Very possibly because of his licentious living, Herod was eventually afflicted with a loathsome disease accompanied by fever and, to quote Josephus, “an intolerable itching of the whole skin, continuous pains in the intestines, tumours in the feet as in dropsy, inflammation of the abdomen and gangrene of the privy parts, engendering worms, in addition to asthma, with great difficulty in breathing, and convulsions in all his limbs.” —The Jewish War, I, 656 (xxxiii, 5).
Kemungkinan besar karena cara hidupnya tidak bermoral, Herodes akhirnya tertimpa penyakit yang sangat menjijikkan yang disertai demam, dan seperti dikatakan Yosefus, ”rasa gatal yang tak tertahankan di sekujur tubuh, nyeri tanpa henti dalam usus, pembengkakan di kaki seperti pada penyakit sembap, radang perut dan gangren pada alat kelamin, cacingan, di samping asma, yang menyebabkan kesulitan pernapasan, dan kejang-kejang di seluruh anggota badannya”.—The Jewish War, I, 656 (xxxiii, 5).jw2019 jw2019