In the final period of Herod the Great's reign, from 13 to 4 BC, his life was marked by family betrayal, sickness, and further bloodshed. Suspicious of his sons Alexander and Aristobulus, born to Mariamne, Herod believed they conspired against him for the throne in revenge for their mother's execution. To counter this, he recalled Antipater, his son by his first wife Doris, from exile. Antipater, harboring undeniable hatred for his father, slandered his step-brothers, leading Herod to imprison and execute Alexander and Aristobulus in 7 BC. Antipater then plotted to poison Herod, but the scheme was uncovered when Pheroras, Herod's brother and an accomplice, accidentally drank the poison and died. Upon learning of the plot from Pheroras' servants, Herod ordered Antipater's execution. Shortly before his death, Herod's paranoia culminated in a horrific act. After hearing from visiting magi about the birth of a new King of the Jews in Bethlehem, he ordered the massacre of all male children under two years old in that region. Confronted by numerous threats over the years, Herod responded with unprecedented cruelty. Soon after this brutal event, he succumbed to an agonizing sickness. In his final days, Herod rewrote his will, designating Archelaus as heir to the throne and ethnarch of Judea, Samaria, and Idumea; Antipas as tetrarch over Galilee and Perea; and Philip as tetrarch of the regions east of Galilee. He also issued a cruel order for soldiers to execute many of Judea's distinguished men in Jerusalem's theater upon his death to ensure mourning, though this command was not fulfilled. Herod's death marked the end of a reign that profoundly shaped the political, economic, and cultural landscape of Judea during the time of Jesus Christ.

The death of Herod the Great in 4 BC marked a period of intense political and social turmoil. Before passing, he had drafted multiple wills, each assigning different roles to his sons. In his final will, he designated Archelaus as king of Judea, with Antipas and Philip as tetrarchs under him. This decision sparked conflict, as Antipas contested the throne, citing an earlier will and alleging that Herod the Great was insane when he wrote the final document. The ensuing struggle for power saw both Archelaus and Antipas travel to Rome to plead their cases before Emperor Augustus. While abroad, a Jewish revolt erupted in response to Herod the Great's past atrocities, further destabilizing the region until Roman intervention quelled the unrest. Ultimately, Augustus upheld the final will, affirming Archelaus as ethnarch and naming Antipas and Philip as tetrarchs, thus resolving the immediate succession crisis following Herod the Great's death.