Mark 6:19

19 So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't,

Mark 6:19 Meaning and Commentary

Mark 6:19

Therefore Herodias had a quarrel against him
Was angry with him, conceived wrath, and laid up hatred against him, and was an adversary to him; which is the sense of the Oriental versions. She bore him an inward grudge, and lay in wait to take the first opportunity of dispatching him:

and would have killed him, but she could not;
being hindered by Herod, who as yet would not suffer it; partly through fear of the people, and partly through the respect he had for John.

Mark 6:19 In-Context

17 Herod himself had ordered his soldiers to arrest John and put him in prison in order to please his wife, Herodias. She had been the wife of Philip, Herod's brother, but then Herod had married her.

18 John had been telling Herod, "It is not lawful for you to be married to your brother's wife."

19 So Herodias hated John and wanted to kill him. But she couldn't,

20 because Herod was afraid of John and protected him. He knew John was a good and holy man. Also, though John's preaching always bothered him, he enjoyed listening to John.

21 Then the perfect time came for Herodias to cause John's death. On Herod's birthday, he gave a dinner party for the most important government leaders, the commanders of his army, and the most important people in Galilee.