Acts 12:21

21 On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.

Acts 12:21 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 12:21

And upon a set day
Either on some feast day of divine appointment, as a feast day was by the Jews called (dewm) , "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 F18 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.


FOOTNOTES:

F18 Antiqu. l. 19, c. 8. sect 2.

Acts 12:21 In-Context

19 After Herod had searched for him unsuccessfully, he examined the guards and ordered that they be executed. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea and spent some time there.
20 Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.
21 On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
22 And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
23 Immediately, because Herod did not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.
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