Bernice

bearer of victory, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I., the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20 . After the early death of her first husband she was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. After his death (A.D. 40) she lived in incestuous connection with her brother Agrippa II. ( Acts 25:13 Acts 25:23 ; 26:30 ). They joined the Romans at the outbreak of the final war between them and the Jews, and lived afterwards at Rome.

one that brings victory

(bringing victory ), the eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I. ( Acts 12:1 ) etc. She was first married to her uncle Herod, king of Chaleis, and after his death (A.D. 48) she lived under circumstances of great suspicion with her own brother, Agrippa II., in connection with whom she is mentioned, ( Acts 25:13 Acts 25:23 ; 26:30 ) as having visited Festus on his appointment as procurator of Judea.

BERNICE

ber-ni'-se (Bernike "victorious"):

One of the shameless women of the Bible, mentioned in Acts 25:13,23; 26:30. She was the eldest daughter of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1,6,11,21) who ruled from 38-45 AD. Her whole life from the Jewish standpoint was incestuous. Its story is told by Josephus (Ant XIX, v, 1; XX, vii, 1-3), also by Juvenal (6, 156). Her first husband was her own uncle, Herod of Calchis. After his death she consorted with her own brother Agrippa II, with whom she listened to the impassioned defense of Paul at Caesarea before Felix. For a while she was married to King Ptolemy or Polemo of Sicily, who for her sake embraced Judaism, by the rite of circumcision. But she left him soon to return to Agrippa. Later on she figures shamefully in the lives of Vespasian and Titus, father and son. If heredity stands for anything, its lessons are forcibly taught in the history of the Herodian family.

Henry E. Dosker