Apokephalizo denotes the act of having or carrying out John's execution by removing his head.

The attested passages consistently refer to John's execution by beheading: the third-person form describes the act done to him in prison, while Herod uses the first-person form when recalling it.

1. Execution by removing the head · dominant

   In Mark 6:27 and Matthew 14:10, the third-person aorist active indicative singular form occurs in clauses describing John being executed in prison; in Mark 6:27 the APB renders the action “beheaded him.” In Luke 9:9 and Mark 6:16, the first-person aorist active indicative singular form is Herod's recollection concerning John; the APB renders it “I beheaded John” and “I beheaded.”

   Luke 9:9Mark 6:16Mark 6:27Matthew 14:10

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the action with “beheaded” in all four verses, either as Herod's first-person recollection or as the reported execution of John. This rendering confirms the verse-level action rather than supplying a separate lexical nuance.