herod i ( 74/73 bce – 4 bce/1 ce), also known as herod the great, was the king of judea from 37 to 4 bc. at the time judea was a client state of rome. during his 33 year reign, herod was an excellent administrator. but he is most famous for the bible account of his killing the boys of bethlehem. while this is not confirmed by other historical records, herod did murder countless rivals, a mother-in-law, a wife and three of his sons.