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MACHAERUS*
Fortified castle where John the Baptist was imprisoned and later beheaded by Herod Antipas (according to Josephus’s Antiquities 18.5.2). The name does not occur in canonical Scripture nor in the Apocrypha, but it was one of the strongest fortresses in all Palestine, having been built by Alexander Janneus (Josephus’s War 7.6.1-4). It was destroyed by Gabinius in the wars of Pompey (War 1.8.5) but restored and greatly enlarged by Herod the Great, who built a magnificent palace within the enclosure. It was situated east of the Dead Sea at the southern extremity of Perea on a promontory overlooking the Dead Sea. It is identified with the modern M’Khaur.
Matthew (Mt 14:1-12) and Mark (Mk 6:17-29) report that Herod, upon hearing of the fame of Jesus, attributed his miracle-working power to John the Baptist, whom he believed had been restored to life. The confinement of John the Baptist was apparently not so rigorous as to exclude the visit of friends (Mt 11:2-3; Lk 7:18-20). It was from this castle that the Arabian wife of Herod, who had been repudiated by him for the sake of Herodias, fled to her father, Aretas, the king of Arabia. This precipitated the war between Herod and Aretas (Josephus’s Antiquities 18.5.1) and resulted in the defeat of Herod.