Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 6:27
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
27. an executioner ] Literally, a soldier of the guard. The word Speculator denotes (1) a looker-out, spy, scout; (2) a special adjutant, soldier of the guard. These scouts formed a special division in each legion; but under the emperors a body bearing this name was specially appointed to guard the emperor and execute his commands (Tac. Hist. i. 24, 25; II. 11; Suet. Claud. xxxv.). Hence they were often employed as special messengers in seeking out those who were proscribed or sentenced to death (Seneca, de Ira i. 16). In the earlier English Versions the word is rendered “hangman,” but this term describes a mere accident of his office. The use of a military term, compared with Luk 3:14, is in accordance with the fact that Herod was at this time making war on Aretas (Jos. Antiq. xviii. 5. 1).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
27. And immediately the king sent anexecutionerone of the guards in attendance. The word is Roman,denoting one of the Imperial Guard.
and commanded his head to bebrought: and he went and beheaded him in the prisonafter, itwould seem, more than twelve months’ imprisonment. Blessed martyr!Dark and cheerless was the end reserved for thee: but now thou hastthy Master’s benediction, “Blessed is he whosoever shall not beoffended in Me” (Mt 11:6),and hast found the life thou gavest away (Mt10:39). But where are they in whose skirts is found thy blood?
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And immediately the king sent an executioner,….
[See comments on Mt 14:10]
and commanded his head to be brought; ordered him to cut off his head in prison, and bring it away forthwith in a charger to him:
and he went and beheaded him in the prison; according to his orders.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
A soldier of his guard (). Latin word speculator. A spy, scout, lookout, and often executioner. It was used of the bodyguard of the Roman emperor and so for one of Herod’s spies. He was used to do errands of this sort and it was soon done. It was a gruesome job, but he soon brought John’s head to the damsel, apparently in the presence of all, and she took it to her mother. This miserable Tetrarch, the slave of Herodias, was now the slave of his fears. He is haunted by the ghost of John and shudders at the reports of the work of Jesus.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Mark’s favorite straightway. The king is prompt in his response.
Executioner [] . One of Mark’s Latin words, speculator. A speculator was a guardsman, whose business it was to watch or spy out (speculari). It came gradually to denote one of the armed body – guard of the Roman emperor. Thus Suetonius says of Claudius that he did not dare to attend banquets unless his speculatores with their lances surrounded him. Seneca uses the word in the sense of executioner. “He met the executioners (speculatoribus), declared that he had nothing to say against the execution of the sentence, and then stretched out his neck.” Herod imitated the manners of the Roman court, and was attended by a company of speculatores, though it was not their distinctive office to act as executioners. Wyc. renders man – killer, and Tynd. hangman.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And immediately the king sent an executioner,” (kai euthus aposteilas ho basileus spekoulatora) “And at once the king sent (commissioned or mandated) an executioner,” a military official of the empire, Mat 14:10.
2) ”And commanded his head to be brought epetaksen enegkai ten kephalen autou) “And gave orders to bring his (John the Baptist’s) head.,” in conflict with John’s instructions to the soldiers, ”do violence to no man,” Luk 3:14.
3) ”And he went and beheaded. him in the prison,” (kai apelthon apekephalisen auton en te phulake) ”And he went away from the banquet hall, and beheaded him it). prison,” Luk 9:9.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(27) An executioner.St. Mark uses a Latin word, speculator, a word which, originally meaning watchman or sentinel, had come to be applied by Latin writers of the time specifically to soldiers employed, as in this instance, as couriers or messengers (Suet. Caligula, c. 44; Tacit. Hist. xi. 73).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And immediately the king sent out an executioner and commanded to bring his head, and he went and beheaded him in prison, and brought his head on a plate and gave it to the young woman, and the young woman gave it to her mother.’
The evil deed was done. No excuse can be found for Herod. Had he wanted to he could have avoided it. Probably no one would have blamed him, and no one would have seen the twisting of his oath by Herodias’ daughter as binding. It was not within the spirit of the offer. But men have strange ideas when it comes to ‘honour’, sometimes it replaces rightness, and possibly Herod was secretly glad of the excuse. Whichever was true he gave the command and John was beheaded and his head brought in on a plate.
‘An executioner.’ The word is ‘speculator’, originally it was used of a Roman scout but was then used to denote a member of the headquarters staff of a ruling personage whose duties included the carrying out of executions. This it came to be used in Aramaic and Rabbinic Hebrew for an executioner.
‘Gave it to the young woman, and the young woman gave it to her mother.’ When Herodias’ daughter looked at the grisly present she had received she faltered and passed it immediately to her hardened mother. She did not want it. There was still some vestige of decency, however small, within her. But for Herodias there was only delight. We can compare these words here, with the words, ‘He gave them to His disciples to set before the people’ (Mar 6:41). What a contrast between two worlds.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
27 And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
Ver. 27. See Trapp on “ Mat 14:10 “
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
27. ] is supposed by some to represent spiculator , and to mean , as Suidas: by others, speculator , , as Philoxenus, in Gloss., one of the body-guard, which is the meaning taken by Meyer here. The Commentators refer to Seneca de Ira, i. 16, “Centurio supplicio prpositus condere gladium speculatorem jubet:” de Benef. iii. 25, “Speculatoribus occurrit, nihil se deprecari quo minus imperata peragerent dixit, et deinde cervicem porrexit:” Julius Firmicus, viii. 26, calls those “speculatores, qui nudato gladio hominum amputant cervices.” See Suet. Claud. 25: and a list of the sources of information in Schleusner, sub voce.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Mar 6:27 . = speculator in Latin, literally a watcher, a military official of the empire who acted partly as courier, partly as a police officer, partly as an executioner; illustrative citations in Wetstein. The word found its way into the Jewish language (here only).
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
immediately. See note on Mar 1:12,
an executioner. Greek. spekoulator. Occ only here. A Latin word (speculator) = a man who spies out; used of the Roman emperor’s bodyguard (an armed detective body) round the emperor at banquets, &c. Herod adopted Roman customs.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
27.] is supposed by some to represent spiculator, and to mean , as Suidas: by others, speculator, , as Philoxenus, in Gloss., one of the body-guard, which is the meaning taken by Meyer here. The Commentators refer to Seneca de Ira, i. 16, Centurio supplicio prpositus condere gladium speculatorem jubet: de Benef. iii. 25, Speculatoribus occurrit, nihil se deprecari quo minus imperata peragerent dixit, et deinde cervicem porrexit: Julius Firmicus, viii. 26, calls those speculatores, qui nudato gladio hominum amputant cervices. See Suet. Claud. 25: and a list of the sources of information in Schleusner, sub voce.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Mar 6:27. , an executioner) This word is derived from specula, a look-out, a watch-tower. The Speculators executed capital punishments: Sen. l. 1, de ira, c. 16.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
the king: Mat 14:10, Mat 14:11
an executioner: or, one of his guard, [Strong’s G4688], in Latin, speculator, from speculor, to look about, spy, properly denotes a sentinel; and as these sentinels kept guard at the palaces of kings, and the residences of Roman governors, so they were employed in other offices besides guarding, and usually performed that of executioners. As, however, we learn from Josephus, that Herod was at this very time engaged in war with Aretas, king of Arabia, in consequence of Herod’s having divorced his daughter in order to marry Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife; and as this event occurred at an entertainment given at the castle of Machaerus, while his army was on its march against his father-in-law; we are furnished with an additional reason why a speculator, or sentinel, should have been employed as an executioner; and are thus enabled to discover such a latent and undesigned coincidence as clearly evinces the truth of the evangelical narrative.
Reciprocal: 2Ch 18:7 – I hate him Pro 16:14 – messengers Dan 3:6 – the same Mar 6:14 – king Herod Rev 20:4 – beheaded
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7
The executioner went to the prison and beheaded John, which was done with a sword, that being before the days of other mechanical means.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
And immediately the king sent an executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
[An executioner.] So the Targum of Jonathan upon Gen 39:1; Rab Speculatoraia. See the Aruch, in the word Speculator.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Mar 6:27. A soldier of his guard. The word is a peculiar one, derived from the Latin. The members of the body-guard would be entrusted with the execution of capital sentences, but that was not their special office.In the prison. See on Mat 14:10.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
6:27 And immediately the king sent an {q} executioner, and commanded his head to be brought: and he went and beheaded him in the prison,
(q) The word signifies one that bears a short lance, and the king’s guard was so called because they bore short lances.