Matthew 14:4

For John had been telling him, “It's not legal for you to marry her.”

Free Bible Version

In The King James Version

For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.

In Context

3Herod had detained John, and had him put in chains and imprisoned on account of Herodias, the wife of Philip, his brother.

5Herod wanted to kill John but he was afraid of the people's reaction for they considered John a prophet.

Read all of Matthew 14

Cross References

Leviticus 20:21A man who marries his brother's wife does something that is unclean. He has brought shame on his brother; the couple will have no children.

2 Samuel 12:7“You are that man!” Nathan told David. “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: I anointed you king of Israel, and I saved you from Saul.

2 Chronicles 26:18They stood up to him, and told him, “It's not your place to burn incense to the Lord. Only the priests, the descendants of Aaron, who have been set apart as holy may burn incense. Get out of the sanctuary, for you have sinned, and the Lord God will not bless you.”

Isaiah 8:20Go and examine God's law and his instructions! If what they say doesn't correspond with God's word, there will be no dawn for them.

Mark 6:18John had been saying to Herod, “It's against the law to marry your brother's wife.”

Matthew Henry on Matthew 14:2-13

The Death of John the Baptist. 1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard of the fame of Jesus, 2 And said unto his servants, This is John the Baptist; he is risen from the dead; and therefore mighty works do show forth themselves in him. 3 For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife. 4 For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her. 5 And when he would have put him to death, he feared the multitude, because they counted him as a… Read the whole commentary →

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