Herod the tetrarch
The ruler of Galilee who imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist and questioned Jesus at his trial.
At a glance
- Name
- Herod the tetrarch
- Also known as
- Herod, Herod Antipas
- Type
- Person
- Period
- New Testament
- Appears in
- The Gospels
- First appearance
- Mark 6
- Known for
- The ruler who beheaded John the Baptist
Who is Herod the tetrarch?
Herod the tetrarch rules Galilee during the ministry of Jesus. The Gospels call him Herod the tetrarch, or simply Herod; he is known to history as Herod Antipas, a name that distinguishes him from the other rulers named Herod.
John the Baptist had condemned Herod for marrying Herodias, his brother's wife, and Herod had John imprisoned. Though Herod feared John as a righteous man and liked to listen to him, at his birthday banquet the daughter of Herodias dances and pleases him. Prompted by her mother, she asks for John's head, and, bound by his oath, Herod has John beheaded.
Later, when Jesus is on trial, Pilate sends him to Herod, who is in Jerusalem. Herod is glad to see Jesus and questions him at length, but Jesus gives no answer, and Herod and his soldiers mock him and send him back to Pilate.
Herod the tetrarch in the Bible
The beheading of John the Baptist
Herod has John the Baptist beheaded at his birthday banquet after a rash oath.
Read Mark 6 →Jesus before Herod
During Jesus's trial, Pilate sends him to Herod, who mocks him and sends him back.
Read Luke 23 →People connected with Herod the tetrarch
- executes John the Baptist Herod has John the Baptist imprisoned and then beheaded.
Not to be confused with
- Herod the Great The earlier king, ruling when Jesus was born, who ordered the killing of the infants of Bethlehem.
- Herod Agrippa A later ruler named Herod, who killed the apostle James and was struck down by an angel in the book of Acts.
Key passages featuring Herod the tetrarch
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.