Page 48 - Bible Geography and Near East Studies

In the second case, during the last days of his life, Herod executed his oldest son in a fit of rage and
suspicion. That son had spent years convincing his father that two of his stepbrothers were plotting his
murder, leading to their own executions several years earlier. The older he got, the more paranoid
Herod became.

Therefore, when the magi visited Jerusalem on their way to see the infant Jesus, the promised “king” of
Israel, it’s not surprising how Herod reacted. When he realized he’d been deceived, Herod gave the
order to slaughter all the infant boys “in
Bethlehem and its vicinity” (Matthew 2:16).
Herod apparently died shortly after Jesus was
born, probably about 2 BC.

One of Herod’s sons, Archelaus, lived through
his father’s madness and became the new ruler
of Jerusalem. Archelaus inherited the fury over
his father’s decision to burn Judas, Matthias,
and their students. When a crowd threatened
to riot on the Temple Mount the next Passover,
Archelaus had Roman soldiers storm the area.
Three thousand people were killed, and
Archelaus was soon removed from power by
Rome.

Herod was buried in the Herodium, his palace-
fortress not far from Bethlehem. Two more
sons were given areas to rule by the Romans.
Antipas was assigned the Galilee region. He
appears multiple times in the Gospels,
including on the last day of Jesus' life. In that
meeting, Jesus refused to speak to Antipas
(Luke 23:7-9). Herod’s son Philip was named
Tetrarch of a region in the north, including the
area known today as the Golan Heights. Philip
renamed a pagan city in the north “Caesarea
Philippi” after both the emperor and himself.
Perhaps no eviler city existed in all of Israel
while Jesus was alive, but it was there that
Jesus asked his disciples, “Who do you say that
I am?” (See Matthew 16:13-16.)

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