6:16a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But here introduces who Herod thought Jesus was. This idea agrees with the first idea mentioned in 6:14d. It does not contrast with all the other ideas. So some English translations do not translate the conjunction But. The New Century Version, for example, leaves it untranslated. Connect Herod’s idea in 6:16a to the other ideas in 6:14–15 in the way that is natural in your language.

when Herod heard this: Just as in 6:14a, the word this is not in the Greek. Most English versions add the word “this” or “it” to make the meaning clearer. The word this refers back to all the things the people were saying about who Jesus was. You may need to use a specific expression instead of this, such as:

when Herod heard their opinions
-or-
when Herod heard these ideas
-or-
when Herod heard what the people were saying

6:16b

John, whom I beheaded, has risen from the dead!: Herod believed what the first group of people (6:14c) were saying. He had personal reasons to believe this, since he had given the order to kill John (6:17–29).

It is not explicitly stated that Herod thought that Jesus was John. You may need to make this clear. For example:

He is John the Baptist! I had his head cut off, but he has come back to life! (Good News Bible)
-or-
Jesus must be John, the man I beheaded! He has been raised from the dead.

John: It may be necessary to say “John the Baptist” (as in the Good News Bible) to make the reference clear.

In Greek, John’s name is stated at the end of the clause “the man I beheaded.” This emphasizes John and makes him the focus of this passage. To emphasize John you could translate:

He is John the Baptist! (Good News Bible)
-or-
This must be John! (Contemporary English Version)

whom I beheaded: The phrasewhom I beheaded here means that Herod had ordered someone to cut off John’s head. Herod himself did not cut off John’s head. One of his soldiers did that.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

I caused his head to be cut off
-or-
I myself ordered him to be beheaded

I: In Greek, the word is emphasized. If possible, you should make this word emphatic in your translation. For example:

It was I who had him beheaded!

has risen from the dead: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has risen from the dead is more literally “has been raised from the dead,” as in the New International Version. This is a passive clause. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb, as the Berean Standard Bible does. Here are some other ways to say this in active form:

he has come back to life
-or-
God raised him from the dead

Some languages use an impersonal third person plural “they” to show a passive. For example:

they raised him from the dead

from the dead: Not all Greek manuscripts include the phrase from the dead. Some manuscripts say “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised” (as in the Revised Standard Version). But even in these texts, the idea of from the dead is clearly implied. So it is recommended that you include this phrase in your translation if it is natural.

General Comment on 6:16a–b

In some languages it may be natural to translate Herod’s comments as indirect speech. For example:

Herod heard what the people were saying. He decided that John the Baptizer, whom he had beheaded, must have been raised from the dead.

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