Acts 12:1

CHAPTER XII.

Herod persecutes the Christians, 1.

Kills James, 2.

And casts Peter into prison, 3, 4.

The Church makes incessant prayer for his deliverance, 5.

An angel of God opens the prison doors and leads him out, 6-10.

Peter rejoices, and comes to the house of Mary, where many were

praying, and declares how he was delivered, 11-17.

The soldiers who kept the prison are examined by Herod, and he

commands them to be put to death, 18, 19.

Herod is enraged against the people of Tyre, but is appeased by

their submission, 20.

He makes an oration to the people, receives idolatrous praises,

and an angel of the Lord unites him, and he dies a miserable

death, 21-23.

The word of God increases, 24.

Barnabas and Saul, having fulfilled their ministry, return from

Jerusalem accompanied by John Mark, 25.

NOTES ON CHAP. XII.

Verse Acts 12:1. Herod the king] This was Herod Agrippa, the son of Aristobulus, and grandson of Herod the Great; he was nephew to Herod Antipas, who beheaded John they Baptist, and brother to Herodias. He was made king by the Emperor Caligula, and was put in possession of all the territories formerly held by his uncle Philip and by Lysanias; viz. Iturea, Trachonitis, Abilene, with Gaulonitis, Batanaea, and Penias. To these the Emperor Claudius afterwards added Judea and Samaria; which were nearly all the dominions possessed by his grandfather, Herod the Great. See Luke 3:1; see also an account of the Herod family, see in Clarke's note on "Matthew 2:1".

To vex certain of the Church.] That is, to destroy its chief ornaments and supports.