Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 12:21
And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
21. And upon a set day ] The day was one appointed (as Josephus tells us) for holding a festival on which to make vows for Csar’s safety.
Herod, arrayed (having arrayed himself) in royal apparel ] See the extract from Josephus given below.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And upon a set day – An appointed, public day. This was the second day of the sports and games which Herod celebrated in Caesarea in honor of Claudius Caesar. Josephus has given an account of this occurrence, which coincides remarkably with the narrative here. The account is contained in his Antiquities of the Jews, book 19, chapter 8, section 2, and is as follows: Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea, he came to the city Caesarea, which was formerly called Stratos Tower; and there he exhibited shows in honor of Caesar, upon his being informed that there was a certain festival celebrated to make vows for his safety. At which festival a great multitude was gotten together of the principal persons, and such as were of dignity throughout his province. On the second day of which shows he put on a garment made wholly of silver, etc.
Arrayed in royal apparel – In the apparel of a king. Josephus thus describes the dress which Herod wore on that occasion. He put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of wonderful contexture, and early in the morning came into the theater place of the shows and games, at which time the silver of his garment, being illuminated by the first reflection of the suns rays upon it, shone after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently on him.
Sat upon his throne – This does not denote a throne in the usual sense of that word, but a high seat in the theater, where he sat, and from whence he could have a full view of the games and sports. From this place he made his speech.
Made an oration – Addressed the people. What was the subject of this speech is not intimated by Luke or Josephus.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 21. Upon a set day, c.] A day on which games, c., were exhibited in honour of the Roman emperor. What this refers to, we learn from Josephus. “Herod, having reigned three years over ALL Judea, (he had reigned over the tetrarchy of his brother Philip four years before this,) went down to Caesarea, and there exhibited shows and games in honour of Claudius, and made vows for his health. On the second day of these shows, he put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a contexture most truly wonderful, and came into the theatre early in the morning at which time the silver of his garment, being illuminated by the first reflection of the sun’s rays, shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those who looked intently upon him and presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another, ‘He is a god:’ and they added, ‘Be thou merciful to us, for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature.’ Nor did the king rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery. But, looking up, he saw an owl on a certain rope over his head, and immediately conceived that this bird was to him a messenger of ill tidings; and he fell into the deepest sorrow; a severe pain also arose in his bowels, and he died after five days’ severe illness.” This is the sum of the account given by Josephus, Ant. lib. xix. cap. 8, sect. 2. [See Whiston’s edition.] Notwithstanding the embellishments of the Jewish historian, it agrees in the main surprisingly with the account given here by St. Luke. Josephus, it is true, suppresses some circumstances which would have been dishonourable to this impious king; and, according to his manner, puts a speech in Herod’s mouth, when he found himself struck with death, expressive of much humility and contrition. But this speech is of no authority. When Josephus takes up and pursues the thread of mere historical narration, he may be safely trusted; but whenever he begins to embellish, or put speeches in the mouths of his actors, he is no longer to be credited. He even here transforms an angel of the Lord into an owl, and introduces it most improbably into his narration; as if an owl, a bird of all others that can least bear the light, should come and perch on the pavilion of the king, when the sun was shining with the most resplendent rays!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Upon a set day; this was (says Josephius, cap. 19. lib. 7) the second day of the sports or games, which Herod had instituted in honour of the emperor Claudius; or, it may he, such a day as Herod had appointed to determine the diffrence between him and the Tyrians.
Royal apparel; such, saith Josephus, as were made of silver, woven with extraordinary art, and did reflect strangely the beams of the sun shining upon it.
Sat upon his throne; an elevated place, from whence he might the better be seen and heard.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
21. And upon a set day Herod . . .made an oration unto themto the Tyrians and Sidoniansespecially.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And upon a set day,…. Either on some feast day of divine appointment, as a feast day was by the Jews called , “a stated day”; or on some day appointed by Herod, for the receiving of the ambassadors of Tyre and Sidon, and of hearing their petitions; or as Josephus r says, it was on the second day of the sports and plays, instituted by him in honour of Caesar:
Herod, arrayed in royal apparel; the same Jewish historian in the same place says, that this his apparel was all of silver, and of a wonderful contexture; and that going in this very early in the morning into the theatre, the silver shone so with the rays of the rising sun, that it struck the spectators with terror and admiration:
sat upon his throne; and very likely with the other ensigns of royalty, as a crown on his head, and a sceptre in his hand:
and made an oration unto them; either unto the ambassadors from Tyre and Sidon, or rather unto the common people, the multitude that were gathered together in the theatre, where the above historian says he was.
r Antiqu. l. 19, c. 8. sect 2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Upon a set day ( ). Locative case and the verbal adjective of , to arrange, appoint, old word, here only in the N.T. Josephus (Ant. XVII. 6, 8; XIX. 8, 2) gives a full account of the occasion and the death of Herod Agrippa. It was the second day of the festival in honour of the Emperor Claudius, possibly his birthday rather than the Quinquennalia. The two accounts of Luke and Josephus supplement each other with no contradiction. Josephus does not mention the name of Blastus.
Arrayed himself in royal apparel ( ). First aorist middle (indirect) participle of or , common verb to put on. Literally, having put royal apparel on himself (a robe of silver tissue, Josephus says). The rays of the sun shone on this brilliant apparel and the vast crowd in the open amphitheatre became excited as Herod began to speak.
Made an oration (). Imperfect active of , old verb from (haranguer of the people), and that from (people) and , to harangue or address the people. Only here in the N.T. He kept it up.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Set [] . Appointed. Only here in New Testament. What the festival was, is uncertain. According to some, it was in honor of the emperor ‘s safe return from Britain. Others think it was to celebrate the birthday of Claudius; others that it was the festival of the Quinquennalia, observed in honor of Augustus, and dating from the taking of Alexandria, when the month Sextilis received the name of the Emperor – August.
Arrayed [] . More literally, having arrayed himself.
Royal apparel. Josephus says he was clothed in a robe entirely made of silver.
Throne. See on ch. Act 7:5. The elevated seat or throne – like box in the theater, set apart for the king, from which he might look at the games or address the assembly.
Made an oration [] . Only here in New Testament. The word is used especially of a popular harangue [, ] . “At Jerusalem Agrippa enacted the Jew, with solemn gait and tragic countenance, amidst general acclamation; but at Caesarea he allowed the more genial part of a Greek to be imposed on him. It was at a festival in this Hellenic capital, after an harangue he had addressed to the populace, that they shouted,” It is the voice of a God and not of a man “(Merivale,” History of the Romans under the Empire “).
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And upon a set day,” (takte de hemers) “And on an appointed day,” a prearranged day, by agreed appointment.
2) “Herod, arrayed in a royal apparel “ (ho Herod endusamenos estheta basiliken) “When Herod had been arrayed with regal clothing,” in king’s garments.
3) “Sat upon his throne,” (kathisas epi tou bematos) “And was sitting upon the tribunal place, the throne,” a special throne of judgement erected in the popular open air arena (amphitheater) in Caesarea, built by Herod.
1
4) “And made an oration unto them,” (edemegorie pros autous) “He made an emotional public speech to them,” of Tyre and Sidon who had come for the gala festive and business negotiation occasion. The people, the environmental setting, and the subject matter that had been negotiated, settled before the oration, were three factors that made the speech an oration, an emotional charged address that tickled the ears of those guests from Tyre and Sidon with emotional elation of flesh nature.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
21. Upon an appointed day. Luke saith that the men of Tyrus and Sidon had peace granted them, because this was the occasion of the king’s oration, without doubt, that he might make them his underlings hereafter. The same history is extant in Josephus, in his Nineteenth Book of Antiquities, save only that he calleth him everywhere Agrippa, whom Luke calleth Herod. It is to be thought that Agrippa was his proper name, and that he was called by none other name so long as he was a private man; but after that he was advanced to be a king, he took to himself princely dignity, according to the name of his grandfather. Josephus and Luke agree together wonderfully in the thing itself, and in all circumstances. First, they agree concerning the place. Josephus saith, That his garment was embroidered with gold, on which, when the sun-beams light, it did glister again; and that this was the cause which moved the courtiers to call him (768) a god. That he was suddenly wounded; also, that there was seen an owl sitting upon a cord over his head, which cord did prognosticate his ruin. And he is so far from doubting that his sacrilegious pride was punished with this kind of punishment, that he saith, that he confessed the same openly amidst his cruel torments, “Behold me, whom you call a god; I am enforced to finish my life most miserable.” There is no mention made there of the peace made with those of Tyrus and Sidon; but that he made and set forth plays (769) in honor of Caesar. But it may be that the solemnity of the plays was appointed in respect of the peace concluded, which we know was a solemn thing.
(768) “ Consulataret,” to salute him as.
(769) “ Ludos celebraret,” celebrated games.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(21) And upon a set day . . .Josephus (Ant. xix. 8, 2) gives an account of the incident that follows substantially agreeing with that here recorded. The scene was the theatre at Csarea, which had been built by Herod the Great. Agrippa was celebrating games in honour of the Emperor Claudius, who had succeeded Caligula in A.D. 41, possibly in honour of his return from Britain in A.D. 44. He was arrayed in a robe of silver tissue, such as Caligula had been wont to wear at banquets and games in Rome, which glittered with a dazzling brightness under the rays of the morning sun. His courtiers, taking up the Roman fashion of showing honour to kings and emperors, hailed him as a god, and prayed him, as such, to be propitious to them. The king did not repress the flattery, which fell on the ears of all Jewish by-standers as a fearful blasphemy. He accepted for himself the divine honours which he had dissuaded Caligula from claiming. He looked up, and saw an owl perched on a rope behind him, and recognised in it an omen of evil, fulfilling a prediction which had been made to him by a fellow-prisoner during his confinement at Rome (Jos. Ant. xviii. 8). Sharp pain fell on him, and in five days he died.
Comparing St. Lukes narrative with this, it seems probable that the delegates from Tyre and Sidon were among those who raised the cry, Be thou propitious to us, and that their friend Blastus, knowing the weak point in Herods character, had instructed them that this was the way to obtain his favour. We feel, as we read the narrative, the contrast between St. Peters refusal even of Corneliuss attitude of homage, and Agrippas acceptance of the profane apotheosis of the multitude.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
21-23. Of the event related in this passage Josephus also gives a narrative, adding some statements and omitting some points, so that the two narrations complement each other without contradiction, thus demonstrating the reality of the extraordinary event.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
21. Upon a set day A day appointed for a public interview with the ambassadors in presence of the citizens of Cesarea. Josephus is unaware of the facts furnished by Luke, Act 12:20. He informs us that the stated day was the second day of the games in honour of the emperor, which would, of course, be a suitable day for the ambassadors to attend, as Luke says, and for Herod to make his personal display.
Herod, arrayed in royal apparel A long robe reaching to the feet. Josephus adds here that the robe was wholly overlaid with silver, and that, the assembly being at sunrise, the rays shining on the silver robe wrapt Herod’s person in a wonderful splendour. He omits the mention of the harangue, as he had omitted all account of the ambassadors of Tyre and Sidon.
Sat upon his throne Rather, sat upon a ( bema) platform or rostrum, his throne being placed upon it. Thence he could either see the games or harangue the people.
Oration unto them The word oration is in Greek a compound; literally, a people-harangue. The address was, therefore, made in presence of the ambassadors, and on the affairs of the State, but probably directed to the people. It may have been a congratulatory one on the restoration of amity and the great consequent prosperity of the various sections and cities, and so was likely to be in the highest degree popular.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And on a set day Herod arrayed himself in royal apparel, and sat on the throne, and made an oration to them.’
The day came for the royal triumph. On the set day Herod clothed himself regally and sat on his throne and made a great speech to them. The purpose was to make an impression and bring glory on himself. The Messiah rejecter was now exalting himself.
Josephus, the Jewish historian, describes how, on the second day of the festival, Agrippa entered the theatre clad in a robe of silver cloth, with the sun glinting on the silver, producing such an effect that the people (who of course wanted to please him) cried out that this was a god come to them. Josephus then goes on to tell us that at once a sudden and terrible illness fell on him from which he never recovered, and he died of severe abdominal pains five days later.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Act 12:21-23. And upon a set day Herod, &c. Upon occasion of the games and approaching festival hinted at in the last verse, there was a great resort of the governors and principal men of the neighbouring provinces, and of persons of figure from all the surrounding countries. On the second day of that solemnity, Herod Agrippa came early in the morning, most probably into the amphitheatre, built by his grandfather Herod the Great, dressed in a robe of most curious workmanship, all made of silver, as Josephus informs us; which, reflecting the rays of the rising sun with an unusual and almost insupportable splendor, gave him a most awful and majestic appearance. In that magnificent manner he sat upon his throne, and made an oration to the people; which when he had finished, they cried out with flattering acclamations, “Surely this is the Bath kol,the speech of God,and not of any mortal man!” See the Syriacversion. The king was pleased with this blasphemous applause, and did not reprove the persons, nor reject their impious adulation. Mr. Fleming imagines, that they herein referred to the glory with which the Shechinah used to appear; and that Herod being profane enough to assume the honour of it, provoked the Divine Majesty beyondany further sufferance; so that he sent a disease upon him, which rendered him equally contemptible and miserable. “As he did not rebuke this impious flattery, says Josephus, he was immediately seized with exquisite and racking tortures in his bowels, so that he was compelled, before he left the place, to own his folly in admitting such acclamations, and upbraided those about him with the wretched condition in which they saw their God; and being carried out of the assembly to his palace, he expired in violent agonies the fifth day after he was taken, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign;” reckoning from the time of his first advancement by Caligula to the tetrarchy of his uncle Philip, being the fourth year of the emperor Claudius, in the year of the Christian aera, 44. The word , Act 12:23 signifies in the general consumed with vermin, and may express the disease called morbus pedicularis, of which several cruel and persecuting princes have died. Elsner has given several instances ofthe madness of heathen princes, who arrogated divinity to themselves, and came to the most infamous and shocking ends. Antiochus Epiphanes and Herod the Great both died in the same manner with Herod Agrippa. See 2 Maccab. Act 9:9 and on Mat 2:19. Herod Agrippa’s knowledge of the true God, and of his jealousy with respect to divine honours, no doubt aggravated his guilt. The reader will find, by referring to Josephus, a wonderful harmony between the accounts which he and St. Luke have given of this affair. Josephus is indeed larger and more express; though out of a partial fondness, as it seems, for Herod Agrippa, whom he had so much extolled, he has concealed the particular disease, which was the true cause of the excruciating pains in the bowels which he mentions. Herod left behind him a son called Agrippa, then seventeen years of age, before whom St. Paul afterwards appeared, and made an apology for Christianity. He left also two daughters, taken notice of in the New Testament; namely, Berenice, who was married to Herod king of Chalcis, his father’s brother, being sixteen years of age; and Drusilla, who was afterwards married to the governor Felix; as well as Mariamne, of whom there is no mention in the Scripture. After the death of Herod Agrippa, the kingdom was again reduced to a Roman province, when the persecution of the Christians for a while abated. Comp. 2Sa 24:16. 2Ki 19:35.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Act 12:21 . ] According to Joseph. Antt. xix. 8. 2, comp. xviii. 6. 7, . According to Josephus, namely, he was celebrating just at that time games in honour of Claudius, at which, declared by flatterers to be a god, he became suddenly very ill, etc.
. .] , Joseph. l.c.
The , the platform from which Agrippa spoke, would have to be conceived, in harmony with Josephus, as the throne-like box in the theatre (which, according to the custom of the Romans, was used for popular assemblies and public speeches, comp. Act 19:29 ), which was destined for the king, if Luke which, however, cannot be ascertained has apprehended the whole occurrence as in connection with the festival recorded by Josephus. This festival itself is not defined more exactly by Josephus than as held of the emperor. Hence different hypotheses concerning it, such as that of Anger: that it celebrated the return of Claudius from Britain; and that of Wieseler: that it was the Quinquennalia, which, however, was not celebrated until August; a date which, according to the context (Act 12:25 ), is too late.
] he made a speech in public assembly of the people (Act 12:22 ) to them , namely, to the Tyrians and Sidonians, to whom (to whose representatives) he thus publicly before the people declared in a speech directed to them his decision on their request, his sentiments, etc. Only this simple view of : to them (comp. Plat. Legg. vii. p. 817 C: . ), not: in reference to them (my first edition, and Baumgarten), as well as the reference to the Tyrians and Sidonians , not to the people (so Gerlach, p. 60, after Ranisch, de Lucae et Josephi in morte Her. Agr. consensu , Lips. 1745; and Fritzsche, Conject . p. 13 f.), is suggested by the context, and is to be retained. That, moreover, the speech was planned to obtain popularity, is very probable in itself from the character of Herod, as well as from Act 12:22 ; and this may have occasioned the choice of the word , which often denotes such a rhetorical exhibition; see Stallb. ad Gorg. p. 482 C, ad Rep. p. 350 E.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
DISCOURSE: 1774
THE EVIL OF PRIDE
Act 12:21-23. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed, in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
IN almost all the instances of judicial punishment recorded in Scripture, we see a remarkable correspondence between the punishment, and the sin on account of which it was inflicted: and it seems to be especially designed of God, in order that he might be the more manifestly known in the judgments which he executeth. In the passage before us, we are informed, that Herod was greatly offended with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but, at the intercession of his own chamberlain, he forgave them. On this occasion he delivered to them an oration, probably in part at least on the subject of his own clemency: and they, struck with the splendour of his appearance, and perhaps with the force of his eloquence, or, more probably, desiring to conciliate him by flattery, exclaimed, that the voice which they heard, was the voice of a god, rather than a man. With these plaudits Herod was highly gratified: and instantly God, by the instrumentality of an angel, smote him with a disease in his bowels, so acute and terrible, that, as the Jewish historian informs us, he was constrained to acknowledge before that very assembly, that God had punished him for not rejecting with abhorrence their impious acclamations, and that they would soon see an end of their god.Accordingly, the worms that were thus formed in his body, preyed upon his vitals, and devoured him in the space of about five days: so that his degradation was as manifest as his pride had been presumptuous.
We propose to consider more fully,
I.
His sin
Whether the excellence of his oration was real or imaginary, his crime was the same; He gave not God the glory of it. Now this is, in truth, as common a sin as any that can be named: for where is there a person possessed of either natural endowments, or acquired distinctions, who does not pride himself in them, instead of giving the glory of them to the Lord? The female thinks but little of God, when her beauty is admired; or the man, when he is celebrated for his strength and valour. The man of learning, or of skill in arts, or who has advanced himself by successful industry to great opulence, readily accepts the adulation paid to his talents and success; little thinking that it is God alone who has made him to differ from others, or given him the power to get wealth. Perhaps the generality will allow this to be an infirmity incident to our nature; but few, if any, conceive of it as an heinous sin; whereas it is, in reality, a sin of awful magnitude. It is,
1.
A denial of Gods goodness
[God is the Author of every good and perfect gift, in creation, in providence, and in grace. Whatever we possess, we must say with the Apostle, He that hath wrought us for this self-same thing, is God [Note: 2Co 5:5.]. If any person have a right to ascribe glory to himself, methinks it is the conqueror, whose valour overcomes his enemy: but God in a particular manner charged his people, when they should be brought into the quiet possession of the land of Canaan, not to imagine that their power, or the might of their hand, had gotten them that wealth, but to acknowledge it all as given them by their God [Note: Deu 8:7; Deu 8:11-14; Deu 8:18-19.]. When therefore we withhold these acknowledgments, we do, in fact, deny that they are due to God, and impiously assume to ourselves the honour that is due to him alone. In a word, we tread in the very steps of Herod, and commit the sin which brought on him such tokens of Gods displeasure.]
2.
An invasion of his prerogative
God has made all things for himself; and his glory he will not give to another. But, if we take to ourselves the glory which is due to him, we put ourselves, as it were, into his place, and become a god unto ourselves. This may appear too strong a representation; but it is the very construction which Jehovah himself puts upon such conduct. The city of Tyre was greatly enriched, and raised to a high rank among the surrounding nations: and the governors, instead of acknowledging the providence of God in their elevation, ascribed it wholly to themselves, and confided in it as a source of continued security. Hear now how God speaks to them respecting it: Son of man, say unto the Prince of Tyrus, Thus saith the Lord God; Because thine heart is lifted up, and them hast said, I am God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God [Note: Eze 28:2-10. Compare also Hab 1:15-16.]. Nor let it be imagined that this is done only by an actual assumption of these honours to ourselves: Herod did not claim the honours that were ascribed to him; but he was pleased with them; and acquiesced in the judgment of his admirers, instead of reproving it. Paul and Barnabas, when divine honours were offered to them, rent their clothes, and ran in among the people, and expostulated with them in the strongest terms [Note: Act 14:9-15.]: and it was Herods sin that he accepted the flattery, instead of reprobating it with indignation. In like manner the receiving with complacency the flattering unction of human applause, trifling as it may appear to us, is a very heinous sin in the sight of God.]
The evil of his sin may be further seen in the greatness of,
II.
His punishment
Pride, above all things, provokes a jealous God; and the whole creation are ready to vindicate the honour of his injured Majesty. As, in the plagues of Egypt, frogs and lice were ready to inflict punishment on the hardened monarch, so, in Herods case, worms sprang forth, as it were, into existence, to avenge the quarrel of Jehovah. Nor shall such an impious disposition ever pass unpunished.
1.
God has punished it in many instances
[See where man has made himself the author of the great things which have been wrought by him; how strongly has God resented it [Note: Isa 10:12-15; Isa 37:23-29.]! See where man has made himself the end of his own actions; how fearfully has God manifested his indignation against the offending person [Note: Dan 4:30-33.]! See where only an undue complacency has been felt, as arising from the possession of the things which God himself has given; even that has excited great displeasure in the breast of the Almighty, and caused him to inflict the heaviest judgments [Note: Isa 39:3-7. with 2Ch 32:25-26.] ]
2.
He will punish it wherever it is indulged
[If such a disposition be habitually indulged, God regards it as a proof of hypocrisy [Note: Hab 2:4.]: and, though he is ever ready to give grace to the humble, he will assuredly resist, and abase, the proud [Note: Jam 4:6. Dan 4:37.] Though it break not forth into gross inconsistencies of conduct, yet, if it be harboured in the heart, we shall be held in utter abomination in the sight of God [Note: Pro 16:5.] ]
Reflections
1.
What need have we to watch the motions of our hearts!
[God looks at the heart, and searches it, and sees every thought of it [Note: Eze 11:5.], and puts the true construction upon every motion of it, and will call us into judgment for all its most secret imaginations [Note: 1Co 4:5.]. Alas! how many proud, conceited, self-complacent thoughts has he there beheld! Do we not then need to humble ourselves before him, and to pray, that the thoughts of our hearts may be forgiven us [Note: Act 8:22.]? ]
2.
How careful should we be of using any flattering words!
[Men flatter others because they know that flattery is pleasant to the carnal mind: but it is that very pleasure which offends God, and brings down his judgments on the soul. How cruel then is it to expose a brother to such a danger! Would we put poison into his hands just to gratify his palate, when we knew that it would speedily put an end to his existence? How then can we seek to gratify his mind at the expense of his soul? This is a thought peculiarly important for those who hear the Gospel faithfully administered: they are apt to forget that ministers are men of like passions with themselves; and that God particularly forbad that a novice should be admitted into the ministry, lest being lifted up with pride, he should fall into the condemnation of the devil. Bear in mind, brethren, that flattery is an ordeal which few can bear [Note: Pro 27:1.]; and that he who makes use of it, spreads a net for his brothers feet [Note: Pro 29:5.].]
Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)
And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. (22) And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. (23) And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
Here we arrive at the close of Herod’s pomp, in which we behold the sure end of iniquity. We see that in the very moment of all his pomp, and earthly grandeur, an Angel of God smiting the monster to the earth. And to distinguish him yet more, as one execrated both by God and man, he was eaten of worms, even before his death. It is the common sentence on human nature, by reason of sin, to return to the dust, out of which man was taken. But this hater of God, and persecutor of his people, shall have an end yet more despicable, and loathsome. He shall be eaten of worms while alive; a prelude to the everlasting devouring by that worm which dieth not, and in that fire which shall not be quenched. And if we may credit profane history, it is remarkable how many tyrants have died this death!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
Ver. 21. And upon a set day ] When there were solemn shows and plays acted in honour of Caesar. God picks out his time to be avenged on his enemies, then when it may be most for his glory and their utter confusion.
Herod arrayed in royal apparel ] In cloth of silver, saith Josephus, which being beaten upon by the sunbeams, dazzled the people’s eyes, and drew from them that blasphemous acclamation, Hunc homines decorant, quem vestimenta decorant, . The most (as it is said of the Bohemian cur) fawn upon a good suit. It was a fault of old, Jas 2:3 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
21. ] The account in Josephus is remarkably illustrative of the sacred text: , , (probably the ‘quinquennalia,’ B. J. i. 21. 8. Wieseler, p. 133). . , , . , . , , , , . . , . (This owl, Eusebius, H. E. ii. 10, professing to quote Josephus , makes into an angel. Having prefaced his quotation, , he cites thus: , . . . . On the impossibility of acquitting the ecclesiastical historian of the charge of wilful fraud, see Heinichen’s second Excursus in his edition of Eusebius. It may be a caution to us as to how much we may believe of his quotations of authors which do not remain to us .) . , , , . Antt. xix. 8. 2.
The circumstance related in our text, of the answer to the Sidonian embassy , of which Josephus seems not to have been aware, having been one object of Herod on the occasion, shews an accuracy of detail which well accords with the view of the material of this part of the Acts having been collected at Csarea, where the event happened (see Prolegg. to Acts, ii. 11).
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Act 12:21 . : only here in N.T.; cf. Jos., Ant. , xix., 8, 2 ( cf. xviii., 6, 7), . It is quite true that Josephus says nothing directly of the Tyrians and Sidonians, but the audience was evidently granted to them on the second day of the public spectacle; cf. for the expression, Polyb., iii., 34, 9. The description of Josephus evidently implies some special occasion, and not the return of the ordinary Quin-quennalia; see on Act 12:19 and also below. Josephus does not menion Blastus, or those of Tyre and Sidon, but this is no reason against the narrative, as Krenkel maintains. Belser, much more reasonably, contends that Luke’s narrative supplements and completes the statement of Josephus. . , cf. Jos., Ant. , xix., 8, 2, .; on . see Act 1:10 . : Josephus speaks of the event happening in the theatre, and the here = rather “the throne,” R.V. (margin, “judgment-seat”), the royal seat in the theatre from which the king saw the games and made his harangues to the people (so of an orator’s pulpit, Neh 8:4 , 2Ma 13:26 ), see Blass and Grimm-Thayer, sub . : only here in N.T. In 4Ma 5:15 = contionari , frequent in classical Greek. , i.e. , to the Tyrian and Sidonian representatives, but the word . might well be used of what was in any case an address, ad populum, cf. Act 12:22 .
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
set = appointed.
royal. Same as “king’s”, Act 12:20.
apparel. Josephus (Antiquities XIX. viii. 2) says it was of silver tissue, and glittered resplendently in the sun.
his throne = the throne. Greek. bema. Always translated “judgment seat” except here and Act 7:5. Compare Joh 19:13.
made an oration, i.e. a political oration. Greek. demegoreo. Only here.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
21.] The account in Josephus is remarkably illustrative of the sacred text: , , (probably the quinquennalia, B. J. i. 21. 8. Wieseler, p. 133). . , , . , . , , , , . . , . (This owl, Eusebius, H. E. ii. 10, professing to quote Josephus, makes into an angel. Having prefaced his quotation, , he cites thus: , . … On the impossibility of acquitting the ecclesiastical historian of the charge of wilful fraud, see Heinichens second Excursus in his edition of Eusebius. It may be a caution to us as to how much we may believe of his quotations of authors which do not remain to us.) . , , , . Antt. xix. 8. 2.
The circumstance related in our text, of the answer to the Sidonian embassy, of which Josephus seems not to have been aware, having been one object of Herod on the occasion, shews an accuracy of detail which well accords with the view of the material of this part of the Acts having been collected at Csarea, where the event happened (see Prolegg. to Acts, ii. 11).
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Act 12:21. , but on an appointed day) The solemn celebration of games for the safety of Csar, as Josephus says, l. 19. Ant. Jud. ch. 8, who describes at large this impiety of Herod and its punishment: Clad in a garment which was all woven of silver by marvellous workmanship, and which, struck by the rays of the rising sun and emitting a kind of divine splendour, was inspiring the spectators with veneration accompanied with awe: and presently after pernicious (baneful) flatterers raising acclamations, each from a different quarter, were hailing him as a god, begging him that he would be favourably propitious; for that heretofore having revered him as a man, they now perceive and acknowledge that there is in him something more excellent than mortal nature: this impious adulation he did not correct or repel.-There ensued torturing pains in the belly, which were violent from the very first. Having therefore turned his eyes towards his friends, Behold, said he, I the god, as you called me, am commanded to leave life, the fatal necessity of death confuting your lie; and I, whom ye hailed as immortal, am hurried away by a mortal stroke.-Then worn out by the torture, which did not at all abate for five days in continuation, he ended life.- , unto them) It is probable that among his hearers were ambassadors of the Tyrians and Sidonians.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Reciprocal: 1Ki 22:10 – having put Job 15:21 – in prosperity Pro 18:12 – destruction Isa 5:14 – he that rejoiceth Mal 3:15 – we call Act 24:1 – orator Act 25:23 – with
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1
Act 12:21. When the set day arrived, Herod put on his royal garments and made a speech (of conciliation) to the people, which aroused them to making foolish compliments.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 12:21. And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. Some fifty years before, Herod the Great, grandfather of the present king, had established a festival in honour of the Roman Csar, to be observed every five years (Quinquennalia).
This festival was kept in the month of August in the year 44: the king had appointed the second day of the festival to receive the Tyrian ambassadors, and to convey to them his gracious assurance of favour and pardon. Josephus, whose graphic account of the incident well supplements the brief stern summary of the Acts, tells us that on that morning of the 2d August the king entered the vast, crowded theatre of Csarea, clothed in a magnificent dress of silver tissue; the suns rays fell on the royal robes of silver, and the eyes of the beholders were dazzled with the brightness which surrounded the monarch. Herod then from his throne spoke to the assembled multitude, the majority of whom were idolaters,Csarea was almost exclusively a Gentile city. Courtly voices among the crowd cried aloud that the monarch who stood before them in all his magnificence was no man, but a god; and the crowd, dazzled with the brilliancy of his appearance, took up the shout, saying, It is the voice of a god and not of a man; and the king, whose pride had been that he belonged to the idol-abhorring Hebrew people, was well pleased with the impious homage. While listening approvingly to this blasphemous flattery, the king suddenly looked up and saw an owl sitting on a rope above his head, and immediately understood that the bird was the messenger to him of evil tidings (an old prediction he had heard at Rome had warned him that the appearance of this bird would betoken grave evil to him). He fell into a deep melancholy, and very soon was seized with agonizing pain in his bowels: he then said to the audience, I whom you called a god am commanded now to depart this life; and the pain becoming more violent, he was carried into his palace, where he lingered in extreme suffering for five days and then expired. It was in the midst of the impious shouts of flattery that the writer of the Acts says the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory. The Holy Ghost in the sacred record of the Acts simply confirms the historical account written by a hand friendly to Herod but hostile to the Christian cause; but while confirming the record of the historian, the writer of the Acts discloses to us the invisible agency by which the great events related were produced.
After the death of King Herod, the crowds who shouted their impious praises of him on the day of the festival openly rejoiced over his death, heaping cowardly insults on his mourning daughters.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Upon a set day, that is, as some suppose, on his own birthday, he was arrayed in royal apparel, in a cloke made of cloth of silver, but dyed with St. James’s blood, Act 12:2. which being beaten upon by the sun beams, did plainly dazzle the eyes of all spectators; he makes an eloquent oration more gaudy than his apparel, unto the people, who cried out in a approbation thereof, “The voice of a God, and not of a man!”
Herod, instead of repelling this their impious flattery, embraces and hugs their praises , as proper to himself; and thereupon an angel, and worms, the best and the basest of creatures, meet in his punishment; the angel smiting him, and the worms eating him up: And no wonder that worms quickly devour him, whom those flesh-flies had blown upon before; no wonder that he is eaten up of worms, who forgot that he was a worm!
Quest. But why were not the people punished as well as the prince, seeing they were equally guilty of robbing God of his honour. True, Herod was the receiver, but they were the thieves: why then fell not the punishment on the whole multitude?
Ans. Because more discretion is expected from a prince, than from the rabble: Besides, what in them was but a blasphemous compliment, was by his acceptance of it made a reality, and was usurped by him, and assumed to him as due to his deserts.
From the whole note, 1. That flattery, either given or taken, is a very dangerous sin, a God-provoking, and a wrath-procuring sin. If we flatter men, God will not flatter us, but deal plainly, yet severely, with us. One of the ancients said, he was afaid of praise and commendation as much as of a crack of thunder. When men give much glory to men, it is very hard for men to give that glory back again to God. Herod was so pleased and tickled with the glory which the people gave him, that he could not part with it; but by keeping that, he lost his life.
Note, 2. That though God bears long with many sorts of sinners, yet not with sinners of this sort: “Immediately the angel of the Lord smote him:” Agreeably to that of Job 32:22. “I know not how to give flattering titles, for in so doing my Maker would soon take me away.” The great God will admit of no corrivals; he will not suffer his glory to be given to another; he will be a swift witness against the flatterer, as well as against the false-swearer, Mal 3:5. He can destroy both flatterer and flattered with the twinkling of an eye, or with the turning of a hand; and those that are cried up as gods today, are as dung tomorrow.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Act 12:21-23. And upon a set day When shows and games were exhibited by him in honour of Claudius Cesar; Herod, arrayed in royal apparel In a garment so wrought with silver, that the rays of the rising sun, striking upon, and reflected from it, dazzled the eyes of the beholders; sat upon his throne In a public theatre; and made an oration unto them Not to the Tyrian and Sidonian deputies merely, but unto all the people assembled on this grand occasion. And the people gave a shout, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man Such profane flattery the heathen frequently paid to princes. But the commonness of a wicked custom rather increases than lessens the guilt of it. And the unhappy king, instead of expressing a just indignation at such base and impious adulation, hearkened to it with a secret pleasure. And immediately For frequently God does not delay to vindicate his injured honour; an angel of the Lord smote him Of this, other historians say nothing; so wide a difference there is between divine and human history! An angel of the Lord brought out Peter, an angel smote Herod. Men did not see the instruments in either case: these were only known to the people of God. Because he gave not God the glory Did not reject these blasphemous applauses, but willingly received them, and thus filled up the measure of his iniquities. So then vengeance tarried not. And he was eaten of worms Or vermin, which bred in his bowels, and rendered him a most loathsome and horrible spectacle to all about him; and he gave up the ghost Expired in agony and infamy, (as his grandfather, Herod the Great, had done, see on Mat 2:19,) and sunk as much below the common state of human nature, as his flatterers endeavoured to raise him above it! The Jewish historian, Josephus, confirms St. Lukes account of the end of this miserable man. He tells us, that as he did not rebuke the impious flattery addressed to him, he was immediately seized with exquisite and racking tortures in his bowels, so that he was compelled, before he left the place, to own his folly in admitting such acclamations, and upbraided those about him with the wretched condition in which they then saw their god; and being carried out of the assembly to his palace, he expired in violent agonies, the fifth day after he was taken, in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and the seventh of his reign. Antiq., Act 19:7.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
See notes one verse 20
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Josephus recorded this incident in more detail than Luke did. He added that Herod appeared in the outdoor theater at Caesarea. He stood before the officials from Tyre, Sidon, and his other provinces on a festival day dressed in a silver robe. When the sun shone brilliantly on his shiny robe some flatterers in the theater began to call out words of praise acclaiming him a god. Immediately severe stomach pains attacked him. Attendants had to carry him out of the theater, and five days later he died. [Note: Josephus, Antiquities of . . ., 18:6:7; cf. 19:8:2.] Doctor Luke saw Herod’s attack as a judgment from God and gave a more medical explanation of his death than Josephus did. One writer suggested that Herod suffered from appendicitis that led to peritonitis complicated by roundworms. [Note: Marshall, The Acts . . ., p. 213; cf. Longenecker, p. 413.] Another diagnosed him as having a cyst caused by a tapeworm. [Note: Neil, p. 152.] More important than the effect was the cause, namely, Herod’s pride (cf. Isa 42:8; Dan 4:30).
"The pride of man had ended in the wrath of God." [Note: Barclay, p. 103.]
"The angel of the Lord who had delivered Peter was now to smite Herod the persecutor. He had ’smitten’ Peter, and we see that the same divine visitation may be for life or for death. Herod Agrippa is the NT antitype of Pharaoh and Sennacherib, the oppressor smitten by the angel of the Lord." [Note: Rackham, p. 381.]
McGee regarded him as a miniature of Antichrist. [Note: McGee, 4:565.]