Mark 6:18

Green's Literal Translation

For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
John had been telling Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.”

King James Version (1611)
For Iohn had said vnto Herod, It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife.

King James Version
For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

English Standard Version
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

New American Standard Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

New Century Version
John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to be married to your brother's wife."

Amplified Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful [under Mosaic Law] for you to have your brother's wife."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Legacy Standard Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Berean Standard Bible
For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife!"

Complete Jewish Bible
but Yochanan had told him, "It violates the Torah for you to marry your brother's wife."

Darby Translation
For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have the wife of thy brother.

Easy-to-Read Version
John told Herod, "It is not right for you to be married to your brother's wife."

Geneva Bible (1587)
For Iohn sayd vnto Herod, It is not lawfull for thee to haue thy brothers wife.

George Lamsa Translation
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to marry your brother''s wife.

Good News Translation
John the Baptist kept telling Herod, "It isn't right for you to marry your brother's wife!"

Lexham English Bible
For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not permitted for you to have your brother's wife."

American Standard Version
For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

Bible in Basic English
For John said to Herod, It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife.

Hebrew Names Version
For Yochanan said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

International Standard Version
John had been telling Herod, "It's not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."Leviticus 18:16; 20:21;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
For Juchanon had said to Herodes, It is not lawful to thee to take the wife of thy brother.

Murdock Translation
For John had said to Herod: It is not lawful for thee to take thy brother's wife.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
For Iohn sayde vnto Herode: It is not lawful for thee to haue thy brothers wyfe.

English Revised Version
For John said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

World English Bible
For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee, to have thy brother's wife.

Weymouth's New Testament
For John had repeatedly told Herod, "You have no right to be living with your brother's wife."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
For Joon seide to Eroude, It is not leueful to thee, to haue the wijf of thi brothir.

Update Bible Version
For John said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife.

Webster's Bible Translation
For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

New English Translation
For John had repeatedly told Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

New King James Version
Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

New Living Translation
John had been telling Herod, "It is against God's law for you to marry your brother's wife."

New Life Bible
John the Baptist had said to Herod, "It is wrong for you to have your brother's wife."

New Revised Standard
For John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
For John had been saying to Herod - It is not allowed thee, to have, the wife of thy brother.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For John said to Herod: It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother’s wife.

Revised Standard Version
For John said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Iohn sayd vnto Herode: It is not laufull for the to have thy brothers wyfe.

Young's Literal Translation
for John said to Herod -- `It is not lawful to thee to have the wife of thy brother;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Neuertheles Ihon sayde vnto Herode It is not laufull for the to haue yi brothers wife.

Mace New Testament (1729)
upon which John told him, "it is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."

Simplified Cowboy Version
John had criticized Herod for marrying her in the first place. This wasn't just some gal off the street. She had been married to Herod's brother, Philip. It was against God's law to marry your brother's wife if he was still alive and Philip was still kicking around somewhere.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ And Herod the king heard, for His name became publicly known. And he said, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and because of this the works of power operate in Him. ¹⁵ Others said, He is Elijah; and others said, He is a prophet or as one of the prophets. ¹⁶ But hearing, Herod said, This one is John whom I beheaded. He has risen from the dead. ¹⁷ For having sent, Herod himself had seized John and bound him in the prison, because of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. ¹⁸ For John had said to Herod, It is not lawful for you to have the wife of your brother. ¹⁹ And Herodias held it against him, and desired to kill him, but was not able. ²⁰ For Herod feared John, knowing him to be a holy and just man, and kept him safe. And hearing him, he did many things, and gladly heard from him. ²¹ And a suitable day having come, when Herod made a dinner for his great ones on his birthday, also the chiliarchs, and the first ones of Galilee. ²² And the daughter of Herodias herself entering, and having danced, she also pleased Herod and those reclining with him . The king said to the girl, Ask me whatever you wish, and I will give it to you. ²³ And he swore to her, Whatever you ask me, I will give to you, up to half of my kingdom.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

It is: Leviticus 18:16, Leviticus 20:21, 1 Kings 22:14, Ezekiel 3:18, Ezekiel 3:19, Matthew 14:3, Matthew 14:4, Acts 20:26, Acts 20:27, Acts 24:24-26

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 3:8 - Abner 2 Kings 20:14 - What said 2 Chronicles 18:7 - I hate him Job 21:31 - declare Proverbs 29:10 - The bloodthirsty Jeremiah 22:1 - Go Luke 3:19 - General Luke 13:24 - for Acts 24:25 - temperance

Cross-References

Genesis 6:9
These are the generations of Noah. Noah, a righteous man, had been perfected among his family. Noah walked with God.

Genesis 6:16
You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall finish it above to a cubit. And you shall set the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third stories.

Genesis 7:1
And Jehovah said to Noah, You and all your house come into the ark, for I have seen you righteous before Me in this generation.

Genesis 7:7
And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons' wives with him into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.

Genesis 7:13
In this same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, went into the ark;

Genesis 17:4
As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations.

Genesis 17:7
And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, and your seed after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God to you and to your seed after you.

Genesis 17:21
And I will establish My covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.

Isaiah 26:20
Come, My people, go in your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide for a little moment, until the fury passes.

Hebrews 11:7
Being divinely warned by God about the things not yet having been seen, moved with fear, by faith Noah prepared an ark for the salvation of his house; through which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness according to faith.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

For John had said unto Herod,.... He had been personally with him, and had plainly and freely told him of his sin, and faithfully reproved him for it; alleging what he had done was contrary to the law of God:

it is not lawful, for thee to have thy brother's wife:

:-.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

See this account of the death of John the Baptist fully explained in the notes at Matthew 14:1-12.

Mark 6:20

For Herod feared John - That is, he stood in awe of him on account of his sanctity, and his boldness and fearlessness in reproving sin.

Knowing that he was a just man and an Holy - A holy, pious, upright, honest man - a man who would not be afraid of him, or afraid to speak his real sentiments.

And observed him - Margin, “kept him, or saved him.” This does not mean that he “observed” or obeyed his teachings, but that he kept him in safe custody in order to preserve him from the machinations of Herodias. He was willing to show his respect for John, and to secure him from danger, and even to do “many things” which might indicate respect for him - at least, to do so much as to guard him from his enemies.

And did many things - But he did not do the thing which was demanded of him - to break off from his sins. He attempted to make a compromise with his conscience. He still loved his sins, and did “other” things which he supposed might be accepted in the place of putting away, as he ought, the wife of his brother - the polluted and adulterous woman with whom he lived. Perhaps he treated John kindly, or spoke well of him, or aided him in his wants, and attempted in this way to silence his rebukes and destroy his faithfulness. This was probably before John was imprisoned. So sinners often treat ministers kindly, and do much to make them comfortable, and hear them gladly, while they are still unwilling to do the thing which is demanded of them - to repent and believe the gospel. They expect that their kind attentions will be accepted in the place of what God demands - repentance and the forsaking of their sins.