Herodias
Herodias was the wife of Herod Antipas, ruler of Galilee, after leaving her first husband, Herod's half-brother Philip, in violation of Jewish law. John the Baptist publicly condemned the marriage, prompting her lasting grudge that led her to orchestrate his execution through her daughter Salome's request at Herod's banquet. This account appears in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, illustrating the cost of prophetic confrontation with corrupt authority and the political tensions surrounding Jesus' ministry.
Biography
- Father
- Aristobulus
- Mother
- Berenice
- Spouse
- Herod Philip I, then Herod Antipas
- Children
- Salome
- Era
- New Testament (c. AD 28)
- Nationality
- Idumaean/Jewish
Family
Did You Know?
Herodias was the granddaughter of Herod the Great through his executed son Aristobulus IV, making her successive marriages to her half-uncles Philip and Antipas a double violation of both Jewish Levitical law and Roman incest prohibitions that casual readers often overlook.
Unlike typical first-century Jewish women who could not initiate divorce, Herodias actively left her first husband Philip to marry Antipas, an action Josephus records as driven by her own political ambition rather than Antipas's initiative alone.
The Gospels never name Herodias's dancing daughter, referring to her only as a 'girl'; the name Salome appears solely in Josephus's Antiquities, revealing how later tradition supplied details absent from the biblical text.
Herodias persuaded Antipas to petition Emperor Caligula for the royal title of king in AD 39, a move that instead resulted in their permanent exile to Gaul and demonstrates her decisive role in his political downfall.
After Antipas's banishment, Herodias voluntarily accompanied him into poverty-stricken exile rather than accept Emperor Caligula's offer to return to her inherited estates, underscoring her unusual personal loyalty amid dynastic intrigue.
Key Passages
Herodias's Grudge
Mark 6:17-20
This passage warns how unchecked grudges can harden hearts and turn personal offense into lasting harm.
17or Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodiasโ sake, his brother Philipโs wife: for he had married her.
Plot to Kill John
Mark 6:21-28
This passage shows how unchecked bitterness can destroy lives, warning us to guard our hearts with humility and grace.
21nd when a convenient day was come, that Herod on his birthday made a supper to his lords, high captains, and chief estates of Galilee;