Matthew 14:9

Wednesday, 12 November 2025

 

And the king was sorry; nevertheless, because of the oaths and because of those who sat with him, he commanded it to be given to her. Matthew 14:9

 

“And grieved, the king, but through the oaths and those co-reclining, he commanded it given” (CG).

 

In the previous verse, Herodias’ daughter made her petition to Herod to give her the head of John the Immerser on a platter. In response, Matthew records, “And grieved, the king.”

 

A new word is seen, lupeó. It signifies distress. Reflexively, it thus signifies to be sad or grieved. In his impulsiveness, Herod opened his mouth without thinking. It has now cost him because he failed to consider that this girl might first go to her mother and seek her advice. In doing so, the mother would know exactly how far she could go without stepping over a line that was not to be crossed.

 

It is true that Herodias’ advice would put Herod in a personal bind, but it was not something that he would refuse to grant. As such, Herod grieved that he had been outsmarted in the matter of John, something that had probably already come up between him and his wife previously. Despite the uncomfortable request, Matthew next says, “but through the oaths.”

 

The plural, oaths, goes back to verse 14:7 where it said, “with an oath he assented.” He made an oath and then restated it as a binding surety that he was being sincere. When such a proclamation is made, it would show a lack of character to withdraw the offer, thus breaking the vow stated with such adamancy. Along with his oath was the added embarrassing note, saying, “and those co-reclining.”

 

Not only had Herod made a vow and then assented to it, but he had done so in the presence of others. For him to withdraw his words, even after such a request, would mean that when these men spoke to him in the future, they would always wonder if his words would match his actions.

 

The girl’s request was exceedingly embarrassing, but not impossible to grant, petition. Therefore, “he commanded it given.”

 

Herod, maybe laughing as a disguise for his horror, ordered his men to have John’s head removed and brought forward. Not only would this be a trying evening for him personally, but it would be an event that would bring him notoriety and shame in the eyes of those who heard about it. It would also add a gruesome sight for those who were in attendance to remember and consider when invited to dinner with the king in the future.

 

Life application: Despite all of the gore to be seen on TV and in movies, and even in the news to some extent, seeing a dead person close up for the first time is always a shocking event.

 

One of the common things seen inside a mortuary when a first-time visitor is brought in is for the person to stop, step backwards, and place his hand over his mouth. There is a sense of mental horror that a dead person is really right there in front of his eyes. This isn’t just a Hollywood movie or a prop in play, but a human being who is no longer alive.

 

Stepping back is a mentally horrified reaction that death somehow can be avoided if enough distance is put between the person and the corpse. And the hand over the mouth usually occurs because people somehow equate death to an influence that actually permeates the air. Covering the mouth and nose is not based on a reaction to smell, but the presence of death itself, as if it can be breathed in.

 

Imagine being at the banqueting hall of royalty and seeing the platter with John the Immerser’s head on it. If it was covered with linen, the mind could escape the truth of what was under it. However, with the linen removed, anyone who had never seen a dead person in closed quarters would probably react as those first-time visitors who enter a morgue will react.

 

When looking at a dead person, we can remember that the person lying there is dead for a reason. Ultimately, it is because of the results of sin. Now consider those who saw Jesus when He died. His body was removed from the cross, and He was carried away to be interred.

 

Those in attendance, if they understood theology, would know that sin caused Jesus’ death. What they would not know is that it wasn’t His sin that did so. However, an astute person standing by the tomb on the third day, seeing Jesus alive and well a well, would be able to theologically process the information. Jesus died because of sin. Jesus rose again. Therefore, Jesus must not have had any sin.

 

But if the wages of sin is death, then how could Jesus have died in the first place? If that person understood the Scriptures, had heard the words of Jesus during His ministry, and considered the true role of the coming Messiah, he would be able to say, “I get it!”

 

Jesus Christ really died, He was truly i