John Baptist's Imprisonment
Luke 3:18-20
And many other things in his exhortation preached he to the people.…


Josephus gives some interesting particulars respecting the imprisonment and murder of the Baptist, which are not supplied in the gospel history. Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, was at that time tetrarch of Galilee and Peraea, and had married the daughter of Aretas, an Arabian king, whose territories abutted on his own. When he was at Rome, however, he stayed at the house of his half-brother Philip, whose wife Herodias he conceived a passion for. Antipas made known his passion, and Herodias readily enough consented to leave Philip and go with him. The daughter of Aretas was divorced, and Herodias duly installed in her place. John the Baptist had the courage to denounce this infamous marriage; and by and by Herod Antipas, under pretence that he feared John's popularity with the multitude might lead to disturbances, apprehended and imprisoned him. John was sent to Machaerus, or M'Khaur, on the eastern side of the Dead Sea, where Herod had both a city and fortress. The site and ruins of Machaerus were identified by Canon Tristram in his visit to the Land of Moab in 1872. It was from this spot, then, that John sent two of his disciples to Christ to ask, "Art Thou He that should come?" And it was here that Salome, the daughter of Herodias, danced before Antipas, and won for her infamous mother the head of John the Baptist.

(Biblical Things Not Generally Known.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

WEB: Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people,




Herod Antipas
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