The Pulpit Commentary — Mark — Volume 1 — Section 250

avenge hie own murder. "What a great evangelist ls to point out that it was thing," exclaims St. Chrysostom," is virtue I Herodias'e own daughter who danced, for Herod fears him, even tho~h dead." It and not a mere professional d1moing-girl. should not be forgotten that this is the Josephus mentions tbl\t da.noing-women same Herod who set Jesus at nought and were admitted to feasts by the Jews; and mocked him, when Pilate sent him to Xenophon testifies to the same custom him, in the hope of relieving himself of amongst the Greeks. the terrible responsibility of oondemning Ver. 24.-And she went ont,and said unto one whom he knew to be innocent. her mother, What shall I aek 1 (..-l,&l-rfi,roµ",;) Ver. 17.-Inprison. Josephus ('Antiq.,' -according to the best authorities (..-l xviii. 5, 2) informs us that this prison was al..-f,u"'µ."' ;), Wh11t should I a.sk f the fort of Maohmn1s, on the confines of Ver. 25.-1 will that thou forthwith give me Galilee and Arabia, and that there John in a oharger (.?,rl ..-lva1<1) the hoad of John WIU! beheaded. Herod's father had built a the Baptist. John the Baptist seems to magnificent palace within that fort; and 80 have had a presentiment of his speedy end he may have been keeping the anniversary when he ea.id, "He must increase, but I of his birthday there. must decrease." Vers. 18, 19.-For John said unto Herod. Ver. 26.-And thekingwas exceedingsorry. The Grec-k tense (l.\ry•) implies more than We cannot suppose that this was a pretended the simple expression, "he said;" it implies grief. The true reason is doubtless to be a repeated warning. We learn from St. found in the relentless e.nimosity of Herodie.s. Matthew (xiv. 5) that Herod would have Herod must have known well that he could killed John before, but he feared the people. not be bound by his oath in reference to a Here St. Mark esys that Herodias set petition so unreasonable and so iniquitous. herself against him, and desired to kill him ; Nevertheless he thought the.t "the words of and she oould not; for Herod feared John. a king were law," St. Augustine Rays, There is no contradiction between the two "The girl dances; the mother rages. A rash evangelists. The case appears to have been oath is made amidst the excitement and the this: that at first Herod desired to put John voluptuous indulgence of the feast; and the to death, because John had reproved him on savage desires of Herodias are fulfilled." account of Herodias. But by degrees John For the sake of his oaths (6,a...-ovs 8p,cous); the gained an influence over Herod by the force plural shows that he repeated the rash of his character, and by his holy life and promise once and again. teaching. Ver. 27.-He sent forth an e:a:eoutioner Ver. 20.-The words in the Authorized (tnr<1<ou1',.&.n,p"); literally, a soldier of his Version are, When he heard him, he did me.n7 gu11rd; one of his body-guard, ia constant thingB (1roW bro!..), and heard him gladly, attendance as messenger or executioner. It But e.ooording to the best authorities the is a Boman word from speculari, to watch, reading should be (-..oMa. 1,-..&p.,), he taaa St. Jerome relates that when the head of siuch perple:c,ed. In St. Luke, as stated the Baptist was brought, Herodias bar- above, we have (5,71,rOp••), "he was much barously thrust the tongue through with a perplexed." Nor is there any inconsistency bod.kin, as Fulvia is said to have done over in the next clame in St. Mark, if we accept and over again, the tongue of Cicero; thus this reading. Herod we.s not utterly de- verifying what Cicero bad once said while praved. There was to him a charm, not living, that "nothing is more revengeful only in the character, but in the discourses than a woman." Because they could not of John the Baptist. But he wa.11 an incon- hear to hear the truth, therefore they bored sistent man, and was continually the victim through with a bodkin the tongue that had of a con.diet between the good and the evil spoken the truth. within him, in which evil, a.Ii.a I triumphed, Ver. 29.-The taking up of the corpse by Herodias, on the other ha.nd, had always the disciples would seem to intimate that ii wished to get rid of John, as the stern and lay uncared for and llllburied until the dis- uncompromising reprover of her adultery ciples showed their respect for it. Josephus and incest ; and 80 at length she persuaded says that after the beheading, the mutilated Herod to give way. "For," says Bede, remains were cast out of the prison and left " she fee.red lest Herod should at length neglected. God'sjudgments at length fourni repent, and yield to the exhortations of out Herod. ]!'or not long after this he was John, and dissoh-e this unreal marriage, defeated by Aretas in a great battle, and and re&iore Heroiias to her lawful hus- put to an ignominious flight. Herodie.s her- band."' self and Herod were banished by a. decree Ver, 22.-The words should i:un thus: of the Roman Senate to Lyons, where they And when the daughter of Herodias herself both perished miserably; and Nioephoru11 aame in (1<al ,lu,'Jl.806tr71s ..-.;s 1111')'"..-pbs ..1n-.;s relates tbat Salome, the daughter of Herodias, ..-.;s 'Hpro8u(6of), The intention of the died by a remarkable visitation. She fell ea. VI. 1-56.J THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST. MARK. 247