My LORD’s BibleWhich Herod Is Which?
"Herod" in the New Testament is a dynasty's name, not one man's — three generations of the same ruling family, at least six of them named in scripture, doing very different things to very different people.
Herod the Great — the king at Jesus's birth
The first and most powerful Herod, appointed "king of the Jews" by Rome, ruled from 37 BC until his death around 4 BC. He is the Herod of the nativity — the ruler the wise men consult, and the one whose fear of a rival king leads to the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem.
His response to being outwitted by the wise men:
Matthew 2:16
Read in full chapter →16Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
See also: Protevangelium of James 22:1, Jeremiah 31:15
Herod Archelaus — his son, ruler of Judea
On Herod the Great's death, Rome split his kingdom between three of his sons. Archelaus received Judea itself, and ruled it so badly that Joseph's family avoided settling there on the return from Egypt.
The one verse in which he appears:
Matthew 2:22
Read in full chapter →22But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:
See also: Matthew 2:12, Isaiah 48:17-18
Rome eventually deposed Archelaus and placed Judea under direct Roman governors instead — which is why, by the time of Jesus's adult ministry, it is a prefect named Pontius Pilate rather than another Herod who governs Judea (see the companion article on Pilate).
Herod Antipas — tetrarch of Galilee, beheads John the Baptist
A second son of Herod the Great, Antipas received Galilee and Perea, and is the Herod of Jesus's adult ministry — the one who beheads John the Baptist at his wife Herodias's urging, and later gets a brief audience with Jesus himself during his trial.
His marriage to his brother's wife, the grievance behind John's arrest:
Mark 6:17
Read in full chapter →17For 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.
See also: Matthew 11:2, Matthew 14:3
Pilate sends Jesus to him during the trial, since Jesus was under his jurisdiction:
Luke 23:11
Read in full chapter →11And Herod with his men of war set him at nought, and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate.
See also: Hebrews 12:2, Psalms 2:2
Herod Philip — tetrarch of the region beyond Jordan
A third son, Philip received the northeastern territories (Ituraea and Trachonitis) and is named mainly to date events precisely, in the style of a Roman-era historian establishing exactly which rulers held which territory.
Luke's careful dating, naming Antipas and Philip together as brothers each ruling his own territory:
Luke 3:1
Read in full chapter →1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
See also: Luke 2:1, Genesis 49:10
Herod Agrippa I — grandson, kills James, imprisons Peter
A grandson of Herod the Great, Agrippa I briefly reunited most of his grandfather's kingdom under Roman favor. In Acts, he executes the apostle James and imprisons Peter to please the Jerusalem establishment, then dies suddenly after accepting a crowd's acclaim as a god.
James's execution:
Acts 12:2
Read in full chapter →2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
See also: Matthew 20:23, Hebrews 11:37
His death, immediately afterward:
Acts 12:23
Read in full chapter →23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
See also: Proverbs 29:23, Hebrews 1:14
Herod Agrippa II — great-grandson, hears Paul's defense
The last Herod in the New Testament, Agrippa II is a great-grandson of Herod the Great. Paul makes his case before him near the end of Acts, and Agrippa's own response has become one of the most quoted lines in the book.
His answer to Paul's appeal:
Acts 26:28
Read in full chapter →28Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
See also: Acts 11:26, 1 Peter 2:9
Common questions
- Is the Herod who tried to kill the infant Jesus the same Herod who beheaded John the Baptist?
- No. Herod the Great ordered the slaughter of the innocents around 4 BC and died shortly after. John the Baptist was beheaded decades later by Herod Antipas, one of Herod the Great's sons.
- How many different Herods appear in the New Testament?
- Six: Herod the Great, his sons Archelaus, Antipas, and Philip, and his descendants Agrippa I and Agrippa II — three generations of the same dynasty.
- Which Herod tried Jesus?
- Herod Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee, who received Jesus briefly from Pilate during his trial, mocked him, and sent him back — recorded in Luke 23.
- Which Herod heard Paul's defense in Acts?
- Herod Agrippa II, a great-grandson of Herod the Great, who tells Paul "almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" in Acts 26.