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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
12:1-25 The Jerusalem Church Is Persecuted. Chapter 12 is the last chapter in Acts that tells of the Jerusalem church without reference to Paul's ministry.
12:1-5 The Death of James. Herod executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter, intending to do the same to him.
12:1 about that time. See note on 11:24. Herod was Herod Agrippa I, a grandson of Herod the Great (see note on Matt. 2:1). He was reared in Rome, and because of boyhood playmates who later became emperors he was granted rule over various territories in Judea until his kingdom reached the full extent of his grandfather's territory (). See map. His persecution of the Christians may have been an attempt to curry favor with the Jews (cf. Acts 12:3).
12:2 The martyred James was Jesus' disciple, son of Zebedee and brother of John, not to be confused with James, the brother of Jesus and author of the book of James, who became a prominent leader in the Jerusalem church (see note on v. 17). Jesus had predicted his suffering (Mark 10:39).
12:3 Why this pleased the Jews is not specified. Perhaps the persecution following Stephen's death (8:1) had escalated. The days of Unleavened Bread, the following the Passover meal, were considered holy and not to be desecrated by an execution.
12:4 The prison was probably the Tower of Antonia, which was at the northwestern corner of the temple complex and was the quarters of the Roman garrison. The use of four squads of soldiers reflects Roman practice: one squad of four soldiers for each of the four three-hour watches of the night. Passover refers to the entire spring festival that unites Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread.
12:5 The mention of earnest prayer continues Luke's emphasis that every step in building the church is due to God's blessing and supernatural intervention.
12:6-19 Peter's Deliverance from Prison. Peter was half asleep throughout his "escape" from prison. The angel had to rouse him and direct him (vv. 7-8), and he remained in a stupor until the angel led him through the gates and into a side street (vv. 9-11).
12:12 John whose other name was Mark will be a major figure in the next three chapters, going with Paul and Barnabas on the first part of their first missionary journey but then leaving them (see v. 25; 13:5, 13). This was a cause of contention between Paul and Barnabas (see 15:37, 39). Mark regained Paul's favor later (see Col. 4:10; 2 Tim. 4:11; Philem. 24). Mark accompanied Peter (see 1 Pet. 5:13), and there is substantial testimony from the early church that he wrote the Gospel of Mark (see Introduction to Mark: Author and Title).
12:13-14 Rhoda's failure to open the gate on account of her joy adds a touch of humor and heightens the suspense.
12:17 James here is the brother of Jesus (see Introduction to James: Author and Title; Gal. 1:19), not James the brother of John (who was killed by Herod, Acts 12:2). From this point forward in Acts, James seems to have the most prominent leadership role among the apostles in Jerusalem (see 15:13-21; 21:18). Though James was not one of the original Twelve, he apparently became an apostle as well (cf. 1 Cor. 15:7; Gal. 1:19; 2:9). The book of James also seems to be written on his own (apostolic) authority, not as a spokesman for someone else (see James 1:1). For some reason Peter no longer remained the leader and spokesman for the apostles in Jerusalem but went to another place. Luke does not specify where Peter went (some have suggested either Rome or Antioch); he was back in Jerusalem later for a conference (Acts 15:7-21).
12:18-19 In executing the sentries (i.e., guards), Herod was following Roman practice, which specified that soldiers who lost their prisoners were subject to the same penalty as that due to the prisoners. Since the soldiers knew that their lives were at stake, they certainly would not have all fallen asleep apart from the miraculous intervention of the angel who rescued Peter. Caesarea was the seat of the Roman government and had a mixed Jewish and Gentile population (see note on 8:40).
12:20-25 The Death of Herod Agrippa I. Chapter 12 begins and ends with Herod Agrippa I: the persecutor of the church now brings about his own death (see note on 11:24 and the parallel account of Herod Agrippa's death in Josephus, Jewish Antiquities 19.343-350).
12:20 A chamberlain is a trusted personal assistant to a high government official; the Greek literally means "the one over the bedroom," but such a person would have had wider responsibilities than this.
12:21 Josephus gives the added detail that Herod's royal robes were made of silver that sparkled in the sun, provoking the crowd's acclamation (Jewish Antiquities 19.344).
12:23 because he did not give God the glory. In contrast to Peter's instantaneous rejection of worship in 10:26, Herod receives this wrongful praise with delight. In both cases the instinctive response to an unexpected situation revealed the condition of the man's heart.
