Father: Herod the Great

Spouse: Herodias

Brother: Phillip

First mention: Matthew 14:1

Final mention: Acts 13:1

Meaning of his name: "Seed of a hero"

Frequency of his name: Referred to 27 times

Biblical books mentioning him: Four books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts)

Occupation: King over Galilee

Important fact about his life: He ordered the beheading of John the Baptist.

Copyright 1999, used by permission from Dr. H.L. Willmington.

The name Herod was not a personal name, but was a family or surname. It belonged to all the generations of the Herodian house. The Herodians were the descendants of Esau, the twin brother of Jacob whose father was Isaac and whose grandfather was Abraham. The descendants of Esau were called the Edomites. The Greeks, however, called the Edomites "Idumaeans" after the area of land in the southern half of Judea, including the region around present-day Hebron, that was known as Idumaea. The Edomites considered themselves Jews as did the other people groups of the day.

In the Gospel of Luke, Herod, Herod Antipas, Herod the tetrarch, and Herod the tetrarch of Galilee are all the same person. He was a son of Herod the Great.