| 1. Linguistic Exegesis The verse begins with the temporal prepositional phrase en ekeinō tō kairō {Ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ καιρῷ | En ekeínō tôi kairō̂} “in that time,” which situates the narrative within a particular period already known in the wider context. The aorist verb ēkousen {ἤκουσεν | ḗkousen} “he heard” precedes its subject, forming the typical Greek narrative order of verb followed by subject Hērōidēs ho tetraarchēs {Ἡρῴδης ὁ τετραάρχης | Hērṓidēs ho tetraárchēs} “Herod the tetrarch.” The appositional structure of the proper name with the title specifies which Herod is in view by his political office. The direct object is expressed by the accusative phrase tēn akoēn Iēsou {τὴν ἀκοὴν Ἰησοῦ | tēn akoḗn Iēsoû}, literally “the report of Jesus,” where the genitive Iēsou functions as a subjective genitive, indicating that the report concerns Him and His activity. In translation, this genitive is best rendered with “about” or as “reputation” to convey that it is Jesus’ growing fame that has reached Herod. The English reconstructions preserve the temporal framing, maintain the historical title “tetrarch,” and render the object phrase in natural English while keeping the focus on Herod’s hearing of Jesus’ renown. |