Herodias was the wife if Herod Antipas. At the age of twenty-three, Herodias divorced her husband, Philip, who was also her uncle, and married Antipas, another uncle. Both men were sons of Herod the Great, the king who ruled over Judea and Galilee when Jesus was born.
John the Baptist openly condemned Antipas for his marriage to Herodias, which caused Herodias to nurse a deep hatred of John ;
“For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to, because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him”. (Mark 6:17–20).
She wanted to have John killed, but Antipas regarded John as a holy man and feared what would happen if he killed him. But Herodias’s hatred was unrelenting, and eventually she found a way to have John killed. Herod held a banquet for his birthday, and Herodias’s daughter danced for his guests. Herod was so pleased that he offered her anything she wished for, up to half his kingdom. Herodias told her to ask for the head of John the Baptist on a platter, and she did.
Herod Antipas was very distressed at her request, but he did not want to go back on his offer in front of his guests, so he carried out her evil wishes immediately.
A few years after Jesus’ death, Herodias’s brother Agrippa was made king over certain parts of Palestine, and she grew jealous. She urged Antipas to sail for Rome and ask Emperor Caligula for the title of king. Agrippa, however, sent letters denouncing Antipas for various misdeeds, and the emperor exiled him to the area now known as France. Herodias chose to accompany him, and she likely died there.