Acts 12:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: and when he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the days of Unleavened Bread.

NIV: When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

NASB: When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well. (Now these were the days of Unleavened Bread.)

CSB: When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

NLT: When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration. )

KJV: And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)

NKJV: And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread.

"He" is Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod the Great and the king of most of his territory. His reign started in the tetrarchy northeast of Galilee, but his kingdom spread, encompassing Judea and Samaria from AD 41 until his death in AD 44. "The Jews" mentioned here may mean the citizens, but it was also a commonly used reference for the Sanhedrin—John's gospel uses this terminology. The Sanhedrin is the ruling council of Jews, composed of priests, elders, and scribes. "Scribes" are experts in the Law and can come from the Sadducees or the Pharisees; Agrippa is particularly friendly with the Pharisees.

Agrippa arrested the apostle James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, and beheaded him (Acts 12:1–2). It's unclear why. At the beginning of the church, the apostles clashed with the Sanhedrin, and Saul gained approval from the Sanhedrin to persecute Jesus-followers after foreign-born Jews argued with and murdered Stephen (Acts 6:8—8:3; 9:1–2). But since Saul's conversion, the church has enjoyed relative peace (Acts 9:1–31). To this point, it seems the Roman government has completely ignored the church as a new sect of Judaism that hasn't caused any political trouble.

Agrippa surely knows some of this, but there's no indication it influences his treatment of James. Agrippa is friendly with the Sanhedrin, in part because he protected the temple from the installation of Caligula's statue. He also reads parts of the Mosaic law in public. We don't know, however, why Agrippa would take a disliking to James.

Politically, it turns out to be a good move for him. The Sanhedrin is pleased. In order to bolster the connection even more, he arrests Peter. But it is the "days of Unleavened Bread"—the week after Passover. Only the first and last days of the Feast of Unleavened Bread are holy Sabbaths, in addition to any normal weekly Sabbath that falls in the timeframe (Exodus 12:16). It wouldn't be against the law for Agrippa to have Peter killed, but it would be unseemly to execute someone while the Jews celebrate their rescue from Egypt.

Acts 12:1–5 is the only Scripture which directly records the death of an apostle. Herod Agrippa I, who has commended himself to the Jewish leaders by protecting their religion, endears himself further by arresting and beheading James, the brother of John. The Sanhedrin is so pleased, Agrippa arrests Peter, as well. His plan is to kill Peter after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, but while Peter is chained and guarded by four squads of soldiers, the church is praying.

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.