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Acts 12:1-3
New English Translation
Acts 12:1-3
New English Translation
James is Killed and Peter Imprisoned
12 About that time King Herod[a] laid hands on[b] some from the church to harm them.[c] 2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword.[d] 3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews,[e] he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.)[f]
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- Acts 12:1 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). His mediocre career is summarized in Josephus, Ant. 18-19. This event took place in a.d. 42 or 43.
- Acts 12:1 tn Or “King Herod had some from the church arrested.”
- Acts 12:1 tn Or “to cause them injury.”
- Acts 12:2 sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.
- Acts 12:3 tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.
- Acts 12:3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
Acts 12:1-3
New International Version
Acts 12:1-3
New International Version
Peter’s Miraculous Escape From Prison
12 It was about this time that King Herod(A) arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John,(B) put to death with the sword.(C) 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews,(D) he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.(E)
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