SEV Biblia, Chapter 14:4
porque Juan le decía: No te es lícito tenerla.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 14:4
Verse 4. For John said unto him, It is not lawful for thee to have her.] Here is an instance of zeal, fidelity, and courage, highly worthy of imitation. Plainness, mildness, and modesty, are qualifications necessary to be observed when we reprove the great. The best service a subject can render his prince is to lay before him, in the plainest but most respectful manner, what the law of God requires of him, and what it forbids. How unutterable must the punishment of those be who are chaplains to princes, or great men, and who either flatter them in their vices, or wink at their sins!
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 1-12 - The terror and reproach of conscience, which Herod, like other darin offenders, could not shake off, are proofs and warnings of a futur judgment, and of future misery to them. But there may be the terror of convictions, where there is not the truth of conversion. When me pretend to favour the gospel, yet live in evil, we must not favou their self-delusion, but must deliver our consciences as John did. The world may call this rudeness and blind zeal. False professors, or timi Christians, may censure it as want of civility; but the most powerfu enemies can go no further than the Lord sees good to permit. Hero feared that the putting of John to death might raise a rebellion amon the people, which it did not; but he never feared it might stir up his own conscience against him, which it did. Men fear being hanged for what they do not fear being damned for. And times of carnal mirth an jollity are convenient times for carrying on bad designs against God' people. Herod would profusely reward a worthless dance, whil imprisonment and death were the recompence of the man of God who sough the salvation of his soul. But there was real malice to John beneat his consent, or else Herod would have found ways to get clear of his promise. When the under shepherds are smitten, the sheep need not be scattered while they have the Great Shepherd to go to. And it is bette to be drawn to Christ by want and loss, than not to come to him at all.
Greek Textus Receptus
ελεγεν 3004 5707 V-IAI-3S γαρ 1063 CONJ αυτω 846 P-DSM ο 3588 T-NSM ιωαννης 2491 N-NSM ουκ 3756 PRT-N εξεστιν 1832 5904 V-PQI-3S σοι 4671 P-2DS εχειν 2192 5721 V-PAN αυτην 846 P-ASF
Robertson's NT Word Studies
14:4 {For John said unto him} (elegen gar iwanes autwi). Possibly the Pharisees may have put Herod up to inveigling John to Machaerus on one of his visits there to express an opinion concerning his marriage to Herodias (Broadus) and the imperfect tense (elegen) probably means that John said it repeatedly. It was a blunt and brave thing that John said. It cost him his head, but it is better to have a head like John's and lose it than to have an ordinary head and keep it. Herod Antipas was a politician and curbed his resentment toward John by his fear of the people who still held (eichon, imperfect tense) him as a prophet.
