1:14 Now after John was imprisoned, 1 Jesus went into Galilee and proclaimed the gospel 2 of God. 3
6:14 Now 4 King Herod 5 heard this, for Jesus’ 6 name had become known. Some 7 were saying, “John the baptizer 8 has been raised from the dead, and because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 6:15 Others said, “He is Elijah.” Others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets from the past.” 6:16 But when Herod heard this, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised!” 6:17 For Herod himself had sent men, arrested John, and bound him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because Herod 9 had married her. 6:18 For John had repeatedly told 10 Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 11 6:19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against him and wanted to kill him. But 12 she could not 6:20 because Herod stood in awe of 13 John and protected him, since he knew that John 14 was a righteous and holy man. When Herod 15 heard him, he was thoroughly baffled, 16 and yet 17 he liked to listen to John. 18
1 tn Or “arrested,” “taken into custody” (see L&N 37.12).
2 tc Most witnesses, especially later ones (A D W Ï lat), have τῆς βασιλείας (ths basileias) between τὸ εὐαγγέλιον (to euangelion) and τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou): “the gospel of the kingdom of God.” On the one hand, it is perhaps possible that τῆς βασιλείας was omitted to conform the expression to that which is found in the epistles (cf. Rom 1:1; 15:16; 2 Cor 11:7; 1 Thess 2:2, 8, 9; 1 Pet 4:17). On the other hand, this expression, “the gospel of God,” occurs nowhere else in the Gospels, while “the gospel of the kingdom” is a Matthean expression (Matt 4:23; 9:35; 24:14), and “kingdom of God” is pervasive in the synoptic Gospels (occurring over 50 times). Scribes would thus be more prone to add τῆς βασιλείας than to omit it. Further, the external support for the shorter reading (א B L Θ Ë1,13 28* 33 565 579 892 2427 sa) is significantly stronger than that for the longer reading. There is little doubt, therefore, that the shorter reading is authentic.
3 tn The genitive in the phrase τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τοῦ θεοῦ (to euangelion tou qeou, “the gospel of God”) could be translated as either a subjective genitive (“the gospel which God brings”) or an objective genitive (“the gospel about God”). Either is grammatically possible. This is possibly an instance of a plenary genitive (see ExSyn 119-21; M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, §§36-39). If so, an interplay between the two concepts is intended: The gospel which God brings is in fact the gospel about himself.
4 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
5 sn 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.
6 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
8 tn While Matthew and Luke consistently use the noun βαπτίστης (baptisths, “the Baptist”) to refer to John, as a kind of a title, Mark prefers the substantival participle ὁ βαπτίζων (Jo baptizwn, “the one who baptizes, the baptizer”) to describe him (only twice does he use the noun [Mark 6:25; 8:28]).
9 tn Grk “he”; here it is necessary to specify the referent as “Herod,” since the nearest previous antecedent in the translation is Philip.
10 tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.
11 sn It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife. This was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.
12 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
13 tn Grk “was fearing,” “was respecting”; the imperfect tense connotes an ongoing fear or respect for John.
14 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tc In place of ἠπόρει (hporei, “he was baffled”) the majority of
tn Or “terribly disturbed,” “rather perplexed.” The verb ἀπορέω (aporew) means “to be in perplexity, with the implication of serious anxiety” (L&N 32.9).
17 tn Grk “and.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “and yet” to indicate the concessive nature of the final clause.
18 tn Grk “him”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.