Mark 6:26

And the king was exceeding sorry; but for the sake of his oaths, and of them that sat at meat, he would not reject her. And straightway the king sent forth a soldier of his guard, and commanded to bring his head: and he went and beheaded him in the prison, and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the damsel; and the damsel gave it to her mother.

His oaths ... Turlington said, "The vows must have been given loudly under the influence of his drink and spurred on by the lustful delight of the feasters."[26] In any case, "oaths" in the text is plural, indicating that Herod had rashly multiplied his promises to the girl. This is indeed a sorry spectacle of what was called the court of a king. The environment of that shameful birthday party was such as adds support to words of Jerome that "Herodias thrust the tongue through with a bodkin."[27] The mutilated body was cast outside the walls of the prison and left neglected.[28]

Bickersteth has the following with regard to God's judgment of the perpetrators of this atrocity:

God's judgment at length found out Herod. He was defeated by Aretas in a great battle and put to ignominious flight. Herodias and Herod were banished by the Roman Senate to Lyons, where they both perished miserably. Salome fell into some treacherous ice over which she was passing, in such a manner that her head was caught while the rest of her body sank into the water. She perished when her head was (practically) severed by the sharp ice.[29]

[26] Ibid., p. 317.

[27] E. Bickersteth, op. cit., p. 246.

[28] Ibid.,

[29] Ibid.