Emo Tenorio Supporter Shomer

Great question with lessons for us in the span of time before us in our perilous modern age. First, let's look to the history of the matter for clues and then scripture for meaning.

The man;
Herod the great was a schemer who clawed his way to the title of king of the Jews placed on him by Octavian who later became the Roman emperor Augustus Caesar. Herod was not completely Jewish, as his father was an Idumean named Antipater and his mother Cyprus was the daughter of an Arab sheik making him an Edomite.
(Note, Jewish kings come from the tribe of Judea). John 12:43

Herod's uncontrolled ambition led him to murder his father-in-law, several of his ten wives and two of his own sons to maintain his position with Israel's conquerors and as a skilled politician he also introduced Greek culture (Hellenization) for Rome. The hall marks of his reign and life would be intrigue, architecture, paranoia and tyrannical cruelty toward any threat, real or imagined. Acts 12:3

The land;
During this time Israel was a buffer zone of sorts between the Roman and Parthian empires. Herod had fled to Rome and was appointed king, but three more years of war would past, ending with a five month siege of Jerusalem before Herod could safely enter the city protected by the Romans as their client king.

The stage was set for the clash of two kingdoms as a caravan of unknown strangers (friend or foe) approached the city, to inquire about the birth of a king in their very land. From past experiences with Herod, everyone in Jerusalem knew the answer to this question would not end well for some people that night. Matthew 2:4; Matthew 2:5

Herod was informed by his very own purchased religious folks, (the best money or threats could buy), that their Jewish scriptures did in fact contain an event exactly as the Magi had spoken. This must have indeed shaken Herod to his core. Matthew 2:6

Bottom line; Herod much like any of his fellow traveling tyrannical colleagues, and even their master the prince of the air, know time will eventually run out as they are but simple mischievous impostors on this stage but for a moment.

Consider that the main battle weapons of the dark kingdom, fear and intimidation, were powerless and flipped against itself by the Lord Jesus when He was but a babe. Acts 17:24-26; Zechariah 4:6

In the Lord's freedom.............warrior on

December 26 2014 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht Supporter Arizona Bible College graduate and Dallas Seminary graduate

Herod didn't want another king to take over his job as king. Herod the Great was a Roman client king of Judaea who ruled with brutal suspicion, eliminating many he perceived as threats, including members of his own household and the Jewish leadership. Ancient and modern sources agree that he was politically shrewd, securing his throne by aligning himself closely with Rome, first with Antony and then with Octavian (Augustus).​

Relatives Herod Had Killed
Sources indicate that Herod had:

His Hasmonean mother‑in‑law Alexandra executed.​ --​gotquestions.org

His beloved second wife Mariamne (a Hasmonean princess) put to death.​ https://www.catholicmom.com/

Two of Mariamne’s sons, Alexander and Aristobulus, executed (strangled), and later another son, Antipater, killed shortly before Herod’s own death.​ catholicmom.com

Some accounts also mention other in‑laws (such as a brother‑in‑law and possibly a grandfather‑in‑law), but standard historical references do not clearly state that he murdered his “father‑in‑law” as such, and they do not say he killed “several” of his ten wives; the best‑attested case is Mariamne.​ thechurchnews.com

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