Acts 12:23 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Immediately an angel of the Lord struck him down, because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.

NIV: Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

NASB: And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.

CSB: At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.

NLT: Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with a sickness, because he accepted the people’s worship instead of giving the glory to God. So he was consumed with worms and died.

KJV: And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

NKJV: Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.

Herod Agrippa I generally spent his three years in power accommodating and even protecting the Jewish religion and respecting the Jewish God; the Jews respected him for it. The ancient historian Josephus fills in some of the details about this event not mentioned in Acts (Antiquities 19.8.2 343–361). According to Josephus, on the second morning of games Agrippa has inaugurated for Caesar, he addresses the audience wearing clothes made of silver. The sunlight catches the silver, and he glows like the Phoenician sun god. The audience goes mad, saying, "The voice of a god, and not of a man!" (Acts 12:22).

Ordinarily, Agrippa might have denied their praise, but this day he hesitates. Perhaps he's caught up in the games. Perhaps he wants to display his glory to his antagonists from Tyre and Sidon (see Acts 12:20). Either way, he has made himself somewhat of a religious leader among God's people, and God will not stand for it. Agrippa is immediately overcome by severe pains in his abdomen and dies. Josephus indicates this involved five days of agony. Adoring Jews suspect poison. Modern researchers have many theories, but nothing concrete (Josephus' Antiquities 19.8.2 343–361).

Agrippa I had many similarities with his grandfather Herod the Great. He understood Judaism, he was the first to be called king by the Roman emperor since his grandfather, and he died a horrible death. Modern scholars think Herod the Great died of chronic kidney disease exacerbated by maggot-infected gangrene of the genitals. It's been noticed that Agrippa I, the silver-bedecked king who died with maggots in his gut, is the perfect illustration of a white-washed tomb (Matthew 23:27). His external appearance, and actions, have one appearance, while the reality of what's inside is awful.

This is in contrast to Barnabas and Paul in Acts 14:8–18. When the people of Lystra declare Barnabas Zeus and Paul Hermes, the two immediately tear their robes and stop the people from sacrificing to them. Paul spends his ministry understanding his place before God. Despite all his credentials as a faithful Jew, Paul considers all his good works "rubbish" (Philippians 3:8). Only Christ matters.

The word for "struck" is the same used in Acts 12:7 when the angel "struck" Peter. The angel struck Peter to wake him and rescue him from prison. Now, the angel strikes Agrippa to afflict and destroy him.

Acts 12:20–23 describes some of the details of the death of Herod Agrippa I. He was the first true king since his grandfather, Herod the Great, and ruled over nearly as much territory. He had an abnormally good relationship with the Jewish leadership and was one of the few Roman rulers of the area to persecute the church. But his favor with the Jews evidently contributed to his pride. He accepted the glory due only to God and died while his bowels were eaten by worms. Josephus, an ancient historian, provides some details Scripture does not.

Acts 12 starts with the first death of an apostle and ends with the death of a king. Herod Agrippa I beheads James and imprisons Peter. An angel rescues Peter and he quickly lets the church in Jerusalem know before he goes into hiding. Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great and friend to the Pharisees, accepts glory due only to God and dies, likely a few days later, of internal worms. Meanwhile, the church continues to grow, and Barnabas and Saul return to Syrian Antioch. The scene is set for Paul's extensive ministry to the Gentiles.

When Acts 12 opens, at least some of the apostles are in Jerusalem, and Barnabas and Saul are in Syrian Antioch, collecting support so the church in Jerusalem can survive the coming famine (Acts 11:27–30). The church is established in Jerusalem and growing in the regions on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. When the chapter closes, Barnabas and Saul are poised for their missionary trip in modern-day Asia Minor. Saul will take on the Greek version of his name, Paul, and the story of Jesus will spread to Rome and beyond.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.