But sending an executioner, he commanded that his head should be brought in a dish.
και ευθεως αποστειλας ο βασιλευς σπεκουλατορα επεταξεν ενεχθηναι την κεφαλην αυτου
8 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 9 commentaries
A squire served as a warrior who received support from the community to carry out executions of wrongdoers. They mistakenly believe they understand the Scriptures, yet they do not, as evidenced by their beheading of John, representing the prophetic message, due to their rejection of the one who embodies prophecy, namely Christ. Thus, if they possess the prophetic message, they hold it devoid of its true Head, meaning they lack Christ.
When onlookers witnessed the guests hastily leaving the celebration for the prison, who could fail to assume that a command had been issued for the prophet's release? With the announcement of Herodias' birthday, the festivities, and the young woman's opportunity to choose her desire—who among them could doubt that this was intended to lead to John’s liberation? Yet, what connection exists between brutality and celebration, or between death and delight? The prophet is captured for execution during the feast, following the decree made at that very occasion, which did not signify his freedom; rather, he is slain by the sword, and his head is presented on a platter. It was meant to serve as the nourishment of cruelty—the only sustenance that could satisfy the insatiable wrath of the feast, which remained unquenched by the banquet’s offerings.
Upon witnessing individuals hastily departing from the celebration towards the prison, who among them would not assume that the prophet was to be released? With the announcement of Herodias' birthday, the festivities, and the girl being granted the choice to ask for anything she desired, who could doubt that this was meant to lead to John’s liberation? Truly, what relationship exists between brutality and a banquet, or between death and delight? The prophet is taken for execution during the feast, as dictated by the very occasion that was never meant to bring about his release. Instead, he meets his end by the sword, his head presented on a platter (Mark 6:27). Thus, he becomes the sustenance for cruel intentions—food that alone could satisfy the unquenchable appetite of the merciless.
Kontakion, voice 5, self-proclaimed. The glorious martyrdom of the Forerunner was an act of divine providence, enabling him to announce to those in the underworld the arrival of the Savior. Let Herodias, who sought an unlawful killing, mourn; for she did not cherish the eternal life offered by God, but rather pursued a fleeting existence. Icons: The day of Herod's birth was marked by wickedness, when the head of the ascetic was presented as a dish at the feast. Sorrow mingled with joy, and deep weeping overshadowed laughter, for the platter containing the Forerunner's head was displayed as the girl had instructed; and amidst the merriment, grief suddenly fell upon all those dining with the king. For the Forerunner did not hold affection for them, nor for Herod himself. It is said that Herod grieved, but his sorrow was not genuine; it was a shallow, temporary emotion. For Herod did not linger in sorrow; rather, as he had already plotted the evil action, he executed it without hesitation.
At that moment, the avaricious dragon within the captive's thoughts savored what it desired the most—the affliction of the Lord.
To understand the account of John the Baptist's death, it's important to recognize several details: Herodias was the daughter of Aristobulus, who was a son of Herod the Great from his second union. At the behest of her grandfather, she married Herod’s other son from his third marriage—referred to by the historian Josephus as Herod (a family name) and known by the evangelists as Philip (his personal name). After the passing of his father, this Herod led a private life in Jerusalem. While still married to this first husband and having already given birth to their daughter Salome, Herodias chose to leave him and wed Herod Antipas, another son of Herod the Great from his fourth marriage.
Antipas was the tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, who had to dismiss his lawful wife, the daughter of King Aretha of Arabia, to marry Herodias. Consequently, John the Baptist publicly rebuked Herod for committing incest, which the law explicitly forbids (Lev. 18:16, 20, 21). According to Josephus Flavius, Herod imprisoned John at the fortress of Machaerus, situated near the Dead Sea. In close proximity to this fortress was the city of Julia, which served as Herod's residence and where he preferred to stay over Tiberias, his Galilean home. The narrative surrounding John’s beheading indicates that during the feast, Herod was present at his residence in Perea. Given that the news about Jesus deeply unsettled Herod, it may be inferred that he remained in Julia for a significant time, if not continually, from the time that John the Baptist was imprisoned until his execution. Therefore, upon returning to Tiberias after John’s death, Herod might have been unaware of Jesus’ deeds. However, upon his return to Galilee, he found the region agitated by the presence of a new prophet, Jesus, who elicited various reactions from the populace, including the belief that Jesus was John risen from the dead. This rumor significantly troubled Herod's guilty conscience.
The servant carried out the command, severing John's head and delivering it on a dish; Salome received it and took it to her mother. According to tradition, Herodias ridiculed John's head, pierced his tongue with a needle, condemning her for her immoral actions, and instructed that his body be discarded into one of the ravines near Mahera.
Apprehensive about the mockery from his guests due to his impulsive actions and unconcerned with God's judgment, he dispatched an executioner. In both the Slavonic and Greek texts, the term used is "speculatora," which clearly has Latin origins. Speculatores served as the king's elite bodyguards, often taking on the role of executioners as well. 'Speculatores... qui nudato gladio hominum amputant cervices.' Jul. Firmic. VIII, 26. In the dungeon of Maher, where John the Baptist was imprisoned, the executioner was given the grim task of retrieving his head, leading to the tragic demise of the greatest among those born of women, a sacrificial victim to the vengeful ire of a woman in response to his bold preaching.
"Squire," a term derived from Latin and represented in Greek letters, refers to the royal guard tasked with directly executing the orders of the king, often responsible for implementing capital punishment.
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 18 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS