And king Herod heard of him;(for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.

MARK 6:14KJV
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Mark 6:14 (KJV)

What does Mark 6:14 mean?

Mark 6:14 describes how King Herod heard about Jesus because Jesus’s reputation was spreading widely, and Herod believed that John the Baptist had come back to life, which explained the powerful miracles happening through Jesus. The verse shows Herod’s confusion and fear about Jesus’s identity, linking Jesus’s miracles to John’s supposed resurrection.

At this point in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus’s ministry has become well known, and news about his miraculous works is reaching even the highest authorities. King Herod, who had previously ordered John the Baptist’s execution, hears these reports and assumes that John has been raised from the dead. This reveals Herod’s guilty conscience and the superstitions of the time, as well as how remarkable Jesus’s actions appeared to those who heard about them.

The Greek behind Mark 6:14

  • βασιλεὺς (basileus, "king"): The use of this word highlights Herod’s official status and authority, emphasizing the significance of Jesus’s reputation reaching someone so powerful.
  • διεφημίσθη (diephēmísthē, "was spread abroad"): This word carries the sense of news being widely and publicly reported, not just whispered or rumored, which shows how quickly and broadly Jesus’s fame was growing.
  • ἐγείρω (egeirō, "risen"): This is the word for being raised up, often used for resurrection. Herod’s use of this term shows he believed something supernatural had happened to John, which colored his view of Jesus’s miracles.
  • δυνάμεις (dynameis, "mighty works"): This word refers to acts of power or miracles, underlining that what Jesus was doing was seen as extraordinary and beyond normal human ability.

Why Mark 6:14 matters

  • Mark 6:14 clears up that even powerful rulers like Herod were unsettled by Jesus’s reputation and miracles, showing the far-reaching impact of Jesus’s ministry.
  • The verse highlights how people tried to explain Jesus’s power by connecting him to well-known figures like John the Baptist, revealing the confusion and speculation about Jesus’s true identity.
  • This moment sets up the following story about John the Baptist’s death, helping readers understand Herod’s state of mind and the atmosphere of fear and wonder surrounding Jesus.

Where else these words appear

“abroad” Greek G5318 · used in 19 verses

  • Matthew 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
  • Luke 8:17 For nothing is secret, that shall not be made manifest; neither any thing hid, that shall not be known and come abroad.
  • 1 Corinthians 11:19 For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

“themselves” Greek G1754 · used in 19 verses

  • Matthew 14:2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.
  • Galatians 2:8 (For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles:)
  • Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

“Herod” Greek G2264 · used in 41 verses

  • Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
  • Mark 6:17 For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
  • Luke 23:7 And as soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod's jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time.

“Baptist” Greek G907 · used in 65 verses

  • Matthew 3:6 And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
  • Luke 7:30 But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
  • Acts 8:38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.