39:1
Herod, son of Antipater, governs Galil with aggressive force and is summoned before the Sanhedrin for killings carried out without normal judicial process.
39:2
He appears with armed supporters and royal confidence, intimidating those who would judge him.
39:3
Shammai or another elder warns that those who fear to judge him now may later fall beneath his power.
39:4
Herod escapes conviction and the episode foreshadows his eventual kingship.