Acts 12:20 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Acts 12:20
And 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.
heroic · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
was
ἦνēn
G2258
I (thou
displeased
θυμομαχῶνthumomachōn
G2371
to be in a furious fight · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine
Tyre
ΤυρίοιςTuriois
G5183
a Tyrian · noun — dative plural masculine, a people or place name
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
Sidon
Σιδωνίοις·Sidōniois
G4606
a Sidonian · noun — dative plural masculine, a people or place name
but
δὲde
G1161
but · conjunction
came
παρῆσανparēsan
G3918
to be near · verb — imperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural
accord
ὁμοθυμαδὸνhomothumadon
G3661
unanimously · adverb
to
πρὸςpros
G4314
a preposition of direction · preposition
him
αὐτὸνauton
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — accusative singular masculine
and
καὶkai
G2532
and · conjunction
made
πείσαντεςpeisantes
G3982
to convince (by argument · verb — aorist active participle, nominative plural masculine
Blastus
ΒλάστονBlaston
G986
Blastus · noun — accusative singular masculine, a proper name
king’s
βασιλέωςbasileōs
G935
a sovereign (abstractly · noun — genitive singular masculine
chamberlain
κοιτῶνοςkoitōnos
G2846
a bedroom · noun — genitive singular masculine
friend
πείθωpeíthō
G3982
to convince (by argument
desired
ᾐτοῦντοētounto
G154
to ask (in genitive case) · verb — imperfect middle indicative, 3rd person plural
peace
εἰρήνην,eirēnēn
G1515
peace (literally or figuratively) · noun — accusative singular feminine
because
διὰdia
G1223
through (in very wide applications · preposition
their
αὐτῶνautōn
G846
the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive plural masculine
country
χώρανchōran
G5561
room · noun — accusative singular feminine
nourished
τρέφεσθαιtrephesthai
G5142
but perhaps strengthened from the base of G5157 (τροπή)… · verb — present passive infinitive
by
ἀπὸapo
G575
"off · preposition
king’s
βασιλικῆς.¶basilikēs
G937
regal (in relation) · adjective — genitive singular feminine
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Ezra 3:7 They gave money also unto the masons, and to the carpenters; and meat, and drink, and oil, unto them of Zidon, and to them of Tyre, to bring…
Ezekiel 27:17 Judah, and the land of Israel, they were thy merchants: they traded in thy market wheat of Minnith, and Pannag, and honey, and oil, and balm…
Matthew 11:21-22 Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they wo…
Luke 14:31-32 Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet hi…
Luke 16:8 And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the…
Genesis 10:15 And Canaan begat Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
Genesis 10:19 And the border of the Canaanites was from Sidon, as thou comest to Gerar, unto Gaza; as thou goest, unto Sodom, and Gomorrah, and Admah, and…
Joshua 19:29 And then the coast turneth to Ramah, and to the strong city Tyre; and the coast turneth to Hosah; and the outgoings thereof are at the sea f…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Acts 12:20–end
In these verses we have,
I. The death of Herod. God reckoned with him, not only for his putting James to death, but for his design and endeavour to put Peter to death; for sinners will be called to an account, not only for the wickedness of their deeds, but for the wickedness of their endeavours (Psa 28:4), for the mischief they have done and the mischief they would have done. It was but a little while that Herod lived after this. Some sinners God makes quick work with. Observe,
1. How the measure of his iniquity was filled up: it was pride that did it; it is this that commonly goes more immediately before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Nebuchadnezzar had been a very bloody…
HEROD'S MISERABLE END--GROWING SUCCESS OF THE GOSPEL--BARNABAS AND SAUL RETURN TO ANTIOCH. (Act 12:20-25)
Herod was . . . displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon--for some reason unknown; but the effect on their commercial relations made the latter glad to sue for peace.
their country was nourished by the king's country--See Kg1 5:11; Ezr 3:7; Eze 27:17. Perhaps the famine (Act 11:28) made them the more urgent for reconciliation.
Adam Clarke on Acts 12:20
Highly displeased with them of Tyre - On what account Herod was thus displeased is not related by any historian, as far as I have been able to ascertain. Josephus, who speaks of this journey of Herod to Caesarea, says nothing of it; and it is useless for us to conjecture.
Having made Blastus - their friend - Blastus was probably a eunuch, and had considerable influence over his master Herod; and, to reach the master, it is likely they bribed the chamberlain.
Desired peace - The Tyrians and Sidonians being equally subjects of the Roman government with the inhabitants of Galilee, Herod could not go to war with them; but, being irritated against them, he might prevent their supplies: they there…
They were asking for peace because their regions were being fed by him. They needed the friendship of the neighboring king because their region was very narrow and was pressed by the boundaries of Galilee and Damascus. Whence, neither did their metropolis of Tyre have so much wealth from its own land that it might be the emporium of the whole world, as much as it had from the subjugation of ships. It is also very rich in purple dye and shellfish.
Why does he mention this history? Say, what has it to do with the Gospel, that Herod is incensed with the Tyrians and Sidonians? It is not a small matter, even this, how immediately justice seized him; although not because of Peter, but because of his arrogant speaking. "And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and there abode. And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon." He is now going to mention a matter of history: this is the reason why he adds the names, that it may be shown how he keeps to the truth in all things. "And," it says, "having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, they desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country." For probably there was a famine. I suppose it was also to bring those men of Tyre and Sidon to apologize, that he withdrew from Jerusalem: for with those he was incensed, while paying such court to these. See how vainglorious the man is: meaning to confer the boon upon them, he makes an harangue. But Josephus says, that he was also arrayed in a splendid robe made of silver.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Bernice — Bearer of victory, the eldest daughter of Agrippa I., the Herod Agrippa of Acts 12:20. After the early death of her first husband she was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis. After his death…
Blastus — Chamberlain to king Herod Agrippa I. (Acts 12:20). Such persons generally had great influence with their masters.
Chamberlain — A confidential servant of the king (Gen. 37:36; 39:1). In Rom. 16:23 mention is made of “Erastus the chamberlain.” Here the word denotes the treasurer of the city, or the quaestor, as the Romans…
Drusilla — Third and youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I. (Acts 12:1-4, 20-23). Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea, induced her to leave her husband, Azizus, the king of Emesa, and become his wife. She was…
Tyre — A rock, now es-Sur; an ancient Phoenician city, about 23 miles, in a direct line, north of Acre, and 20 south of Sidon. Sidon was the oldest Phoenician city, but Tyre had a longer and more…
Wheat — One of the earliest cultivated grains. It bore the Hebrew name hittah, and was extensively cultivated in Palestine. There are various species of wheat. That which Pharaoh saw in his dream was the…
Blastus · One of Herod’s officers — One of Herod’s officers
Caesarea · .Herod — .Herod
Chamberlain · An officer of a king — An officer of a king
Galilee · Supplied Tyre, &c with provisions — Supplied Tyre, &c with provisions
Herod · 3. — 3.
Influence · 19:6;29:26; — 19:6;29:26;
And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon,.... Two cities on the sea coast, in the land of Phoenicia; with the inhabitants of which Herod was so enraged, that though he had not declared war against them, yet he had meditated it in his mind, and intended to do it at a proper time: what gave him this offence is not certain; that it should be for entertaining and concealing of Peter, when he made his escape, is without any foundation; and nothing but this following on that account, could ever occasion such a thought:
but they came with one accord to him; the ambassadors from both cities united in an address to him, and joined in ways and means to reconcile him to them:
and h…
Acts 12:19-25
And descending from Judea to Cesarea, he stayed there. 20. And Herod was offended with those of Tyre and Sidon: but they came unto him with one consent, and persuading Blastus, the chamberlain to the king, they required peace, because their country was nourished by the king's country. 21. And upon a day appointed Herod arrayed himself in royal apparel, and sitting upon his throne, he made an oration unto them. 22. And the people cried, It is the voice of God, and not of man. 23. And straightway the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not the glory to God: and being eaten of worms, he died. 24. Furthermore, the word of God did increase and multiply. 25. And Barnabas an…
When Peter couldn’t be found after a careful search, Herod interrogated the guards and put them to death (cp. 16:27). However, Herod met his own painful end as a divine judgment on his conceit when he accepted the people’s worship. Josephus records the death of Herod Agrippa I in greater detail (Josephus, Antiquities 19.8.1-2).
Self-Exaltation · .Herod Agrippa I, when — .Herod Agrippa I, when
Sidon · .Inhabitants of, offend Herod Agrippa I — .Inhabitants of, offend Herod Agrippa I
Sidonians, The · Supplied from Judea with provisions — Supplied from Judea with provisions
Tyre · .The hostility of Herod Agrippa I toward — .The hostility of Herod Agrippa I toward
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
