Meaning of MAQUERONTE

Fortress built by Alexander Jannaeus, it is not mentioned in the Scriptures or in the apocryphal books. According to Pliny (Nat. History 5:16.72) it was, after Jerusalem, the most impregnable of the Jewish fortresses.

After it was taken and destroyed by Gabinius (Wars 1:8, 5), Herod the Great restored it and frequented it (Wars 7:6, 1, 2). According to Josephus, it was here that Herod Antipas had John the Baptist put to death (Ant. 18:5, 2; cf. Mt. 14:3-12 and Mr. 6:21-29).

However, Josephus seems to be in contradiction here, for it appears that at this time the fortress belonged to his father-in-law King Aretas (Ant. 18:5, 1). Of this the ISBE says: «If this is so, then the Baptist could not have been imprisoned nor executed in Machaerus...

The festival given to the rulers of Galilee would most likely have been celebrated in Tiberias; There is nothing in the Gospel account that indicates that the prisoner was imprisoned at a point several days away (Mark 6:14 ff.)” (p. 1959).

This place is identified with "mkaur", on the Dead Sea, between the wadi Zerkã Ma'în and the wadi el-Mõjib. There are the ruins of the old stronghold.