What Does Mark 6:14 Mean?
And King Herod heard of him, for his name had come into view, and he said, John the Immerser has been raised from the dead, and because of this the powers are at work in him.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And king Herod heard of him; (for his name was spread abroad:) and he said, That John the Baptist was risen from the dead, and therefore mighty works do shew forth themselves in him.THE KEY
A name becomes visible through the power associated with it, yet fear can mistake whose nature that power reveals.
THE MEANING
A name becomes manifest when what belongs to a person comes into view; the reported powers give Jesus public recognition. Herod hears of them and reads them through the return of John the Baptist, so fear shapes the meaning he gives what he hears. His explanation remains his own claim, not the verse’s confirmation.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The lie this verse unsettles is that a frightening explanation becomes true simply because it fits what is seen: Herod’s claim that John has risen is reported, not established.
THE ROOT
ὄνομα
onoma
GROWS FROM
ὀνομ-
onom-
Name, designation, or reputation; the identity a name makes recognizable.
Mark’s Greek says the name “became manifest” (φανερὸν ἐγένετο, phaneron egeneto), rather than only describing a rumor traveling. The name is the recognizable identity coming into view; the same public sign can disclose someone and still be misread by a fearful hearer.
ALSO GROWS
onomazō: To name or call by name.
ὀνομάζω
Naming identifies whom a report points to, which matters when Herod attaches the report to John.
onomastos: Named or renowned.
ὀνομαστός
This branch carries the sense of a name becoming known, close to the public recognition in the verse.
ἐγήγερται
egegertai
GROWS FROM
ἐγειρ-
egeir-
To wake, rouse, or raise.
“risen” in this verse is egegertai. The form ἐγήγερται (egegertai, “has been raised”) presents John’s rising as an accomplished event with present force in Herod’s explanation. The verse reports his conclusion; it does not confirm the resurrection or identify the powers’ cause.
ALSO GROWS
egeirō: To wake, rouse, or raise.
ἐγείρω
The same verb can describe waking from sleep or being raised from death, bringing both senses into Herod’s claim.
egersis: Rising or resurrection.
ἔγερσις
This related noun makes explicit the rising Herod imagines as the explanation for the powers.
δυνάμεις
dynameis
GROWS FROM
δυνα-
dyna-
Ability, capacity, or power.
“mighty works” in this verse is dynameis. The Greek word is δυνάμεις (dynameis, “powers”), presenting these deeds as power at work in the one Herod identifies with John. That wording keeps the focus on power in action, while leaving Herod’s explanation as his own reading.
ALSO GROWS
dynamai: To be able or have power.
δύναμαι
The shared word-family links the powers in the verse to capacity and ability.
dynatos: Able or powerful.
δυνατός
This branch reinforces that the reported works are understood as an expression of power.
THE PATTERN
What comes forth from someone makes their nature recognizable, though an observer may assign it to the wrong source.
Even a child is known by his deeds, whether his work is clean, and whether it runs straight.You will know them by their fruits. Do people gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles?Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not trust. The works that I do in my Father's nature bear witness to me.THE THREAD
Jesus answered them, I told you, and you do not trust. The works that I do in my Father's nature bear witness to me.The same word for “name” (ὄνομα, onoma) appears here, where the works done in the Father’s name bear witness to Jesus. Mark shows what happens when reported powers are heard through fear: Herod attaches them to John returned from death. Together, the verses show both how works reveal identity and how that revelation can be misread.
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