What is the meaning of Matthew 14:3?

Now Herod had arrested John

• Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee and Perea, acts against John the Baptist.

• John had publicly condemned Herod’s unlawful marriage (Matthew 14:4).

• This arrest is confirmed in Mark 6:17-18 and Luke 3:19-20, showing a consistent historical record.

• John’s bold preaching fulfills his prophetic role announced in Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1.

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and bound him

• Binding underscores Herod’s determination to silence John, not merely question him (Mark 6:17).

• Chains illustrate the cost of proclaiming truth (Acts 12:3-5; 2 Timothy 2:9).

• God’s servants may be restrained, yet His word remains free and active (Philippians 1:12-14).

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and put him in prison

• The prison likely stood in the fortress of Machaerus, an isolated stronghold east of the Dead Sea (Luke 3:20).

• Isolation sought to cut John off from influence, yet disciples still visited him (Matthew 11:2-3).

• Scripture repeatedly shows God turning prisons into platforms—Joseph (Genesis 39:20-23), Jeremiah (Jeremiah 37:15-16), Paul and Silas (Acts 16:23-25).

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on account of Herodias

• Herodias, previously married to Herod’s half-brother Philip, orchestrated the move against John (Mark 6:19).

• Her bitterness exemplifies worldly hostility toward divine rebuke (John 3:19-20).

• Herod’s moral compromise exposes the danger of ungodly alliances (1 Kings 21:25; 2 Corinthians 6:14).

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his brother Philip’s wife

• The relationship violated Leviticus 18:16; 20:21, making John’s condemnation a direct appeal to written Law.

• Herod valued personal desire over obedience, echoing Esau’s despising of birthright (Hebrews 12:16).

• Scripture insists that leaders are not above God’s standards (2 Samuel 12:7-9; James 2:9).

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summary

Matthew 14:3 records Herod Antipas’s decisive steps—arresting, binding, and imprisoning John—to silence prophetic truth that exposed his illicit union with Herodias. Each clause reveals the clash between righteous proclamation and unrighteous power. Though the world may shackle God’s messengers, His word stands unchained, calling every generation to uphold His holy standards.