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Matthew Henry Commentary on the Bible

Acts 12:20-25

20-25 Many heathen princes claimed and received Divine honours, but it was far more horrible impiety in Herod, who knew the word and worship of the living God, to accept such idolatrous honours without rebuking the blasphemy. And such men as Herod, when puffed with pride and vanity, are ripening fast for signal vengeance. God is very jealous for his own honour, and will be glorified upon those whom he is not glorified by. See what vile bodies we carry about with us; they have in them the seeds of their own dissolution, by which they will soon be destroyed, whenever God does but speak the word. We may learn wisdom from the people of Tyre and Sidon, for we have offended the Lord with our sins. We depend on him for life, and breath, and all things; it surely then behoves us to humble ourselves before him, that through the appointed Mediator, who is ever ready to befriend us, we may be reconciled to him, lest wrath come upon us to the utmost.

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See also Acts 12:20-25 in other biblical comments:

  • A Textual Commentary On The Greek New Testament by Bruce M. Metzger

    ACTS 12:20-22 The account in the Western text of the last days and death of Herod Agrippa I differs in several respects from that in the commonly received text. By using ga,r instead of de, (ver....

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Acts 12:20. _HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE_] On what account Herod was thus displeased is not related by any historian, as far as I have been able to ascertain. Josephus, who speaks of thi...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    AND HEROD WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED ... - Greek: “bore a hostile mind,” intending war. See the margin. The Greek word θυμομαχῶν thumomachōn does not occur elsewhere in the New Testament. It means to med...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 12 _ 1. The great Persecution by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1)._ 2. The miraculous deliverance of Peter (Acts 12:6). 3. The Presumption and Judgment of Herod (Acts 12:18). 4. Barnabas and Sau...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    FATE OF THE SOLDIERS AND OF HEROD. For the soldiers, _cf. Acts 5:21_ ff. Here they are led away to be put to death. The story of Herod's glorification and end is told by Josephus in a similar way; but...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    Herod was furious with the people of Tyre and Sidon. But they came to him with a common purpose. They gained the ear of Blastus the king's chamberlain and sued for peace because their country was depe...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    IMPRISONMENT AND DELIVERANCE (Acts 12:1-11)...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    HEROD. Texts read "He". WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED. Greek. _thumomacheo,_ to fight angrily. Only here. THEM OF TYRE, &C. = the Tyrians, &c. CAME. were present, or presented themselves. WITH ONE ACCORD....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Death of Herod Agrippa I. Growth of the Church 20. _And Herod was highly displeased_ The oldest MSS. omit _Herod_. Read, "Now he," &c. The verb implies a deep-seated feeling of anger. It is not found...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    ὁ Ἡρώδης omitted with אABD. Unrepresented in _Vulg_. 20. ἮΝ ΔῈ ΘΥΜΟΜΑΧΩ͂Ν, _now he was highly displeased_. The word is of very rare occurrence, being found once in Polybius and once in Diodorus Sicul...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    DEATH OF HEROD AGRIPPA I. GROWTH OF THE CHURCH...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _HEROD DIED A TERRIBLE DEATH ACTS 12:20-25:_ Herod was highly displeased with people of Tyre and Sidon. But their country got its food from the region that he ruled. Blastus, the king's chamberlain ha...

  • Charles Rose Commentaries

    ΘΥΜΟΜΑΧΏΝ _praes. act. part. от_ ΘΥΜΟΜΑΧΈΩ (G2371) отчаянно сражаться; здесь: "быть в ярости" "быть в отчаянии" (Bruce). Part, с ήν в роли перифрастического, ΟΜΟΘΥΜΑΔΌΝ (G3661) вместе, в согласии. Π...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    AND HE WENT DOWN FROM JUDEA, &C.— See on ch. Acts 8:40. Herod the Great, after he had built Caesarea Palestine, had instituted games to the honour of Caesar, which were to be celebrated every fifth ye...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    5. AT JERUSALEM. Acts 12:1-24. a. Persecution of Herod. James beheaded. Peter imprisoned. Acts 12:1-5. Acts 12:1 Now about that time Herod the king put forth his hands to afflict certain of the c...

  • Combined Bible Commentary

    20-23. The historian pursues the history of this murderous prince a little further. (20) "_Now Herod was enraged against the Tyrians and Sidonians. But they came to him with one accord, and having mad...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country w...

  • Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch

    17 The death of James and the escape of Peter mark a crisis in the history of the kingdom proclamation. The power in Jerusalem passes out of the hands of the apostles into the hands of James, the Lord...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    IMPRISONMENT OF PETER. DEATH OF HEROD 1-19. Persecution of the Church at Jerusalem by Herod. Martyrdom of James the son of Zebedee. Peter's imprisonment and miraculous release. The Church was persecut...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    Tyre and Sidon obtained their corn and provisions from Palestine. Hence when a dispute arose (perhaps over some commercial or tariff question), Herod forbade the exportation of corn to Tyre and Sidon....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    DEATH OF HEROD AGRIPPA I, 44 a.d. Josephus's account of Herod's death, which is quite independent, confirms St. Luke's (see 'Ant.' 19.8)....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    GOOD NEWS FOR EVERYONE ACTS _MARION ADAMS_ CHAPTER 12 PETER IN PRISON AGAIN, 12:1-5 V1 At that time, King Herod arrested some members of the *church. He made them suffer very badly. V2 He ordere...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    HEROD WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE AND SIDON. — Literally, as in the margin, _was in a hostile state of mind;_ was, in modern phrase, “contemplating hostilities.” The two Phœnician cities w...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    θυμομαχῶν : lit [254], “to fight desperately” Polyb., ix., 40, 4; xxvii., 8, 4, and it might be used not only of open warfare, but of any violent quarrel; here almost = ὀργίζεσθαι. There could be no q...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    BEYOND THEIR FAITH Acts 12:13-25 Mark's mother was evidently a woman of property, as her house was large enough to receive the many who felt that prayer was the key to open Peter's prison. Rhoda is R...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    Again persecution broke out in Jerusalem, and the first of the apostolic band suffered martyrdom at the hands of Herod. A revealing sentence concerning Herod is that which declares that when "he saw t...

  • Gary Hampton Commentaries

    God Deals With Herod The next morning, as one might imagine, the prison was in turmoil. No one knew what had happened to Peter. When Herod could not find him, he had the guards executed. Roman law req...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    (9) And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their countr...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    In the Greek, he was preparing to make war against them. These applied not to agriculture, but drew their support from Judea, Samaria, and Galilee. (Bible de Vence)...

  • Godbey's Commentary on the New Testament

    DOOM OF THE TYRANT 20-23. For reasons not here specified, the king was exceedingly mad at the people of Tyre and Sidon, those great mercantile cities on the Mediterranean coasts. He was not allowed to...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. (19) And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    We are now arrived at a turning-point in the history, not merely of the church, but of the unfolding of the truth of God, and the manifestation of His ways. The death of Stephen, therefore, has in var...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    20.A worthy (761) history, which doth not only show, as it were in a glass, what end is prepared for the enemies of the Church, but also how greatly God hateth pride. The Scripture saith that “God res...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Herod, to please the Jews, begins to persecute the assembly in that city. We may remark here, that the company of believers at Antioch are also called the assembly (church), which is the case nowhere...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND HEROD WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE AND SIDON,.... Two cities on the sea coast, in the land of Phoenicia; with the inhabitants of which Herod was so enraged, that though he had not decla...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country wa...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _Herod_, &c. The historian now proceeds to mention some circumstances that were introductory to the miserable end of Herod; _was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon_ On account of some suppo...

  • Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament (1851)

    TYRE AND SIDON; two cities of Phoenicia, on the Mediterranean, north of Cesarea. THE KING'S CHAMBERLAIN; the officer who had the care of his bedchamber. WAS NOURISHED; supplied with grain and other...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    AND HEROD WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE AND SIDON; BUT THEY CAME WITH ONE ACCORD TO HIM, AND, HAVING MADE BLASTUS, THE KING'S CHAMBERLAIN, THEIR FRIEND, DESIRED PEACE, BECAUSE THEIR COUNTRY...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The judgment of God upon Herod:...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    For a brief time again our eyes are turned toward Jerusalem and Peter, though Peter's work is no longer taking the prominent place it did at the beginning. Being the apostle to the Jews, he manifestly...

  • Manly Luscombe Commentary on New Testament

    NOW HEROD HAD BEEN VERY ANGRY WITH THE PEOPLE OF TYRE AND SIDON; BUT THEY CAME TO HIM WITH ONE ACCORD, AND HAVING MADE BLASTUS THE KING ' S PERSONAL AIDE THEIR FRIEND, THEY ASKED FOR PEACE, BECAUSE TH...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED: Or, bare an hostile mind intending war THE KINGS CHABERLAINE: _ Gr._ that was over the kings bedchamber...

  • Mark Dunagan Commentaries

    "He was very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon" The phrase very angry indicates that he was angry enough to go to war with them. We are not told what the cause of this anger was. Tyre and Sidon...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    TYRE AND SIDON; these were two coast towns in Phoenicia, famous, especially the former, for their great trading; and being rich, might be insolent, or possibly might tempt Herod to a war against them,...

  • McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries

    20-23. The historian pursues the history of this murderous prince a little further. (20) "_ Now Herod was enraged against the Tyrians and Sidonians. But they came to him with one accord, and having ma...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Acts 12:20 Now G1161 Herod G2264 been G2258 (G5713) angry G2371 (G5723) Tyre G5183 and G2532 Sidon...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘Now he was highly displeased with those of Tyre and Sidon, and they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, they asked for peace, because their coun...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    JERUSALEM FINALLY REJECTS THE APOSTLES, KINGSHIP CEASES IN ISRAEL, AND THE WORD OF GOD GOES ON MULTIPLYING (12:1-24). The new centre for world evangelisation having been set up (unknowingly at the tim...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    Acts 12:20. AND HEROD WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE AND SIDON. The angry feeling which had sprung up between King Herod and the inhabitants of the Phoenician cities was no doubt owing to the...

  • Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

    WAS HIGHLY DISPLEASED (ην θυμομαχων). Periphrastic imperfect active of θυμομαχεω, late compound of θυμος (passionate heat) and μαχομα, to fight. Only here in the N.T., to fight desperately, to have...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Persecutions of the church and arrest of Peter. Prayer for his deliverance and his miraculous release Death of Herod. CHARACTERS: Jesus, Herod, James, Peter, 2 soldiers, angel, Mary, Mark,...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Acts 12:1. _About that time,_ when the word of the Lord prevailed so remarkably in Antioch and the northern provinces, and when Paul and Barnabas had brought alms to Jerusalem, as in Acts 12:25, _Hero...

  • The Bible Study New Testament

    HEROD WAS VERY ANGRY. We do not know why. FIRST THEY WON BLASTUS. The people from Tyre and Sidon probably bribed this man, who was in charge of the palace, and so able to influence Herod....

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark._ JOHN MARK 1. Two names are here, one Jewish, the other Roman; the latter adopted at f...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _And … Herod … went down from Judea to Caesarea._ THE DEATH OF HEROD This journey of Herod is described by Josephus. It would seem that he left Judaea in disgust and spleen because Peter had escaped...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    ACTS—NOTE ON ACTS 12:20 A CHAMBERLAIN was a trusted personal assistant to a high government official. ⇐...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _CRITICAL REMARKS_ Acts 12:20. For AND HEROD read _And_, or but, _he—i.e._, Herod. HIGHLY DISPLEASED.—θυμομαχῶν, _in a hostile state of mind_, in modern phrase, “contemplating hostilities” (Plumptre),...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ACTS 12:1 _Put _for _stretched, _A.V.;_ afflict _for _vex, _A.V. The phrase, ABOUT THAT TIME, as in Acts 19:23, points to what had just before been related (Meyer). The interposition of th...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Shall we turn now in our Bibles to Acts 12. Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church (Acts 12:1). There are just a lot of Herods in the Bible and it i...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Kings 5:9; 2 Chronicles 2:10; 2 Chronicles 2:15; Amos 4:6;...

  • Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament (4 Volume Set)

    Highly displeased [θ υ μ ο μ α χ ω ν]. Originally, to fight desperately : but as there is no record of any war of Herod with the Tyrians and Sidonians, the word is to be taken in the sense of the A. V...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    HEROD'S DUPLICITY AND DEATH Acts 12:18 INTRODUCTORY WORDS We come now to our final message concerning Peter's third imprisonment. We are about to present the other side of the message. We have seen...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Having gained Blastus — To their side, they sued for, and obtained peace — Reconciliation with Herod. And so the Christians of those parts were, by the providence of God, delivered from scarcity. Thei...

  • William Burkitt's Expository Notes

    Observe, Herod, upon St. Peter's escape out of his hands, leaves Jerusalem, and goes to dwell at Cesarea, where, being highly displeased with the rich citizens of Tyre and Sidon, he designs to make wa...

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