Every time the name “Herod” appears in the gospel of Matthew, innocents die. Herod the Great is a prominent character in chapter 2, and the name Herod doesn’t appear again until chapter 14, where Antipas agrees to give Herod’s head to the female Herod, Herodias. Herod doesn’t appear in the trial narratives in Matthew, but the last time we find a variation of the name (“Herodians”), they are trying to set a trap for Jesus.
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