6:26a–c

There is a contrast between 6:26a and 6:26b–c. English versions show this contrast by using words such as “but” and “although” and by arranging the order of the clauses in several ways. For example:

26aThe king deeply regretted his promise. 26bBut because of his oath and his guests, 26che didn’t want to refuse her. (God’s Word)
-or-
26aAlthough it grieved the king deeply, 26che did not want to reject her request 26bbecause of his oath and his guests. (NET Bible)

6:26a

The king was consumed with sorrow: The Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was consumed with sorrow means “very sad” or “greatly distressed.” King Herod was distressed because he did not want to kill a prophet whom he respected (6:20a–b).

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit the immediate cause of his distress. This was the girl’s request and the promise that he had made. For example:

The king was greatly distressed about her request
-or-
The king deeply regretted his promise. (God’s Word)
-or-
The king was very sorry for what he had said. (Contemporary English Version)

6:26b

but: The word but is not in the Greek. The Berean Standard Bible has added it to show the contrast between 6:26a and 6:26b–c.

because of his oaths and his guests: The Greek text refers to two things that made Herod decide to have someone kill John: his oaths and his guests. But these were not two separate, unconnected things. His guests had heard his oaths. Use the proper connecting words to make clear how these things together influenced Herod. For example:

because he had made oaths and because his dinner guests had heard them
-or-
…he did not want to break the promise he had made in front of his guests. So…

oaths: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as oaths has a related meaning to the Greek verb translated as “swore” in 6:23a. But the Greek word is different. If you translated the word “swore” with a noun in 6:23a and the word oaths here as a noun, it is recommended that you use a singular form in 6:23a and a plural form in 6:26b. The New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, and some other English versions do this.

guests: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as guests has the same root as the word in 6:22b. These were the people whom Herod had invited. They were eating and drinking with him at the feast. Use a term that is natural in your language. Here are some examples:

those he had invited
-or-
those who were eating and drinking at the feast with him

6:26c

he did not want to refuse her: The words to refuse her indicate that Herod did not want to refuse to give Herodias’ daughter what she requested. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of the implied information explicit. For example:

he did not want to reject her request
-or-
he did not want to refuse to give her what she had asked for

In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a direct quote. For example:

…he did not want to say to her, “No, I will not give you what you ask.”

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