Why did Herod throw John the Baptist in prison ?

Answer 1

Because Herod was adulterously involved with his sister in law, and John the Baptizer publicly reproached him for it. Herod was embarassed to be outed, so he threw him in prison as payback.

It was his lover, or brother's wife, who later requested the head of John to be given to her, through her daughter, on a platter at Herod's birthday party.

Answer 2

He didn't throw him in prison, he killed John the Baptist. Herod's wife wanted John the Baptist's head. So she told her daughter to tell Herod that she wanted that for her birthday and Herod had his head cut off. They served it on a silver platter.

Answer 3

He preached against Herod.
He said that Herod had taken his brother wife and that was not right.
About the wife--she was a no goonick.
She went to the highest bidder.
She was also responsible for having John the Baptist killed.

Answer 4

If you only go by the Christian bible it was because John was wandering around in rags being a mouthy prophet.

IF you read up on the history of the Jewish kingdom you find out that Herod was an Idumean who came to the throne of Israel by Marriage and John was a cousin of Herods wife and a High priest (son of Zachariah) and was a pretender to the throne with a major force of Zealots to back his claim.

The Zealots absolutely hated having an Idumean as King, it would be like having an Iranian or Saudi as their President today.

Herod faced many challenges to his rule from his wife's family

Likely the best source to read on this would be Josephus (the slave of) Flavius.
Two books , The Jewish War, and Jewish Antiquities.
both pretty much to the point and both verified pretty well by other independant histories of the time as well as archaeology.

this Wiki article is good but very brief.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herod_the_Great
it does not mention John specifically but give an idea of the politics going on then.
Notice that the jewish texts and new testament refuse to mention his wife by name and only refer to her as Herods property, sort of an insult.


my,my. aren't the thumbs down idiots busy little B's today!

Answer 5

John the Baptist reproved Herod for adultery. Herod was living with his brothers wife.

Mark 6:17 For 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. 18 For John had said unto Herod, It is not lawful for thee to have thy brother's wife.

Answer 6

Because he hated his preaching on sins, hell and repentance, much like today. John the baptist condemned Herod's marriage.

Answer 7

Because John told him the truth and Herod didn't like it.

Answer 8

Herod, who was half-Jewish, claimed to be a follower of the Jewish law. But he had abandoned his first wife, and following an adulterous affair with his sister-in-law, take her as his second wife in direct violation of the Jewish law.

John condemned his repeatedly for that sin. So Herod had him arrested to silent him.

Answer 9

Unlike Jesus, John the Baptist actually did exist, as did Herod.

We don't know any reasons for Herod imprisoning John, except the mythology put in the gospels.

We don't even know if Herod imprisoned John, just that people of those descriptions did in fact live in Judea at that time.

Oh well . . . .

Answer 10

The text seem self-explanatory.

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3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, 4for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her." 5Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.
Matthew 14