Acts 12:21

21 On a chosen day Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to 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 Herod looked everywhere for him but could not find him. So he questioned the guards and ordered that they be killed. Later Herod moved from Judea and went to the city of Caesarea, where he stayed.
20 Herod was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon, but the people of those cities all came in a group to him. After convincing Blastus, the king's personal servant, to be on their side, they asked Herod for peace, because their country got its food from his country.
21 On a chosen day Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to the people.
22 They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not a human!"
23 Because Herod did not give the glory to God, an angel of the Lord immediately caused him to become sick, and he was eaten by worms and died.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.