Acts 12:2

2 and he had Ya'akov, Yochanan's brother, put to death by the sword.

Acts 12:2 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 12:2

And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
] This was James, the son of Zebedee, whom our Lord told, that he should be baptized with the baptism he was baptized with, ( Matthew 20:22 ) meaning the baptism of martyrdom; and he was the first martyr among the apostles: the death he was put to was one of the four capital punishments among the Jews, and was reckoned by them the most disgraceful of them all, and was inflicted upon deceivers of the people; and such an one James was thought to be ^F5.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 7. sect. 1, 3. & 11. 4.

Acts 12:2 In-Context

1 It was around this time that King Herod began arresting and persecuting certain members of the Messianic community;

2 and he had Ya'akov, Yochanan's brother, put to death by the sword.

3 When Herod saw how much this pleased the Judeans, he went on to arrest Kefa as well. It was during the Days of Matzah,

4 so when Herod seized him, he threw him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each, with the intention of bringing him to public trial after Pesach.

5 So Kefa was being held under watch in prison, but intense prayer was being made to God on his behalf by the Messianic community.