Meaning of the Name Herod
From the Greek name Herodes, linked with hērōs, 'hero', and explained as 'heroic' or 'of heroic descent'. This explanation is widely accepted. In the New Testament the name refers not to a single person but to several rulers of the same dynasty; Hirodes is the Turkish form.
Origin
The name Herod is of Greek origin.
Who is Herod in the Bible?
In the New Testament the name Herod is used for several rulers of the same dynasty. Herod the Great is king of Judea when Jesus is born and has the children of Bethlehem killed; his son Herod Antipas has John the Baptist beheaded and mocks Jesus during his trial. The King Herod of Acts (Agrippa) has the apostle James killed and Peter imprisoned.
The story of Herod in the Bible
In the New Testament the name Herod recalls a family: the Herodian dynasty that ruled the region under Rome. The first is Herod the Great, in whose reign Jesus is born in Bethlehem. When wise men from the east ask about the newborn king of the Jews, Herod is troubled; when they do not return to him, he has the boys of Bethlehem aged two and under killed. Joseph, Mary and the child escape by fleeing to Egypt. History remembers him as the king who lavishly expanded the Jerusalem temple yet was notorious for cruelty. His son Herod Antipas is the ruler of Galilee. He imprisons John the Baptist for criticizing his marriage to his brother's wife Herodias, and later, bound by an oath made at a banquet, has him beheaded. Jesus calls him a fox; when Pilate sends Jesus to him, Herod hopes for a miracle, then mocks him and sends him back. The King Herod of Acts is Herod the Great's grandson Agrippa: he has the apostle James killed with the sword and imprisons Peter, but an angel leads Peter out of the prison. He dies suddenly at Caesarea after accepting the people's acclaim as a god.
Is Herod mentioned in the Quran?
The name Herod does not appear in the Quran. In the Bible the name refers to several rulers of the same dynasty in the Gospels and in Acts.
Verses where Herod appears
- Matthew 2:1 —
Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, saying,
- Matthew 2:16 —
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked by the wise men, was exceedingly angry, and sent out, and killed all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all the surrounding countryside, from two years old and…
- Mark 6:17 —
For Herod himself had sent out and arrested John, and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, for he had married her.