pity should have pleaded for the life of a helpless prisoner, and this God-given characteristic of her sex being trampled underfoot, made her crime the more revolting when she accepted the bleeding head of the murdered prophet.

III CONSIDER HERODIAS AS AN EXAMPLE OF UNSCRUPULOUS WICKEDNESS. She was to Herod what Jezebel was to Ahab, or what lady Macbeth was to her husband.

1. Her vices were great. Abandoned licentiousness and malignant cruelty.

2. Her influence was disastrous over both Herod and her own daughter Salome. She ruined herself and others too. For all such there will come a terrible awakening and retribution. "Who hath hardened himself against God, and prospered? A.R.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

A convenient day - Convenient for her purpose. His lords, captains, and principal men of Galilee - The great men of the court, the army, and the province.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

The birthday festival:

v. 21. And when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;

v. 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.

v. 23. And he sware unto her, Whatsoever thou shalt ask of me, I will give it thee, unto the half of my kingdom.

v. 24. And she went forth and said unto her mother, What shall I ask? And she said, The head of John the Baptist.

v. 25. And she came in straightway with haste unto the king and asked, saying, I will that thou give me by and by in a charger the head of John the Baptist. Convenient this birthday festival was, coming just at a good, at the right time to agree with the vengeful plans of Herodias, for she still cherished her grudge against John the Baptist.

On his birth. day Herod must needs celebrate in style, in a manner befitting one who expected soon to bear the title of king, by permission of the Emperor and the Roman Senate. The mighty ones and the rulers of thousands and the first families of Galilee were invited, that is, the state, civil, and military officials, and the socially important persons of Galilee: an imposing gathering for such an important event. The joy of the festival banquet was at its height, the guests having undoubtedly freely imbibed and being in the condition of semi-intoxication when reason and sense have alike fled, though articulate speech remains. There had probably also been the usual forms of dancing after the Oriental fashion for the amusement of the guests, when a number not on the program was introduced by the wily Herodias. She had trained her own daughter in the voluptuous dances of the dancing girls, and the girl came into the banquet-hall and danced with reckless abandon and shamelessness. The dance pleased Herod and those that were reclining about the tables. They had just about reached the condition when such exhibitions were inclined to appeal to them with special force. Herod immediately made an extravagant promise to the girl, encouraging her to name the reward that was to be hers for this dance. And when she, either from exhaustion after the strenuous exercise or in natural hesitation over the offer, was still standing undecided, he added an oath, swearing that she should have her desire, though it aspire to half of his kingdom: a true example of maudlin, amatory generosity, as one commentator calls it. It may be that her mother had instructed her even beforehand what she should ask for, as the account of Matthew implies, though not expressly says, and now she needed a further urging. At any rate, she hurries to her mother, who promptly impresses upon her the need to ask for, and insist upon, only one thing. Whether there was another determining factor or not, Salome, the dancer, was now ready to do her mother’s bidding. Without delay and with a quick step, as though the business in hand was the most interesting and joyous in the world, she returns to the banquet-hall. Her words properly indicate the condition of her heart: I want that thou without delay givest me on a platter the head of John the Baptist. Gruesome words from the lips of a young girl, "request proffered with a cool, pert impudence almost outdoing the mother."

Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. When a convenient day was come. For the execution of the plans of the vengeful woman.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

The author continues to give background information about Herod and the beheading of John the Baptist. (See: Background Information)

he made a dinner for his officials ... of Galilee

Here the word "he" refers to Herod and is a metonym for his servant whom he would have commanded to prepare a meal. AT: "he had a dinner made for his officials ... of Galilee" or "he invited his officials ... of Galilee to eat and celebrate with him"

a dinner

a formal meal or banquet

Herodias herself

The word "herself" is a reflexive pronoun used to emphasize that it was significant that it was Herodias' own daughter who danced at the dinner. (See: Reflexive Pronouns)

came in

"came into the room"

translationWords

Herod Antipas

commander

Galilee

Herodias

king

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

21. γενομένης ἡμέρας εὐκαίρου. Mk has the deadly enmity of Herodias in mind. She was always on the watch, and at last found an opportune day. Cf. Heb 4:16.

τοῖς γενεσίοις αὐτοῦ. On his birthday. This meaning is firmly established, although in Attic Grk we should have τὰ γενέθλια or ἡ γενέθλιος ἡμέρα (2Ma 6:7). Hdt. iv. 26 shows that τὰ γενέσια meant a festival in commemoration of a dead person. But in late Grk the distinction was not strictly observed. Joseph. Ant. XII. iv. 7 we have ἑορτάζοντες τὴν γενέσιον ἡμέραν τοῦ παιδίον, at the birth of a son to Ptolemy Epiphanes. On the other hand, Plutarch uses γενέθλια of commemoration of the dead. In papyri, γενέσια seems always to mean “birth-day fête.” Christianity tended to obliterate the distinction between the two words by regarding the death of the faithful as their birthday into eternal life (Mart. Pol. 18; Tert. De Coron. 3, Scorp. 15). Seneca (Ep. cii. 24) has the same thought; Dies iste, quem tanquam extremum reformidas, aeterni natalis est. On the proposal to make τὰ γενέσια the anniversary of Herod’s accession see Schürer, Jewish People I. ii. p. 26 note. Origen and Jerome condemn the keeping of birthdays; no good man in Scripture keeps them, but only Pharaoh and Herod.

δεῖπνον ἐποίησεν. At Machaerus; there is no ground for thinking that Mk places the banquet at Tiberias; see Schürer, loc. cit.

τοῖς μεγιστᾶσιν κ.τ.λ. The three classes are civil magistrates, military officers, and leading men. The chiliarchs are his own officers, not Roman tribunes. Elsewhere we have πρῶτοι τοῦ λαοῦ (Luk 19:47), τῆς πόλεως, τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τῆς νήσου (Act 13:50; Act 25:2; Act 28:7; Act 28:17). In the later books of O.T. μεγιστᾶνες is freq., and Vulg. varies greatly in translation; principes, magnates, fortes, optimates, magnifici, etc.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21.] εὐκαίρ., not, a festal day, as Hammond and others interpret it, for this use of εὔκαιρος hardly seems to be justified—but, a convenient day (see ver. 31 and Act 24:25,—and cf. Soph. Œd. Col. 32) for the purposes of Herodias: which shews that the dance, &c. had been all previously contrived by her.

μεγιστᾶνες, a Macedonian word, which came into use at the Alexandrine conquest. See Lobeck on Phrynichus, p. 197. He adduces the nom. form μεγιστᾶνος from Anna Comnena, xi. 324 c.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

21. ἡμέρας εὐκαίρου—an opportune day, viz. for Herodias’ purposes. τοῖς γενεσίοις—on his birthday feast. This word is used in Greek for a service in commemoration of a dead friend. γενέθλια is the word for a birthday celebration.1 μεγιστᾶσιν—grandees. A later Greek word. χιλιάρχοις—chiliarchs. If we render the word literally, it means commander of a thousand, and its equivalent in our military phraseology is colonel. τοῖς πρώτοις τ. Γαλιλαίας—the first men of Galilee. His retainers, and especially his military officers, would be foreigners. These would be the men of the province.

ἐποίησεν, instead of ἐποίει, after δεῖπνον, Tisch. Treg. WH. RV. א BCL Δ 13, 28, 69, 124, Latt.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Convenient [ευκαιρον] . Mark only. Convenient for Herodias' purpose. "Opportune for the insidious woman, who hoped, through wine, lust, and the concurrence of sycophants, to be able easily to overcome the wavering mind of her husband" (Grotius in Meyer).

Birthday. See on Mt 14:6. The notice of the banquet and of the rank of the guests is peculiar to Mark.

Lords (megistasin). Only here, and Rev 6:15; Rev 18:3. A late word, from megav, great.

High captains [χιλιαρχοις] . Lit., commanders of a thousand men. Answering to a Roman military tribune. Both civil and military dignitaries were present, with other distinguished men of the district (chief men).

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.