Luke 9:7-9 shows that Herod the tetrarch is troubled by the spreading news of the miraculous works being performed by Jesus and the rumors of his identity.
The parallel Gospel accounts for Luke 9:7-9 are Matthew 14:1-2 and Mark 6:14-17.
In Luke 9:7-9, Herod is greatly perplexed as he hears reports of Jesus’s power and growing influence; he appears to dismiss false rumors that Jesus was Elijah or John the Baptist come back to life, whom he had beheaded, and he seeks an audience with Jesus.
Previously, Luke has been describing an event where Jesus sent His disciples out to heal and preach the Gospel (Luke 9:1-6), but now the author pauses his narrative to make a significant interjection about Herod the tetrarch and the death of John the Baptist.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him (vv 7-9).
Herod, also known as "Antipas," was a son of Herod the Great—the ruler who sought to kill the Messiah during Jesus's infancy (Matthew 2:1-3; 2:16). Herod the tetrarch was also the brother of Archelaus, who inherited rule over Judea after their father's death (Matthew 2:22).
Herod the tetrarch was not a king, although he was sometimes referred to as one (Mark 6:14). Luke, the historian, uses his technical title—tetrarch. The title of tetrarch, a Roman political designation bestowed on him by Caesar Augustus meaning "ruler of a fourth part.” Herod the Great’s territory was divided amongst his sons after his death in 4 B.C., and Herod the tetrarch was given the regions of Galilee and Perea. Galilee lay to the west of the Sea of Galilee, and Perea was an area extending from the eastern side of the lower half of the Jordan River to the northeastern mountains bordering the Dead Sea.
Herod the tetrarch only held authority in Galilee and Perea. The provinces of Judea, including Jerusalem on the western side of the Dead Sea, and Samaria, located between Galilee and Judea, fell under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor Pilate after Rome removed power from Herod’s brother Archelaus in 18 B.C.
Similarly, Herod's authority did not extend to the Decapolis, a collection of Greek cities dividing Galilee from Perea on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, nor to Ituraea and Trachonitis (sometimes called Gaulanitis) on the northeastern shore of Galilee. The latter region was ruled by Herod's half-brother Philip (Luke 3:1)—not to be confused with Herod’s brother Philip, who was the ex-husband of Herod’s wife, Herodias (Mark 6:17).
Luke writes that Herod heard of all that was happening.
The expression—all that was happening—refers to all that was happening concerning Jesus. All that was happening included:
His public miracles;
His public teachings;
the massive crowds who flocked to Him;
His confrontations with the scribes and Pharisees.
It is noteworthy that the news of all that was happening concerning the ministry of Jesus had spread from amongst the common and poor to reach the ears of the regional authorities, including Herod himself.
Herod heard what was happening concerning Jesus and His power. As tetrarch, Herod was concerned who this increasingly popular and powerful figure might be. Herod inquired and/or heard the rumors of what people said regarding Jesus’s identity. And what he heard greatly perplexed him.
To be perplexed means to be troubled and/or confused. Herodwasgreatly perplexed because of who people said Jesus was. There seem to have been three basic rumors circulating about Jesus’s identity:
It was said by some that John had risen from the dead,
and by some that Elijah had appeared,
and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again (vv 7b-8).
These three rumors are similar to the disciples’ response to Jesus when He asked them: “Who do the people say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-14 and Luke 9:18-19).
The first answer given by some was that Jesus was John the Baptist, risen from the dead.
John was Jesus's cousin (Luke 1:35-36), a distinctive figure known for his unusual appearance and passionate call for the people to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He attracted large crowds into the Judean wilderness (Matthew 3:5-6), where he baptized them. He also baptized Jesus, marking the commencement of His earthly ministry (Matthew 3:13-17). Many who came to John hoped he was "more than a prophet" (Matthew 11:9), expecting that he might be the Messiah. However, John explicitly denied being the Messiah (John 1:20). Instead, he identified himself as the forerunner, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 3:1, to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
If Jesus were John the Baptist risen from the dead, this would have justifiably greatly perplexedHerod, for Herod had imprisoned John (Matthew 11:2) and recently beheaded (v 9) him (Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29).
Another answer offered by some regarding the identity of Jesus was that the prophetElijah had appeared.
Elijah (~900 B.C. - ~850 B.C.) was a renowned prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of one of the most corrupt kings in Israel’s history, King Ahab. Elijah's ministry was marked by extraordinary miracles performed in the name of God. These included foretelling the onset and conclusion of a devastating three-year famine (1 Kings 17:1; 18:41), raising a widow's son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24), and parting the waters of the Jordan River to cross on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8).
However, Elijah is given most acclaim for his dramatic confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. During this event, Elijah called upon God to send fire from heaven, which consumed a water-soaked altar, demonstrating God's power and exposing the futility of Baal worship (1 Kings 18:19-40). Unlike most, Elijah had a unique departure from earth, as he did not experience death. Instead, "Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind" (2 Kings 2:11).
Elijah's miraculous deeds and powerful connection to God made him a revered figure in Israelite history. The prophet Malachi, who prophesied the arrival of a Messianic forerunner (Malachi 3:1), also prophesied that Elijah would return before the "great and terrible day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5). The closing verses of the Old Testament carry profound Messianic meaning, explicitly referencing Elijah by name:
“Remember the Law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.” (Malachi 4:4-6)
This prophecy led many Jews to anticipate Elijah's return as a key sign heralding the arrival of God's kingdom and the coming of His Messiah. Some even speculated that Elijah himself might be the Son of Man.
If Elijah had appeared during Herod’s governance, it would have greatly perplexed him.
A third answer that others gave for the identity of Jesus was that He was one of the prophets of old who had risen again.
The expression prophets of old referred to one of the Old Testament prophets. Until John the Baptist, the last prophet God sent to Israel was Malachi, which was over four hundred years ago. This is why they referred to the prophets as the prophets of old—because it had been a long time since God had last sent prophets.
Others supposed that Jesus was one of those prophets who had risen back to life again. Luke does not identify which prophet, however, in the Gospel of Matthew the disciples suggested that some people supposed Jesus to be the prophet Jeremiah returned to life (Matthew 16:14).
Herod also would have been greatly troubled had a prophet of old returned to life. The prophets of old often opposed ungodly kings and rulers who adopted pagan ways, and Herod openly lived a pagan lifestyle. Had Jesus been one of theprophets of old returned to life, his message would have likely opposed Herod.
None of these claims were correct. Jesus was not John, Elijah, nor any other prophet. Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah (Matthew 16:16-17, Luke 9:20).
Luke records how Herod responded to hearing these disturbing rumors about Jesus’s identity:
Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” (v 9).
First Herod states the fact that he had John beheaded and killed.
This is Luke’s way of informing his readers of John the Baptist’s death at the hands of Herod. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark give the details of John’s execution (Matthew 14:3-12, Mark 6:14-29).
Here is a brief summary of Herod’s murder of John:
Herodias, Herod’s wife and sister-in-law, was furious with John for calling out her evil and unlawful marriage to her husband’s brother. Herod imprisoned John for saying this, but Herodias wanted John killed. Her chance came at a dinner party when Herod promised his niece and step-daughter anything she wanted if she would (erotically) dance for him and his guests. When she did, she conferred with her mother and asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod obliged. Despite carrying out the execution, it seems Herod did so with reluctance (Mark 6:20, 26).
This was what Herod was referring to when he said,“I myself had John beheaded.”
Matthew and Mark report that when Herod first heard about Jesus, he told his servants: “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead” (Matthew 14:2,Mark 6:16). Hearing reports of Jesus and the miraculous powers at work in Him, Herod may have been overcome with guilt or fear. He mistakenly supposed that Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected, now endowed with even greater power.
It is possible, but not definitive, that John the Baptist’s death may have occurred at Herod’s palace in Tiberias, which was located along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. There is debate on the location of his death as the Gospels do not specify which of Herod’s palaces—or the nearby prison—served as the site of his execution. Herod the tetrarch maintained royal residences both in Galilee and in Perea, nearly a hundred miles to the south.
According to Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, John was executed at Herod’s fortress in Macherus, located in Perea (Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2). However, Mark’s Gospel notes that “leading men of Galilee” were present among Herod’s guests (Mark 6:21). Regardless of the exact location, the nearby Herodian stronghold in Tiberias would have loomed on the horizon as Jesus reflected on the fate of His cousin—and contemplated His own.
The Gospel of John tells us that “the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near” (John 6:4). This detail helps establish a timeline since it is known that Jesus was crucified during Passover. It suggests this either occurred shortly before Jesus’s death or about a year earlier. Considering the multitude of events that Luke records between this moment in Chapter 9 and the conspiring amongst of the chief priests and Judas on how to have Jesus put to death in Chapter 22, it is more likely that this occurred roughly a year before the crucifixion, rather than immediately leading up to it.
Herod’s full response as recorded by Luke seems to suggest that eventually the tetrarch dismissed this possibility that Jesus was John come back to life. This is because after stating the fact that he had beheadedJohn, he said: but who is this man about whom I hear such things?
Herod wanted to know whothis miracle-working man (not who this ghost) was. Luke concludes this section with the comment: And he (Herod) kept trying to see Him (Jesus).
Toward the end of Jesus’s life, Herod the tetrarch finally received his wish to see this man (Luke 23:7-8).
Luke 9:7-9
7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead,
8 and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again.
9 Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him.
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Luke 9:7-9 meaning
The parallel Gospel accounts for Luke 9:7-9 are Matthew 14:1-2 and Mark 6:14-17.
In Luke 9:7-9, Herod is greatly perplexed as he hears reports of Jesus’s power and growing influence; he appears to dismiss false rumors that Jesus was Elijah or John the Baptist come back to life, whom he had beheaded, and he seeks an audience with Jesus.
Previously, Luke has been describing an event where Jesus sent His disciples out to heal and preach the Gospel (Luke 9:1-6), but now the author pauses his narrative to make a significant interjection about Herod the tetrarch and the death of John the Baptist.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was happening; and he was greatly perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen again. Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see Him (vv 7-9).
Herod, also known as "Antipas," was a son of Herod the Great—the ruler who sought to kill the Messiah during Jesus's infancy (Matthew 2:1-3; 2:16). Herod the tetrarch was also the brother of Archelaus, who inherited rule over Judea after their father's death (Matthew 2:22).
Herod the tetrarch was not a king, although he was sometimes referred to as one (Mark 6:14). Luke, the historian, uses his technical title—tetrarch. The title of tetrarch, a Roman political designation bestowed on him by Caesar Augustus meaning "ruler of a fourth part.” Herod the Great’s territory was divided amongst his sons after his death in 4 B.C., and Herod the tetrarch was given the regions of Galilee and Perea. Galilee lay to the west of the Sea of Galilee, and Perea was an area extending from the eastern side of the lower half of the Jordan River to the northeastern mountains bordering the Dead Sea.
Herod the tetrarch only held authority in Galilee and Perea. The provinces of Judea, including Jerusalem on the western side of the Dead Sea, and Samaria, located between Galilee and Judea, fell under the jurisdiction of the Roman governor Pilate after Rome removed power from Herod’s brother Archelaus in 18 B.C.
Similarly, Herod's authority did not extend to the Decapolis, a collection of Greek cities dividing Galilee from Perea on the southeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, nor to Ituraea and Trachonitis (sometimes called Gaulanitis) on the northeastern shore of Galilee. The latter region was ruled by Herod's half-brother Philip (Luke 3:1)—not to be confused with Herod’s brother Philip, who was the ex-husband of Herod’s wife, Herodias (Mark 6:17).
Luke writes that Herod heard of all that was happening.
The expression—all that was happening—refers to all that was happening concerning Jesus. All that was happening included:
It is noteworthy that the news of all that was happening concerning the ministry of Jesus had spread from amongst the common and poor to reach the ears of the regional authorities, including Herod himself.
Herod heard what was happening concerning Jesus and His power. As tetrarch, Herod was concerned who this increasingly popular and powerful figure might be. Herod inquired and/or heard the rumors of what people said regarding Jesus’s identity. And what he heard greatly perplexed him.
To be perplexed means to be troubled and/or confused. Herod was greatly perplexed because of who people said Jesus was. There seem to have been three basic rumors circulating about Jesus’s identity:
These three rumors are similar to the disciples’ response to Jesus when He asked them: “Who do the people say that I am?” (Matthew 16:13-14 and Luke 9:18-19).
The first answer given by some was that Jesus was John the Baptist, risen from the dead.
John was Jesus's cousin (Luke 1:35-36), a distinctive figure known for his unusual appearance and passionate call for the people to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Matthew 3:2). He attracted large crowds into the Judean wilderness (Matthew 3:5-6), where he baptized them. He also baptized Jesus, marking the commencement of His earthly ministry (Matthew 3:13-17). Many who came to John hoped he was "more than a prophet" (Matthew 11:9), expecting that he might be the Messiah. However, John explicitly denied being the Messiah (John 1:20). Instead, he identified himself as the forerunner, fulfilling the prophecy of Malachi 3:1, to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.
To learn more about John the Baptist, see The Bible Says article: “Why did Jesus Call John the Baptist Great?”
If Jesus were John the Baptist risen from the dead, this would have justifiably greatly perplexed Herod, for Herod had imprisoned John (Matthew 11:2) and recently beheaded (v 9) him (Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29).
Another answer offered by some regarding the identity of Jesus was that the prophet Elijah had appeared.
Elijah (~900 B.C. - ~850 B.C.) was a renowned prophet in the Northern Kingdom of Israel during the reign of one of the most corrupt kings in Israel’s history, King Ahab. Elijah's ministry was marked by extraordinary miracles performed in the name of God. These included foretelling the onset and conclusion of a devastating three-year famine (1 Kings 17:1; 18:41), raising a widow's son from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-24), and parting the waters of the Jordan River to cross on dry ground (2 Kings 2:8).
However, Elijah is given most acclaim for his dramatic confrontation with 450 prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel. During this event, Elijah called upon God to send fire from heaven, which consumed a water-soaked altar, demonstrating God's power and exposing the futility of Baal worship (1 Kings 18:19-40). Unlike most, Elijah had a unique departure from earth, as he did not experience death. Instead, "Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind" (2 Kings 2:11).
Elijah's miraculous deeds and powerful connection to God made him a revered figure in Israelite history. The prophet Malachi, who prophesied the arrival of a Messianic forerunner (Malachi 3:1), also prophesied that Elijah would return before the "great and terrible day of the Lord" (Malachi 4:5). The closing verses of the Old Testament carry profound Messianic meaning, explicitly referencing Elijah by name:
“Remember the Law of Moses My servant, even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel.
Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. He will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers, so that I will not come and smite the land with a curse.”
(Malachi 4:4-6)
This prophecy led many Jews to anticipate Elijah's return as a key sign heralding the arrival of God's kingdom and the coming of His Messiah. Some even speculated that Elijah himself might be the Son of Man.
If Elijah had appeared during Herod’s governance, it would have greatly perplexed him.
A third answer that others gave for the identity of Jesus was that He was one of the prophets of old who had risen again.
The expression prophets of old referred to one of the Old Testament prophets. Until John the Baptist, the last prophet God sent to Israel was Malachi, which was over four hundred years ago. This is why they referred to the prophets as the prophets of old—because it had been a long time since God had last sent prophets.
Others supposed that Jesus was one of those prophets who had risen back to life again. Luke does not identify which prophet, however, in the Gospel of Matthew the disciples suggested that some people supposed Jesus to be the prophet Jeremiah returned to life (Matthew 16:14).
Herod also would have been greatly troubled had a prophet of old returned to life. The prophets of old often opposed ungodly kings and rulers who adopted pagan ways, and Herod openly lived a pagan lifestyle. Had Jesus been one of the prophets of old returned to life, his message would have likely opposed Herod.
None of these claims were correct. Jesus was not John, Elijah, nor any other prophet. Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah (Matthew 16:16-17, Luke 9:20).
Luke records how Herod responded to hearing these disturbing rumors about Jesus’s identity:
Herod said, “I myself had John beheaded; but who is this man about whom I hear such things?” (v 9).
First Herod states the fact that he had John beheaded and killed.
This is Luke’s way of informing his readers of John the Baptist’s death at the hands of Herod. The Gospels of Matthew and Mark give the details of John’s execution (Matthew 14:3-12, Mark 6:14-29).
Here is a brief summary of Herod’s murder of John:
Herodias, Herod’s wife and sister-in-law, was furious with John for calling out her evil and unlawful marriage to her husband’s brother. Herod imprisoned John for saying this, but Herodias wanted John killed. Her chance came at a dinner party when Herod promised his niece and step-daughter anything she wanted if she would (erotically) dance for him and his guests. When she did, she conferred with her mother and asked for the head of John the Baptist. Herod obliged. Despite carrying out the execution, it seems Herod did so with reluctance (Mark 6:20, 26).
This was what Herod was referring to when he said, “I myself had John beheaded.”
Matthew and Mark report that when Herod first heard about Jesus, he told his servants: “This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead” (Matthew 14:2, Mark 6:16). Hearing reports of Jesus and the miraculous powers at work in Him, Herod may have been overcome with guilt or fear. He mistakenly supposed that Jesus was John the Baptist resurrected, now endowed with even greater power.
It is possible, but not definitive, that John the Baptist’s death may have occurred at Herod’s palace in Tiberias, which was located along the western shore of the Sea of Galilee. There is debate on the location of his death as the Gospels do not specify which of Herod’s palaces—or the nearby prison—served as the site of his execution. Herod the tetrarch maintained royal residences both in Galilee and in Perea, nearly a hundred miles to the south.
According to Josephus, the first-century Jewish historian, John was executed at Herod’s fortress in Macherus, located in Perea (Antiquities of the Jews 18.5.2). However, Mark’s Gospel notes that “leading men of Galilee” were present among Herod’s guests (Mark 6:21). Regardless of the exact location, the nearby Herodian stronghold in Tiberias would have loomed on the horizon as Jesus reflected on the fate of His cousin—and contemplated His own.
The Gospel of John tells us that “the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was near” (John 6:4). This detail helps establish a timeline since it is known that Jesus was crucified during Passover. It suggests this either occurred shortly before Jesus’s death or about a year earlier. Considering the multitude of events that Luke records between this moment in Chapter 9 and the conspiring amongst of the chief priests and Judas on how to have Jesus put to death in Chapter 22, it is more likely that this occurred roughly a year before the crucifixion, rather than immediately leading up to it.
Herod’s full response as recorded by Luke seems to suggest that eventually the tetrarch dismissed this possibility that Jesus was John come back to life. This is because after stating the fact that he had beheaded John, he said: but who is this man about whom I hear such things?
Herod wanted to know who this miracle-working man (not who this ghost) was. Luke concludes this section with the comment: And he (Herod) kept trying to see Him (Jesus).
Toward the end of Jesus’s life, Herod the tetrarch finally received his wish to see this man (Luke 23:7-8).