And though he wanted to put him to death (Good News Translation “Herod wanted to kill him”): in contexts where numerous participants are involved, it is wise to identify them by name as frequently as good style will allow. According to Mark (6.19) it was Herodias, not Herod, who wanted to do away with John. Mark further indicates that it was Herod’s fear of John as a “righteous and holy man” (6.20), rather than his fear of the people, that kept him from killing John before this time. However, the translator is obligated to translate each Gospel for its own sake without attempting an unjustified harmonization.

Sometimes translators have some difficulty with the relationship shown in this sentence by the word though. The implication is that Herod could not kill John as he wanted because of his concern about the way people felt about John. “Herod wanted to have John killed, but he feared popular reaction” is one way to render this.

Good News Translation has rendered put … to death as “kill.” Many translators will do something similar, but others will keep the form, with phrases such as “have killed” or “order his soldiers (or, people) to kill.”

The people are “the Jewish people” (Good News Translation), as the last clause of the verse clearly implies: because they held him to be a prophet. Only the Jewish people would have been concerned with the question of whether John was a prophet or not; to identify the people as “the Jewish people” reflects the historical setting and is not to be considered anti-Semitism.

Held here means “believed.” “The Jews believed John was a prophet” or “… considered him to be a prophet” are possibilities.

For prophet see comments on 1.22.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .