And the king was grieved, but because of his oaths and his table companions, he commanded that it be given to her.
In this verse the contradiction within Herod becomes clear. He is grieved because he knows the request is wrong, yet he is afraid to break his own oath and lose honor before people. He yields to pressure, not from the truth, but from the opinion of the crowd. In order to save his word, he agrees to the killing of John, essentially showing how human pride and ambition can lead to a grave sin.