Mark 6:18

New King James Version

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

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."

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

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 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 Matthew 14:1-12; Luke 9:7-9">[xr] Now King Herod heard of Him, for His name had become well known. And he said, "John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him." ¹⁵ Others said, "It is Elijah." And others said, "It is the Prophet, or [fn] like one of the prophets." ¹⁶ But when Herod heard, he said, "This is John, whom I beheaded; he has been raised from the dead!" ¹⁷ For Herod himself had sent and laid hold of John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife; for he had married her. ¹⁸ Because John had said to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife." ¹⁹ Therefore Herodias held it against him and wanted to kill him, but she could not; ²⁰ for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a just and holy man, and he protected him. And when he heard him, he did many things, and heard him gladly. ²¹ Then an opportune day came when Herod on his birthday gave a feast for his nobles, the high officers, and the chief men of Galilee. ²² And when Herodias' daughter herself came in and danced, and pleased Herod and those who sat with him, the king said to the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." ²³ He also swore to her, "Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half 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
This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.

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

Genesis 7:1
Luke 17:26,27">[xr] Then the LORD said to Noah, "Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

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

Genesis 7:13
On the very same day Noah and Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered 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 descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you.

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

Isaiah 26:20
Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past.

Hebrews 11:7
By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is 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.