Herod the Great's son by Malthace, and the reason the family settled in Galilee instead of Judea. Herod's will left him Judea, Samaria and Idumea; Augustus confirmed the territory but WITHHELD the title of king, making him ETHNARCH — so Matthew's 'was reigning' (2:22) is how people spoke rather than what the paperwork said. ⚠ Joseph's fear of him is well founded: Josephus records that he opened his rule by sending troops into the temple at Passover and killing about three thousand people, and that after ten years of complaints from both Jews and Samaritans Rome deposed him for cruelty (AD 6) and banished him to Gaul. Judea then passed to direct Roman government by prefects — the arrangement under which Pontius Pilate would hold office. His brother ANTIPAS, tetrarch of Galilee, is the 'Herod' of the rest of the Gospel story, which is why moving north was a real escape and not merely a change of address.