immediately began holding council with the party followers of Herod against him, in order to destroy him.”​—Mr 3:1-6; Mt 12:9-14.

The second reported occasion was nearly two years later, just three days before Jesus was put to death, when disciples of the Pharisees and party followers of Herod joined forces in putting Jesus to the test in the matter of taxation. These men were secretly hired “to pretend that they were righteous, in order that they might catch him in speech, so as to turn him over to the government and to the authority of the governor.” (Lu 20:20) They prefaced their direct question about taxes with words of flattery designed to throw Jesus off guard. However, Jesus, perceiving their cunning wickedness, declared: “Why do you put me to the test, hypocrites?” He then completely silenced them by his answer on the matter of paying taxes.​—Mt 22:15-22; Lu 20:21-26.

(He·roʹdi·as).

The wife of Herod Antipas, who, through her daughter Salome, requested and received the head of John the Baptizer in 32 C.E. (Mr 6:22-28) Her father Aristobulus, son of Herod the Great by his second wife Mariamne I, and her mother were first cousins. Her brother was Herod Agrippa I, who did away with the apostle James, the brother of John.​—Ac 12:1, 2.

Herodias first married her half uncle, her father’s half brother, another son of Herod the Great (by his third wife, Mariamne II), that son commonly being called Herod Philip to distinguish him from Philip the district ruler of Ituraea and Trachonitis. (Lu 3:1) This uncle-husband of Herodias, Herod Philip, fathered Salome, apparently her only child. However, Herodias divorced him and married his half brother Herod Antipas, also a son of her grandfather Herod the Great, by his fourth wife, Malthace. Herod Antipas, who was district ruler (literally, “the tetrarch”) at the time, and whom Jesus Christ called “that fox” (Lu 13:31, 32), also divorced his first wife, a daughter of the Nabataean king Aretas of Arabia, in order to marry Herodias.

John the Baptizer, therefore, had reason to condemn this marriage of Herodias and Herod Antipas, it being both illegal and immoral under Jewish law, and for doing so he was thrown into prison and later beheaded. His fearless and righteous condemnation aroused the bitter hatred of Herodias, so she seized the first opportunity to have the prophet put to death.​—Mt 14:1-11; Mr 6:16-28; Lu 3:19, 20; 9:9.

Herodias’ brother Herod Agrippa I returned from Rome in 38 C.E., having been appointed a king. This greatly vexed Herodias, for her husband, although he was a king’s son, remained only a district ruler. She therefore did not cease pressuring her husband until he too went to Rome in hopes of also being crowned a king with a kingdom. Flavius Josephus tells that Herodias’ brother Agrippa secretly sent letters to Emperor Caligula accusing Antipas of being in conspiracy with the Parthians. As a consequence, Antipas was sent in banishment to Gaul; he was accompanied by Herodias.​—Jewish Antiquities, XVIII, 240-256 (vii, 1, 2); The Jewish War, II, 181-183 (ix, 6).

(He·roʹdi·on).

One to whom Paul sent personal greetings in his letter to the Christian congregation at Rome. Paul refers to Herodion as “my relative.” (Ro 16:11) Some suggest that this may simply mean that Herodion was a fellow Jew rather than an immediate member of Paul’s family, in view of the apostle’s use of the designation “relatives” at Romans 9:3. However, since Paul does not refer to all the Jews to whom he sent greetings as “my relatives” (compare Ac 18:2; Ro 16:3), likely a closer relative is meant.​—See ANDRONICUS.

[Heb., ʼana·phahʹ].

A bird that, according to the Mosaic Law, was not to be eaten. (Le 11:13, 19; De 14:12, 18) The Hebrew name is considered by some to have been derived from a root word meaning “breathe hard,” or possibly, “snort,” likely in anger. Others suggest a closer connection of the name with the Hebrew word for “nose” (ʼaph), perhaps as descriptive of the bird’s beak. Since the Bible says “the heron according to its kind” (“in its several species,” AT), the Hebrew name may well include the different varieties to be found within the heron family (scientifically designated Ardeidae), such as the true heron, the egret, and the bittern. All these birds have long sharp bills, or beaks, and some are noted for the unusual raucous sound they make when disturbed or excited.

The birds of the heron family are basically waders, frequenting marshes, swamps, inland streams, and lakes. They have long slender necks and long, bare, extraordinarily thin legs, and long toes including a large hind toe. With a stately stride they wade along, searching for frogs, small crabs, or small reptiles; or else they stand motionless, patiently waiting for small fish to come within their range, whereupon a lightning thrust of the bird’s long neck spears the fish with