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. The placement of ὁ Ἰωάννης after the indirect object is emphatic. It stresses who was saying this — John — giving the sentence a pointed, prophetic weight.
Οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι: Lawful or Not
This phrase is a legal idiom in Koine Greek.
– Οὐκ is the standard negative particle.
– ἔξεστί is a third person singular present active indicative of ἔξεστι, an impersonal verb meaning “it is permitted,” “it is lawful,” or “it is allowable.”
– σοι is the dative singular pronoun (“to you”).
Together, οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι means: “It is not lawful for you.” This expression has both legal and moral implications, and is often used to confront wrongdoing based on divine or Mosaic law.
ἔχειν αὐτήν: The Act in Question
The infinitive ἔχειν (present active of ἔχω, “to have”) functions as the complement of ἔξεστί. It explains the specific action that is not lawful.
αὐτήν — accusative singular feminine — refers to Herodias, his brother’s wife. The syntax makes it clear: the issue is having her, not just being with her, but possessing her as one’s own in an ongoing relationship. The present tense of ἔχειν reinforces the sense of continued possession or cohabitation, not a single act.
The Grammar of Boldness
Matthew 14:4 contains a short sentence, but one charged with moral fire. The imperfect tense (ἔλεγεν) reveals John’s persistence; the impersonal construction (οὐκ ἔξεστί σοι) brings divine law to bear; and the present infinitive (ἔχειν) exposes an ongoing offense. Greek grammar becomes a vehicle for fearless prophetic truth — the kind that confronts kings, stirs conscience, and ultimately costs the prophet his life.
