Matius 14:1

The Death of John the Baptist

14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch ¹  heard reports about Jesus,

Markus 12:13

Paying Taxes to Caesar

12:13 Then ²  they sent some of the Pharisees ³  and Herodians ⁴  to trap him with his own words. ⁵ 

[14:1]  ¹ sn A tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.

[12:13]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:13]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.

[12:13]  ⁴ sn Pharisees and Herodians made a very interesting alliance. W. W. Wessel (“Mark,” EBC 8:733) comments: “The Herodians were as obnoxious to the Pharisees on political grounds as the Sadducees were on theological grounds. Yet the two groups united in their opposition to Jesus. Collaboration in wickedness, as well as goodness, has great power. Their purpose was to trip Jesus up in his words so that he would lose the support of the people, leaving the way open for them to destroy him.” See also the note on “Herodians” in Mark 3:6.

[12:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “trap him in word.”