Mar 6:20 | NET2full | STEP | because Herod stood in awe of John and protected him , since he knew that John was a righteous and holy man . When Herod heard him , he was thoroughly baffled , and yet he liked to listen to John .

‏ Mark 6:20

20 because Herod stood in awe of ^{▼▼tn Grk “was fearing,” “was respecting”; the imperfect tense connotes an ongoing fear or respect for John.} John and protected him, since he knew that John ^{▼▼tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} was a righteous and holy man. When Herod ^{▼▼tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.} heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, ^{▼▼tc In place of ἠπόρει (ēporei, “he was baffled”) the majority of mss (A C D ƒ1 33 Maj lat sy) have ἐποίει (epoiei, “he did”; cf. KJV’s “he did many things.”) The best mss (א B L [W] Θ co) support the reading followed in the translation. The variation may be no more than a simple case of confusion of letters, since the two readings look very much alike. The verb ποιέω (poieō, “I do”) certainly occurs more frequently than ἀπορέω (aporeō, “I am at a loss”), so a scribe would be more likely to write a more familiar word. Further, even though the reading ἐποίει is the harder reading in terms of the sense, it is virtually nonsensical here, rendering it most likely an unintentional scribal error.} ^{▼▼tn Or “terribly disturbed,” “rather perplexed.” The verb ἀπορέω (aporeō) means “to be in perplexity, with the implication of serious anxiety” (L&N 32.9).} and yet ^{▼▼tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “and yet” to indicate the concessive nature of the final clause.} he liked to listen to John. ^{▼▼tn Grk “him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.}