Mar 6:14-16 | NETfull | STEP | Now King Herod heard this, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some were saying, “John the baptizer has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.”

Mark 6:14-16

The Death of John the Baptist

14 Now ^{▼▼ Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.} King Herod ^{▼▼ Herod was technically not a king, but a tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king. A tetrarch ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. In the NT, Herod, who ruled over Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14–29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.} heard this, for Jesus’ ^{▼▼ Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} name had become known. Some ^{▼▼ Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.} were saying, “John the baptizer ^{▼▼ While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptistēs, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (ho baptizōn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).} has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past.” 16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!”