Tag Archives: Matthew 14:4

The Verse in Focus (Matthew 14:4)

ἔλεγεν γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης· οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι ἔχειν αὐτήν

Imperfect with Ongoing Force: ἔλεγεν

The verb ἔλεγεν is the imperfect active indicative of λέγω — “he was saying.” The imperfect tense indicates repeated, habitual, or ongoing past action. John the Baptist didn’t confront Herod once — he kept telling him. This verb choice reflects prophetic persistence, an ongoing voice of conviction.

γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰωάννης: Clarifying Subject and Recipient

The explanatory conjunction γὰρ (“for”) links this statement to the surrounding context — particularly Herod’s troubled conscience.

αὐτῷ is the dative singular masculine pronoun, meaning “to him” — referring to Herod Antipas.… Learn Koine Greek