Acts 12

Acts · Chapter 12

Acts 12:20

1Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.3And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)4And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.5Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.6And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.7And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.8And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.9And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.10When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.11And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.12And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.14And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.17But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.18Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.19And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.20And 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 was nourished by the king’s country.21And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.22And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.23And 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.24But the word of God grew and multiplied.25And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
20And 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 was nourished by the king’s country.Now Herod was in a furious dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon, and they convened before him. Having secured the support of Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace, because their region depended on the king’s country for food.Now he was highly displeased with them 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 country was fed from the king’s country.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Where

Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
He wasἦνēnG1510
you are

εἶ (ei) εἰμί, with various uses and significations, like the English verb to be. I. As substantive verb. 1. Of persons and things, to be, exist: Act.17:28, Jhn.1:1, 8:58, 17:5, al; ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν (for past ptcp.), Rev.1:4, 8, 4:8, 11:17, 16:5 (see Swete, Ap., 5; M, Pr., 228); τὰ (μὴ) ὄντα, Rom.4:17, 1Co.1:28. 2. Of times, events, etc., to be, happen, take place: Mat.24:3, Mrk.14:2, 15:42, Luk.21:23, Jhn.4:6, 23, 5:10, al. …

nowδὲdeG1161
then

δέ (de) δέ (before vowels δ᾽; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, see WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96), post-positive conjunctive particle; 1. copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mat.1:2ff., 2Co.6:15, 16, 2Pe.1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Rom.3:21, 22, 9:30, 1Co.2:6, Gal.2:2, Php.2:8; in transition to something new, Mat.1:18, 2:19, Luk.13:1, Jhn.7:14, Act.6:1, Rom.8:28, 1Co.7:1 8:1, al.; in explanatory parenthesis or addition, Jhn.3:19, Rom.5:8, 1Co.1:12, Eph.2:4, 5:32, al.; ὡς δέ, Jhn.2:9; καὶ . . . δέ, but also, Mat.10:18, Luk.1:76, Jhn.6:51, Rom.11:23, al.; …

HerodἩρῴδηςHērōdēsG2264I
Herod

Ἡρώδης (Hērōdēs) Ἡρῴδης (Rec. -ώδης), -ου, ὁ Herod; 1. Herod the Great: Mat.2:1-23, Act.23:35. 2. Herod Antipas (ὁ τετραάρχης, Mat.14:1): Mat.14:1, 3 14:6, Mrk.6:1-56, Mrk.8:15, Luk.1:5 3:1, 19 8:3 9:7, 9 13:31, 23, Act.4:27 13:1. 3. Herod Agrippa I: Act.12:1, 6 12:11, 19 12:21 (cf. Ἀγρίππας (II)).† (AS)

furiously angryθυμομαχῶνthumomachōnG2371
to quarrel

θυμομαχέω (thumomacheō) θυμομαέω, -ῶ (θυμός, μάχομαι), to fight desperately, have a hot quarrel: with dative of person(s), Act.12:20.† (AS)

with [the] TyriansΤυρίοιςTurioisG5183
Tyre

Τύριος (Turios) of Tyre, Tyrian , (Herdotus Historicus), etc. (ML)

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

Sidonians;Σιδωνίοις·SidōnioisG4606
Sidonian

Σιδώνιος (Sidōnios) Σιδώνιος, -α, -ον (Σιδών), of Sidon, Sidonian; (a) the region: sc. χώρα, Luk.4:26; (b) the people: Act.12:20.† (AS)

with one accordὁμοθυμαδὸνhomothumadonG3661
united

ὁμοθυμαδόν (homothumadon) ὁμοθυμαδόν (ὁμός, θυμός), [in LXX for יַחַד (frequently in Jb), Wis.10:20 18:5, 12, al. ;] with one mind, with one accord: Act.1:14 2:46 4:24 5:12 7:57 8:6 12:20 15:25 18:12 19:29, Rom.15:6 (Hatch, Essays, 63 f., argues that the un-cl. sense together, which is found in Job.3:18 38:33, Num.24:24, Wis.18:5, 12 (but not Wis.10:20), al., should be attached to the NT instances, but see Abbott, Essays, 96; MM, xviii).† (AS)

thenδὲdeG1161
then

δέ (de) δέ (before vowels δ᾽; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, see WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96), post-positive conjunctive particle; 1. copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mat.1:2ff., 2Co.6:15, 16, 2Pe.1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Rom.3:21, 22, 9:30, 1Co.2:6, Gal.2:2, Php.2:8; in transition to something new, Mat.1:18, 2:19, Luk.13:1, Jhn.7:14, Act.6:1, Rom.8:28, 1Co.7:1 8:1, al.; in explanatory parenthesis or addition, Jhn.3:19, Rom.5:8, 1Co.1:12, Eph.2:4, 5:32, al.; ὡς δέ, Jhn.2:9; καὶ . . . δέ, but also, Mat.10:18, Luk.1:76, Jhn.6:51, Rom.11:23, al.; …

they were comingπαρῆσανparēsanG3918
be present

πάρειμι (pareimi) πάρ-ειμι [in LXX for בּוֹא, etc. ;] 1. to be by, at hand or present; (a) of persons: Rev.17:8; παρών (opposite to ἀπών), 1Co.5:3, 2Co.10:2 10:11 13:2 13:10; before ἐπί with genitive, Act.24:19; ἐνώπιον, Act.10:33; ἐνθάδε, Act.17:6; πρός, with accusative of person(s), Act.12:20, 2Co.11:8, Gal.4:18, 20; (b) of things : of time, ὁ καιρός, Jhn.7:6; τ. παρόν, Heb.12:11; ἡ ἀλήθεια, 2Pe.1:12; ταῦτα, 2Pe.1:9; τ. παρόντα, Heb.13:5. …

toπρὸςprosG4314
to/with

πρός (pros) πρός, prep. with genitive, dative, accusative I. I. C. genitive, of motion from a place, from the side of, hence metaphorically, in the interests of, Act.27:34 (cf. Page, in l.). II. II. C. dative, of local proximity, hard by, near, at: Mrk.5:11, Luk.19:37, Jhn.18:16 20:11, 12 Rev.1:13. III. C. accusative, of motion or direction towards a place or object, to, towards. 1. Of place, …

himαὐτὸνautonG0846
it/s/he

αὐτός (autos) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

AndκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

having gainedπείσαντεςpeisantesG3982
to persuade

πείθω (peithō) πείθω, [in LXX chiefly for בָּטַח בֶּטַח, its parts and derivatives ;] (i) Active; 1. trans., to apply persuasion ("conative" in pres.; see M, Pr., 147), to prevail upon or win over, persuade: absol., Mat.28:14, Act.19:26; before περί, with genitive of thing(s), Act.19:8; with accusative of person(s), Act.12:20 14:19 18:4, 2Co.5:11, Gal.1:10; τ. καρδίας ἡμῶν, 1Jn.3:19; with accusative before περί, Act.28:23; with accusative and inf., Act.13:43 26:28 (see Field, Notes, 141 ff.); with accusative before ἵνα (Plut.), Mat.27:20. …

BlastusΒλάστονBlastonG0986
Blastus

Βλάστος (Blastos) Βλάστος, -ου, ὁ, Blastus, chamberlain of Agrippa: Act.12:20.† (AS)

overἐπὶepiG1909
upon/to/against

ἐπί (epi) ἐπί (before a smooth breathing ἐπ᾽, before a rough breathing ἐφ᾽), prep. with genitive, dative, accusative (accusative most frequently in NT), with primary sense of superposition, on, upon. I. C. genitive, 1. of place, answering the question, where? …

bedchamberκοιτῶνοςkoitōnosG2846
bedroom/chamberlain

κοιτών (koitōn) κοιτών, -ῶνος, ὁ (κοίτη = Att.., δωμότιον, see Kennedy, Sources, 40), [in LXX chiefly for חֶדֶר, 2Ki.4:7, Jol.2:16; I Est.3:3, al. ;] a bed-chamber; ὁ ἐπὶ τοῦ κ., a chamberlain: Act.12:20.† (AS)

kingβασιλέωςbasileōsG0935
king

βασιλεύς (basileus) βασιλεύς, -έως, ὁ, [in LXX chiefly for מֶלֶךְ ;] a king: Mat.1:6 2:1; used by courtesy of Herod the Tetrarch, Mat.14:9; of the Roman Emperor, as frequently in κοινή (Deiss., LAE, p. 367), 1Pe.2:13, 17; of the Christ, in the phrase ὁ β. τ. Ἰουδαίων, Mat.2:2, al.; τοῦ Ἰσραήλ, Mrk.15:32, Jhn.1:50 12:13; of God, Mat.5:35, 1Ti.1:17, Rev.15:3; β. βασιλέων, Rev.17:14 19:16; β. τ. βασιλευόντων, 1Ti.6:15 (on the associations of the word to Jewish Hellenists, see Cl. Rev., i, 7).† (AS)

they were seekingᾐτοῦντοētountoG0154
to ask

αἰτέω (aiteō) αἰτέω, -ῶ, [in LXX chiefly for שׁאל ;] to ask, request: absol., Mat.7:7, Jas.1:6; with accusative of person(s), Mat.5:42, Luk.6:30; with accusative of thing(s), before ἀπό, Mat.20:20, 1Jn.5:15; id. before παρά, Act.3:2, Jas.1:5; with dupl. accusative Mat.7:9, Mrk.6:22, Jhn.16:23. Mid. (on the distinction bet. mid. and act., see M, Pr., 160): absol., Mrk.15:8, Jhn.16:26, Jas.4:3; with accusative of thing(s), Mat.14:7, Mrk.6:24, al.; with accusative of person(s), Mat.27:20, Luk.23:25; with accusative of thing(s), before παρά, Act.9:2; with accusative and inf., Luk.23:23. with inf. Act.7:46, Ep …

peace,εἰρήνην,eirēnēnG1515
peace

εἰρήνη (eirēnē) εἰρήνη, -ης, ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for שָׁלוֹם ;] peace; 1. of public peace, freedom from war: Luk.14:32, Act.12:20 24:2; of the church, Ac 9:31. 2. Of peace between persons, concord, agreement : Mat.10:34, Luk.12:51, Rom.14:17, 1Co.7:15, Gal.5:22, Jas.3:18; ζητεῖν εἰ., 1Pe.3:11; διώκειν, 2Ti.2:22; ib. before μετὰ πάντων, Heb.12:14; by meton., of him who brings peace, Eph.2:14. …

because ofδιὰdiaG1223
through/because of

διά (dia) διά (before a vowel δ᾽, exc. Rom.8:10, 2Co.5:7, and in (Proper name)s; Tdf., Pr., 94), prep. with genitive, accusative, as in cl.; 1. with genitive, through; (i) of Place, after verbs of motion or action: Mat.2:12 12:43, Mrk.2:23, Luk.4:30, Jhn.4:4, 2Co.11:33, al.; σώζεσθαι (διας-) δ. πυρός, ὕδατος, 1Co.3:15, 1Pe.3:20; βλέπειν δ. ἐσόπτρου, 1Co.13:12; metaphorically, of a state or condition: Rom.14:20, 2Co.2:4 5:7, 10; δ. γράμματος, ἀκροβυστίας (Lft., Notes, 263, 279), Rom.2:27 4:11; δι ̓ὑπομενῆς, Rom.8:25. (ii) Of Time; …

being nourishedτρέφεσθαιtrephesthaiG5142
to feed

τρέφω (trephō) τρέφω [in LXX for חָיָה hi., גָּדַל pi., אָכַל hi., etc. ;] 1. to make to grow, bring up, rear (cl.; 1Ma.3:33 1Mac 11:39): Luk.4:16 (T, WH, mg., ἀνατ-) 2. to nourish, feed: Mat.6:26 25:37, Luk.12:24, Act.12:20, Rev.12:6, 14; of a mother, to give suck, Luk.23:29; of animals, to fatten (Jer.26:21 (Jer.46:21), figuratively, Jas.5:5 (cf. ἀνα-, ἐκ-, ἐν-τρέφω).† (AS)

theirαὐτῶνautōnG0846
it/s/he

αὐτός (autos) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

regionχώρανchōranG5561
country

χώρα (chōra) χώρα, -ας, ἡ [in LXX for אֶרֶץ, מְדִינָה, etc. ;] 1. most frequently in cl., a space, place. 2. land, i.e. (a) a land, country, region: Mat.12:2, Mrk.5:10 6:55, Luk.2:8 15:13-15 19:12, Jhn.11:54, Act.13:49 27:27; χ. Γαλατική, Act.16:6 18:23; Τραχωνίτιδος, Luk.3:1; τ. Ἰουδαίας, Act.26:20; τ. Ἰουδαίων, Act.10:39; pl., τῆς Ἰουδαίας κ. Σαμαρείας, Act.8:1; Γεργεσηνῶν (Γερασηνῶν, Γαδαρηνῶν) Mat.8:28, Mrk.5:1, Luk.8:26; ἐν χ. καὶ σκιᾷ θανάτου, Mat.4:16; (b) land, property: Luk.12:16; (with) the country, opposite to the town; so in pl., Luk.21:21, Jhn.4:35, Jas.5:4.† …

byἀπὸapoG0575
away from

ἀπό (apo) ἀπό (on the frequently neglect of elision bef. vowels, see Tdf., Pr., 94, WH, App., 146), prep. with genitive (WM, 462ff.; on its relation to ἐκ, παρά, ὑπό, ib. 456f.), [in LXX for לְ ,בְּ ,מִן ;] from (i.e. from the exterior). 1. Of separation and cessation; (1) of motion from a place: Mat.5:29, 30 7:23, Luk.5:2 22:41, al.; (2) in partitive sense (M, Pr., 72, 102, 245; MM, see word; Bl., §40, 2), Mat.9:16 27:21, Jhn.21:10, Act.5:2, al.; also after verbs of eating, etc.; …

king’s.βασιλικῆς.¶basilikēsG0937
royal

βασιλικός (basilikos) βασιλικός, -ή, -όν (βασιλεύς), [in LXX for מֶלֶךְ and its cognates ;] royal, belonging to a king: χώρα, Act 12:20; ἐσθής, Act.12:21; νόμος β., a supreme law, "a law which governs other laws and so has a specially regal character" (Hort), or because made by a king (LAE, p. 3673), Jas.2:8; τις, one in the service of a king, a courtier, Jhn.4:46, 49 (WH, mg., βασιλίσκος).† (AS)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.