Bible Dictionary
Behead
To behead is to execute a person by cutting off the head. This method appears in accounts of royal punishment and in the deaths of John the Baptist and James.
Definition
To behead is to execute a person by cutting off the head. It was a recognized method of taking life in accounts involving Egyptians, Hebrews, and later rulers.
Biblical Usage
Beheading appears in the accounts of royal or political punishment and in the deaths of John the Baptist and James.
Historical Background
The sources record this method among the Egyptians and in several incidents involving Hebrew kings and officials.
Scripture References
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
Easton's Bible Dictionary
A method of taking away life practised among the Egyptians (Gen. 40:17-19). There are instances of this mode of punishment also among the Hebrews (2 Sam. 4:8; 20:21, 22; 2 Kings 10:6-8). It is also mentioned in the New Testament (Matt. 14:8-12; Acts 12:2).