Acts 12:23

Acts 12:23 in other versions

• King James Version (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.
• New International Version (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.
• English Standard Version (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.
• New King James Version (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.

Context of Acts 12:23

21Herod decided on which day he would meet with them. He put on his beautiful clothes and he sat in his special seat as king. Then he spoke his message to all the people. 22When he spoke, the people shouted, ‘This is not a man who is speaking to us. This is the voice of a god!’ Herod let the people praise him, instead of God. So, immediately, an angel of the Lord God caused him to become very ill. Worms ate his body and later he died. 24Everywhere that the believers went, they told people God's message. People heard the message in more and more places and many of them believed in Jesus. 25Barnabas and Saul had gone to Jerusalem to help the believers there. They finished their work and then they returned to Antioch. They took John Mark with them.

Acts 12:23 word by word

παραχρῆμα δὲ ἐπάταξεν αὐτὸν ἄγγελος κυρίου ἀνθ᾽ ὧν οὐκ ἔδωκεν τὴν δόξαν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ γενόμενος σκωληκόβρωτος ἐξέψυξεν.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• immediatelyπαραχρῆμαparachrēma · instantlyG3916
• the angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
• of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• smoteπατάσσωpatassō · to strikeG3960
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• becauseἀντίanti · forG473
• ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he gaveδίδωμιdidōmi · to giveG1325
• notοὐou · noG3756
• Godὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• the gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• he wasγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• eaten of wormsσκωληκόβρωτοςskōlēkobrōtos · worm-eatenG4662
• and gave up the ghostἐκψύχωekpsuchō · to expireG1634

Cross-references for Acts 12:23

• Exodus 12:12On the night that you eat the Passover meal, I will travel through the country of Egypt. I will kill every firstborn son and every firstborn male animal. I will punish all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord.
• 1 Samuel 25:38About ten days after that, the Lord caused Nabal to die.
• 2 Samuel 24:17David saw the angel who was killing the people. So he said to the Lord, ‘I am the person who has done an evil thing. These people have followed me like sheep that follow a shepherd. They have not done anything wrong. You should only punish me and my family.’
• 1 Chronicles 21:14So the Lord caused a very bad disease to kill people in Israel. 70,000 Israelite men died.
• 2 Chronicles 32:21The Lord God sent an angel to destroy Assyria's army. The angel killed all the soldiers and the army officers in their camp. So the king of Assyria had to return home to his own country. He was very ashamed. He went into the temple of his god. There some of his own sons used their swords to kill him.
• Acts 10:25When Peter arrived at the house, Cornelius went out to meet him. He went down on his knees in front of Peter to worship him.
• Acts 14:14Paul and Barnabas heard what the people wanted to do. So they tore their own clothes to show that they were very upset. They ran into the middle of the crowd,
• Exodus 9:17You are still too proud to let my people go.
• Exodus 10:3So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh. They said to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Israelites says this: “You are still too proud to obey me. Let my people go so that they may worship me.
• Psalms 115:1Lord, you are the one who deserves that people praise you. They should praise only you, not us! Because you love us with a faithful love, and you always do what you have promised.
• Isaiah 37:23Who do you think it is that you have insulted? Who have you shouted at? Who have you looked at so proudly? The answer is the Holy God of Israel!
• Ezekiel 28:2‘Son of man, say this to the ruler of Tyre. “This is what the Almighty Lord says: You are a very proud man. You say, ‘I am a god and Tyre is my throne. I rule over all the seas around me.’ But, whatever you think, you are only a man. You are not a god.
• Daniel 4:30The king said, ‘Look how great Babylon is! It is the city that I have built to be my home as king. It shows that I am a great and powerful king!’
• Daniel 5:18I tell you this, King Belshazzar. The powerful God who rules over everything gave authority to your father, Nebuchadnezzar, to rule as king. God made him very great and very famous, so that he ruled with power. People respected him as a great king.
• Luke 12:47A servant may know what his master wants him to do. Then he should prepare himself and do that. If he does not, his master will punish him very much. He will hit him a lot.
• 2 Thessalonians 2:4This man will be God's great enemy. He will say that he is greater than everything that people call their gods. He will say that he is greater than everything that people worship. As a result, he will even go into the temple. He will sit down there like a king. He will tell everyone that he himself is God.

Commentaries on Acts 12:23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23The angel of the Lord smote him - His death was most evidently a judgment from God. Because he gave not God the glory - He did not rebuke his flatterers, but permitted them to give him that honor that was due to God alone. See on Acts 12:21; (note). And was eaten of worms - Whether this was the morbus pedicularis, or whether a violent inflammation of his bowels, terminating in putrefaction, did not actually produce worms, which, for several days, swarmed…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23And immediately the angel of the Lord - Diseases and death axe in the Scriptures often attributed to an angel. See 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:12, 1 Chronicles 21:15, 1 Chronicles 21:20, 1 Chronicles 21:27; 2 Chronicles 32:21. It is not intended that there was a miracle in this case, but it certainly is intended by the sacred writer that his death was a divine judgment on him for his receiving homage as a god. Josephus says of him that he “did neither…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-25Verses 20-25 Many heathen princes claimed and received Divine honours, but it was far more horrible impiety in Herod, who knew the word and worship of the living God, to accept such idolatrous honours without rebuking the blasphemy. And such men as Herod, when puffed with pride and vanity, are ripening fast for signal vengeance. God is very jealous for his own honour, and will be glorified upon those whom he is not glorified by. See what vile bodies we…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 18-23When Peter was missing after a thorough search, Herod questioned the guards and executed them (see 16:27). However, Herod himself then experienced a painful death. God punished him for his pride when he accepted the people's worship. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus provides more details about the death of Herod Agrippa I (Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.1–2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 22-2322-23. the people gave a shout, &c.--Josephus' account of his death is remarkably similar to this [Antiquities, 19.8.2]. Several cases of such deaths occur in history. Thus was this wretched man nearer his end than he of whom he had thought to make a public spectacle.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 12:23

• Angel (a Spirit)
• Caesarea
• Ghost
• Glorifying God
• Happiness
• Herod
• Jerusalem
• Self-Exaltation
• Sidon
• Tyre
• Worm

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Angel of the Lord
• Agrippa I.
• Angel
• Constantly
• Destroyer
• Drusilla
• Herod Agrippa I.
• Multiply

Commentaries on Acts 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings