The name "Herod" appears more than 40 times in the New Testament, yet it refers not to a single individual but to a dynasty that spanned four generations and more than a century. From Herod the Great, who ordered the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem, to Herod Antipas, who beheaded John the Baptist, to Agrippa I, who executed the apostle James, to Agrippa II, before whom Paul made his defense — the shared name has confused countless readers. This article uses a family tree, a quick-reference chart, and profiles of eight key figures to help you identify once and for all who each "Herod" in the New Testament really is, and to see, within this blood-soaked dynasty of political intrigue, the invisible yet ever-present hand of God working behind the scenes of history.
Speaker: Pastor Bond · Scripture: 太2:1;太14:1;路23:7;徒12:1;徒26:28
Written for every brother and sister who has ever been confused by "Herod" in the New Testament. Once you know who these "Herods" really are, the political backdrop of half the New Testament suddenly comes into focus.
Many brothers and sisters reading the New Testament run into a puzzling problem:
"In Matthew chapter 2, King Herod orders the massacre of the infant boys in Bethlehem. By Matthew chapter 14, King Herod has John the Baptist beheaded. Then in Acts chapter 12, King Herod executes the apostle James and imprisons Peter. And in Acts chapters 25–26, King Herod is sitting there listening to Paul preach. Just how long did this King Herod live? How could one man do so much killing — and so much judging?"
The answer is this: "Herod" is not a personal name but a dynastic title — the family name of the Herodian Dynasty.
This dynasty rose to power in the mid-first century BC and lasted into the late first century AD, spanning the entire New Testament era. At least three different rulers in the New Testament are called "Herod," and when you add their wives, daughters, brothers, nephews, and nieces, roughly ten members of the Herodian family appear or are mentioned in the New Testament.
Understanding who they are, how they relate to one another, and which "Herod" appears in which passage will unlock the political stage on which most of the New Testament unfolds.
The key figures of the Herodian dynasty can be seen at a glance in this simplified family tree:
┌─ Antipater (Idumean; father of Herod the Great)
│
┌────────┴───────────────────────────────────┐
│ │
Herod the Great (c. 73 BC – 4 BC; reigned 37–4 BC)
— multiple wives, more than ten sons —
│
├─ Herod II (also called "Philip I"; private citizen)
│ └─ by Herodias: daughter Salome
│
├─ Aristobulus IV (executed by his father)
│ ├─ Herod Agrippa I
│ │ ├─ Herod Agrippa II
│ │ ├─ Bernice
│ │ └─ Drusilla
│ └─ Herodias
│
├─ Archelaus (reigned 4 BC – AD 6; ethnarch of Judea and Samaria)
│
├─ Herod Antipas (reigned 4 BC – AD 39; tetrarch of Galilee and Perea)
│
└─ Philip the Tetrarch (reigned 4 BC – AD 34; tetrarch of northern regions)
Simply put, the "Herods" of the New Testament fall into four generations:
Let us meet each of them in turn.
New Testament connection: Matthew 2:1–19 — the massacre of the infants in Bethlehem Life dates: c. 73 BC – 4 BC Reign: 37–4 BC (King of the Jews)
Herod the Great was not Jewish but Idumean — a descendant of Esau.
His father, Antipater, was an Idumean nobleman who shrewdly backed the right side in Rome's civil wars (first supporting Pompey, then switching to Julius Caesar), earning Rome's trust and becoming the de facto ruler of the Jewish province. After Antipater was poisoned, the young Herod inherited his father's political capital.
In 40 BC the Roman Senate formally declared him "King of the Jews." He spent three years fighting his way back into Jerusalem with Roman legions and was officially enthroned in 37 BC.
Herod the Great is one of the most complex figures of the New Testament era — both a genius builder and a ruthless killer.
As a builder, he launched a series of projects that were legendary even by the standards of the ancient world:
As a tyrant, he showed no mercy even to his own family:
The Roman emperor Augustus reportedly quipped: "It is better to be Herod's pig than Herod's son" — because Jews do not eat pork, so Herod would never slaughter a pig, but he killed his sons without hesitation.
Matthew 2:1–19 tells us that the Magi came from the East seeking "he who is born King of the Jews" — a phrase that struck at Herod's most sensitive nerve. The title "King of the Jews" that he had spent his entire life seizing by force — and now someone was saying another person was born to it?
He summoned the chief priests and scribes to find out where the Messiah was to be born. Learning it was Bethlehem (fulfilling Micah 5:2), he pretended he also wished to worship the child, and secretly sent orders to kill every boy in Bethlehem two years old and under.
This tragedy, known as the Massacre of the Innocents, was the final chapter of Herod's lifelong brutality. He died of illness not long afterward, around 4 BC.
A pastoral reflection: Herod the Great's story gives us our first reminder: anyone who sets himself against Christ's kingship will come to a bitter end. He conquered an empire but could not conquer his own fear. He built the Temple, yet could not make room for the very child the Temple was meant to prepare the way for.
When Herod the Great died (4 BC), Rome divided his territory among three of his sons. This is why the New Testament contains several different "Herods" — they were all sons of Herod the Great, each known as "Herod So-and-So."
New Testament connection: Matthew 2:22 Reign: 4 BC – AD 6
Archelaus was born to Herod the Great and his Samaritan wife Malthace. He inherited Judea, Samaria, and Idumea.
He inherited his father's cruelty without inheriting his father's competence. Shortly after taking power, he massacred three thousand Passover pilgrims, provoking widespread hatred.
In AD 6, Jews and Samaritans — rarely united on anything — jointly appealed to the Roman emperor. Augustus deposed Archelaus and exiled him to Gaul (modern France).
His New Testament appearance: Matthew 2:22 — "But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in the place of his father, Herod, he was afraid to go there." When Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back from Egypt and learned that Archelaus was ruling in Judea, he deliberately avoided Judea and went instead to Nazareth in Galilee. This became the occasion for the fulfillment of the prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene (Matt 2:23).
After Archelaus was deposed, Judea came under the direct administration of Roman governors — Pontius Pilate, before whom Jesus stood at his trial, was the fifth governor in that line.
New Testament connections: Luke 3:1, 19; 3:19–20; 9:7–9; 13:31–32; 23:6–12; Matthew 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29 Reign: 4 BC – AD 39 (a remarkable 43 years!)
Archelaus's full brother by the same mother, Herod Antipas is the "Herod" who appears most frequently in the New Testament.
He ruled Galilee and Perea — the very regions where Jesus conducted the vast majority of his public ministry. So whenever the Gospels refer simply to "Herod" in a Galilean context or in connection with John the Baptist, it is almost always Herod Antipas.
Several key events:
Antipas's first wife was the daughter of the neighboring Nabatean king Aretas. On a visit to Rome, he stayed with his half-brother Herod II and fell for Herod II's wife, Herodias — who was both his niece (daughter of his executed half-brother Aristobulus IV) and his sister-in-law. Antipas persuaded Herodias to leave her husband, divorced his own wife, and the two married.
This outraged two people:
John was thrown into prison as a result, and was ultimately beheaded during a dance performed by Herodias's daughter Salome at a birthday banquet (see the section on Herodias below).
Luke 13:31–32 records this exchange:
On that same day, some Pharisees came, saying to him, "Get out of here, and go away, for Herod wants to kill you." He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I complete my mission.'"
In Jewish culture, a "fox" was an image of cunning, slyness, and low character — Jesus's verdict on this tetrarch could not have been clearer.
Luke 23:6–12 records that when Pilate was examining Jesus and learned he was a Galilean, he sent him to Antipas, who happened to be in Jerusalem for the festival — a convenient way to pass off a difficult case.
Antipas "was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by him" — his attitude toward Jesus was that of a spectator hoping to be entertained. Jesus said nothing. Antipas and his soldiers mocked and ridiculed him, then sent him back to Pilate.
When a person treats Christ as a spectacle rather than a Savior, Christ has nothing to say to him.
His end: In AD 39, at Herodias's urging, Antipas traveled to Rome to petition for the title of "king." His nephew Agrippa I (see below) seized the opportunity to denounce him to the emperor for alleged treason. The Roman emperor Caligula exiled him to Gaul — the same fate as his father and his brother. This branch of the Herodian line ended there.
New Testament connections: Luke 3:1; Matthew 16:13; Mark 8:27 (Caesarea Philippi) Reign: 4 BC – AD 34
Born to Herod the Great and his fifth wife Cleopatra of Jerusalem, Philip ruled the northeastern territories of Iturea, Trachonitis, and surrounding Gentile regions.
He was a rare "good man" in the Herodian family — the Jewish historian Josephus records in his Antiquities that Philip was "a person of moderation and quietness in the conduct of his life," and that he would travel with his judgment seat to hear cases personally among the people, deciding them with fairness.
He has no dramatic biblical episode to his name. His main contribution to the New Testament story is that he rebuilt a city called Caesarea Philippi (named in honor of the Roman emperor Caesar, with his own name added to distinguish it from the coastal Caesarea Maritima).
It was at the foot of the rocky hillside near this city that Jesus asked his disciples the question that changed history:
"But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matt 16:15–16)
In Mark 6:17, the Gospel mentions that Herodias had been "the wife of Philip, his brother."
But this "Philip" is not Philip the Tetrarch described above! He is a different son of Herod the Great — Herod II (sometimes called "Herod Philip I" in older sources).
Herod II was born to Herod the Great by his second wife Mariamne. He had originally been named as one of the heirs, but his father later stripped him of that status, so he lived out his life as a private citizen with no territory. His first wife was Herodias, and together they had a daughter, Salome.
This "Herod II / Philip I" rarely appears in the New Testament, but because of his marriage to Herodias — the wife whom Herod Antipas "stole" — he is frequently confused with Philip the Tetrarch. A simple way to keep them straight:
New Testament connection: Acts 12:1–23 Reign: AD 37–44
Agrippa I was Herod the Great's grandson — his father was Aristobulus IV, whom Herod the Great had executed with his own authority.
He was sent to Rome as a child to be educated, and grew up alongside the future Roman emperors Caligula and Claudius — a friendship that would utterly transform his fortunes.
In AD 37, when his old friend Caligula became emperor, he immediately granted Agrippa the territories formerly ruled by Philip the Tetrarch. Two years later, when his uncle Herod Antipas was exiled, Galilee and Perea were added. In AD 41, another old friend, Claudius, became emperor and added Judea and Samaria — at this point Agrippa I ruled a territory nearly as large as his grandfather Herod the Great's kingdom.
Before the Jewish people he presented himself as a devoted observer of Jewish law: keeping the Torah, offering Temple sacrifices, attending the festivals. The Jews genuinely liked him; the Mishnah even records a scene in which he wept while reading the Law aloud at the Feast of Tabernacles, and the people called out, "You are our brother!"
But toward the early church, he was a persecutor.
Acts 12:1–23 records three things he did:
This last event deserves a closer look. Agrippa I was in Caesarea receiving envoys from Tyre and Sidon. He put on a robe woven of silver (Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.2, records that in the morning sunlight the garment blazed so brilliantly it dazzled the eyes), sat on his throne, and delivered a speech. The crowd shouted: "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" (Acts 12:22).
"Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he didn't give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died." (Acts 12:23)
Josephus's secular account independently records the same event — he writes that Agrippa saw the silver robe gleaming and heard the flattering cries of the crowd, and was basking in the moment when he was seized by violent abdominal pain; he died five days later.
This is one of the most solemn responses in Scripture to a human being accepting worship due to God alone. Whether you are Herod's grandson or the most popular king in the Roman world, you cannot take God's place.
New Testament connections: Matthew 14:3–12; Mark 6:17–29; Luke 3:19–20
Herodias was Agrippa I's own sister — which means she too was a granddaughter of Herod the Great.
Her marital history was tangled:
According to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 18:16; 20:21), "you shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife" — this is precisely what John the Baptist publicly condemned.
Herodias hated John the Baptist with a passion. Having him imprisoned was not enough; she wanted him dead. But Antipas kept protecting John — Mark 6:20 tells us that "Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man."
Her opportunity finally came at Antipas's birthday banquet. She had her young daughter Salome dance before the assembled guests. Antipas was so delighted that he rashly promised the girl, "Ask me whatever you want, and I will give it to you." Herodias immediately coached her daughter to say: "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."
And so John was beheaded.
Herodias's own end was bleak. When her husband Antipas was exiled to Gaul, Emperor Caligula — out of respect for her brother Agrippa I — offered her the chance to stay behind, sparing her from exile. Herodias refused the pardon, saying, "A wife shares her husband's fate," and followed Antipas to Gaul, where she died in a foreign land.
She is one of the few figures in the Herodian story who displays a trace of tragic dignity — but her loyalty was given to a sinful union, while she reserved her hatred for the prophet God had sent.
The New Testament refers to her only as "the daughter of Herodias" (Matt 14:6; Mark 6:22). The name "Salome" comes from Josephus (Antiquities 18.5.4).
She was the daughter of Herodias and her first husband, Herod II. In the Gospels she appears only once — in the dance that cost John the Baptist his head.
She later married her great-uncle Philip the Tetrarch (the "good Herod" described above); after Philip's death she married Aristobulus, a minor king of Cilicia.
New Testament connection: Acts 25:13–26:32 (hears Paul's defense, together with Bernice) Reign: c. AD 50–92/100 The last "King Herod" in the New Testament
When Agrippa I died, Agrippa II was only seventeen years old. Rome considered him too young to inherit the entire kingdom. Over time, Rome granted him various smaller territories — the little kingdom of his uncle Herod of Chalcis, the former territory of Philip the Tetrarch, and parts of Galilee — along with a special privilege: the authority to appoint the high priest in Jerusalem.
He appears in Paul's story once, but that one appearance is profoundly significant.
The scene: Paul was being held under house arrest in Caesarea by the Roman governor Festus, having already appealed his case to Caesar. Agrippa II and his sister Bernice happened to arrive in Caesarea to pay their respects to the new governor. Festus, uncertain what charges to write in the letter accompanying Paul to Rome, asked Agrippa — who was well acquainted with Jewish affairs — to hear Paul's case.
Before Agrippa, Paul delivered one of the longest and most powerful personal defenses in the New Testament (Acts 26), recounting his encounter with the risen Christ on the road to Damascus and his commission to bring the gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.
Then Paul turned directly to Agrippa:
"King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know that you believe." (Acts 26:27)
Agrippa's reply has become one of the most quoted lines in the New Testament:
"With a little persuasion are you trying to make me a Christian?" (Acts 26:28)
The tone of this response has been debated by commentators for centuries — is it dismissive sarcasm, a half-ironic deflection, or a genuine moment of being moved? Whatever the precise nuance, he did not believe.
Paul's answer is breathtaking in its grace:
"I pray to God, that whether with little or with much, not only you, but also all that hear me this day, might become such as I am, except for these bonds." (Acts 26:29)
What a spirit — a chained prisoner saying to a king seated on a judgment throne: I long for you to have the freedom I have, without the chains I wear.
Agrippa's final verdict was: "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." (Acts 26:32) But because Paul had already appealed, he had to be sent to Rome — which was exactly what God had already promised: "As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must testify also in Rome." (Acts 23:11)
Agrippa II later sided with Rome during the Jewish–Roman War of AD 66–70, and personally witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Roman general Titus — the very fulfillment of Jesus's prophecy (Luke 19:41–44; 21:20–24). He died around AD 92 or 100, leaving no heirs. With him, the Herodian dynasty came to an end.
New Testament connections: Acts 25:13, 23; 26:30
Agrippa II's sister, who accompanied her brother to hear Paul's defense. Paul's words, however, brought no visible change in her.
Her personal life was the subject of persistent scandal in Roman high society — she and her brother Agrippa II traveled and lived together so constantly that Roman writers mocked them for incest. She later became the companion of Titus, the future Roman emperor, but Roman public opinion was so hostile to the relationship that Titus eventually sent her back to the East.
She and Drusilla are among the few women of the Herodian family named in the New Testament.
New Testament connection: Acts 24:24
The youngest sister of Agrippa II.
She had originally been married to the Syrian king Azizus — who had converted to Judaism (including circumcision) specifically in order to marry her. But the Roman governor of Judea, Felix, was captivated by her beauty and sent someone to entice her to leave her husband and marry him. She agreed.
Acts 24:24 records:
"But after some days, Felix came with Drusilla, his wife, who was a Jewess, and sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ Jesus. As he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come, Felix was terrified, and answered, 'Go your way for this time, and when it is convenient for me, I will summon you.'"
Paul stood before this couple — whose union was built on the seduction of another man's wife — and preached on righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment. These were precisely the three themes that cut to the heart of their situation. Felix "was terrified," yet he did not repent; he simply dismissed Paul.
Drusilla's end is sobering: in AD 79, when Mount Vesuvius erupted (the same eruption that buried Pompeii), she and the son she had borne to Felix perished together in the volcanic ash.
So that you can look this up the next time you are reading, here is a passage-by-passage guide:
| Scripture | Which Herod? | Key Event |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 2:1–19 | Herod the Great | Massacre of the infants in Bethlehem |
| Matt 2:22 | Archelaus | Joseph avoids Judea; family settles in Galilee |
| Luke 3:1 (first reference) | Herod Antipas | Tetrarch of Galilee |
| Luke 3:1 (second reference) | Philip the Tetrarch | Tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis |
| Luke 3:19–20 | Herod Antipas | Imprisons John the Baptist over Herodias |
| Matt 14:1–12; Mark 6:14–29; Luke 9:7–9 | Herod Antipas (+ Herodias + Salome) | Beheading of John the Baptist |
| Matt 16:13; Mark 8:27 | (The city Philip built:) Caesarea Philippi | Peter's confession: "You are the Christ" |
| Luke 13:31–32 | Herod Antipas | Jesus calls him "that fox" |
| Luke 23:6–12 | Herod Antipas | Mocks and examines Jesus |
| Acts 12:1–23 | Herod Agrippa I | Executes James; imprisons Peter; struck down by an angel |
| Acts 24:24 | Drusilla (daughter of Agrippa I) + Governor Felix | Hears Paul on "righteousness, self-control, and judgment" |
| Acts 25:13–26:32 | Herod Agrippa II + Bernice | Hears Paul's final defense |
A practical rule of thumb: Any "King Herod" in the four Gospels — especially in a Galilean context — is almost certainly Herod Antipas. Any "King Herod" in Acts is either Agrippa I or Agrippa II — the events themselves will tell you which.
To understand the Herodian family's attitude toward Jesus and the early church, we need to see two permanent contradictions built into their identity.
They were Idumeans — descendants of Esau. In the Old Testament, Edom (Esau's nation) and Jacob (Israel) were brothers turned enemies, locked in generational hostility (the entire book of Obadiah is a prophecy of judgment against Edom).
Yet they desperately wanted to be kings of the Jews.
This illegitimacy of bloodline meant the Herodian family spent their entire existence trying to prove themselves to the Jewish people: building the Temple, keeping the Law, attending the festivals, cultivating the high priests, and persecuting anyone who threatened Jewish religious order (including the early church). Yet in their hearts, the Jewish people never truly accepted them. The Mishnah to this day refers to Herod as an "Idumean slave."
Their thrones existed entirely at Rome's pleasure — granted by the Roman Senate, secured by Roman legions, and revocable by the Roman emperor at any moment.
So they had to perform loyalty to Rome (paying tribute, building cities named for Caesar, flattering the emperor) while simultaneously performing independence before the Jews (rebuilding the Temple, protecting religious festivals). They lived perpetually in a torn identity, squeezed between two worlds.
This is the Herodian tragedy: they were neither truly Jewish nor truly free; they could neither glorify God nor fully satisfy Caesar.
When a person tries to serve two masters, he will sooner or later find himself at war with the one true Master. The story of the Herodian dynasty is the most vivid possible commentary on Jesus's words: "No one can serve two masters." (Matt 6:24)
After reading through the rise and fall of the Herodian dynasty, turn back to Psalm 2:
"The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed… He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision." (Psalm 2:2, 4)
This is the Herodian family's true place in the story of salvation — they imagined themselves the protagonists of history, but they were only a backdrop against which the true King of kings shines all the more brightly.
The Temple the Herodian family built was razed to the ground in AD 70. The harbor city of Caesarea Maritima, built at enormous cost, survives today only as ruins beneath the sea. The throne they defended with so much blood produced no lasting heir — the last of the dynasty died without children, and the Herodian line simply ceased to exist.
And the carpenter from Nazareth whom they hunted, mocked, and ignored — his kingdom, the angel declared, "will have no end." (Luke 1:33)
*"We are witnesses of these things; and so also is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him… We must obey God rather than men."* (Acts 5:32, 29) — Peter's words before the council, echoing the stance of believers throughout the entire Herodian era
*"He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision."* (Psalm 2:4) — The deepest comfort for the church in every generation that faces the hostility of the powerful
*"His kingdom will have no end."* (Luke 1:33) — The angel Gabriel's words to Mary, spoken in the very era of Herod the Great
The "Herod" of the New Testament is not one person but a dynasty that stretched across four generations and more than a century.
They held political power for a season, but never grasped the eternal kingdom. They built a Temple of breathtaking splendor, yet rejected the true Temple — Jesus himself. They thought they were writing history; in reality, they were supporting characters in God's great drama of salvation.
The next time you encounter the name "Herod" in your reading, don't be confused — check the context, identify which Herod it is and what he is doing, and you will find that woven through the rise and fall of these kings is the story of the one true King.
"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever." (Revelation 11:15)
Further Reading:
💬 After reading this article, if you have any thoughts or questions, you are warmly welcome to ask Pastor Bond:
- "The Herodian family was so wicked — why did God choose that moment in history to send the gospel?"
- "Herod tried to kill the infant Jesus. How did that turn out?"
- "How should I think about people in positions of power who are hostile to faith?"