Acts 12:22

Act 12:22. Θεοῦ φωνὴ, καὶ οὐχ ἀνθρώπου, the voice of a god, not of a man) That divine praises were sometimes given to speakers, especially princes, by the acclamations of their hearers, is demonstrated by Ferrarius, l. 3, de acclam. ch. 13 and 14. But their customary character increases, instead of diminishing the impiety of such formulas.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act_12:22. Εὐθὺς δὲ οἱ κόλακες τὰς οὐδὲ ἐκείνῳ πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν φωνὰς ἀνεβόων, θεὸν προσαγορεύοντες, εὐμενής τε εἴης, ἐπιλέγοντες, εἰ καὶ μέχρι νῦν ὡς ἄνθρωπον ἐφοβήθημεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐντεῦθεν κρείττονά σε θνητῆς φύσεως ὁμολογοῦμεν! Joseph. l.c., who, however, represents this shout of flattery (which certainly proceeded from the mouth, not of Jews, but of Gentiles) as occasioned by the silver garment of the king shining in the morning sun, and not by a speech on his part. Vulgus tamen vacuum curis et sine falsi verique discrimine solitas adulationes edoctum, clamore et vocibus adstrepebat, Tacit. Hist. ii. 90. ὁ δῆμος, the common people, is found in the N. T. only in the Book of Acts; see Act_17:5, Act_19:30; Act_19:33. Comp. on Act_19:30.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 12:22 . δῆμος : only in Act 17:5 ; Act 19:30 ; Act 19:33 , but in the same signification in classical Greek. ἐπεφώνει : later Greek in this sense ( cf. the flatterers in the description of Josephus, u. s. , ἀνεβόων , that Herod was θεός , and so in the words εὐμενὴς εἴης ). In N.T. only in Luke, cf. Luk 23:21 , Act 21:34 ; Act 22:24 ; cf. 2Ma 1:23 , 3Ma 7:13 , 1Es 9:47 . The imperfect quite corresponds to the description of Josephus: ἄλλος ἄλλοθεν φωνῆς ἀνεβ . θ . φωνή ; for instances of similar flattery see Wetstein, and cf. Josephus, u. s.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The flattery of the people, maketh fools fain.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

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.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

And the people gave a shout,.... At the end of the oration; these were flatterers, as Josephus says in the place before referred to, who cried out one from another, saluting him as God; saying, be merciful to us, hitherto we have revered thee as a man, henceforward we confess thee somewhat more excellent than mortal nature: and so it follows here,

saying it is the voice of a God, and not of a man; the Vulgate Latin version reads, "the voices of God and not men"; and the Ethiopic version, "the city shouted in, or with the voice of God", with the voice of man; as if this referred to the acclamation of the people, and not the speech of the king; very wrongly.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.

Ver. 22. It is the voice of a god] ηδιστον ακουσμα επαινος, saith Xenophon. Men naturally hear nothing with more delight than their own commendation; fair words make fools vain, put them into their paradise. How much better Charles V, who coming to Paris, and entertained with a speech by one of the king’s counsellors, that tended much to his commendation; answered, Ideo sibi gratam esse orationem quod eum commone fecisset quod talis esse deberet, i.e. That the orator rather taught him what he ought to be than told him what he had been.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the people gave a shout - A loud applause.

It is the voice of a god ... - It is not probable that the Jews joined in this acclamation, but that it was made by the idolatrous Gentiles. Josephus gives a similar account of their feelings and conduct. He says, “And presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place, and another from another (though not for his good), that he was a god; and they added, ‘Be thou merciful unto us; for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a king, yet shall we henceforth own thee as a superior to mortal nature.’” It is true that Josephus says that this was done when they saw his splendid apparel, and that he gives no account of his addressing the people, while Luke describes it as the effect of his speech. But the discrepancy is of no consequence. Luke is as credible an historian as Josephus, and his account is more consistent than that of the Jewish historian. It is far more probable that this applause and adoration would be excited by a speech than simply by beholding his apparel.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

These impious flatterers destroy whom they exalt; for God will pull down his rivals.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. The people—Josephus, knowing nothing about the ambassadors or the harangue, has no other cause to furnish for the applause than the splendour of Herod’s appearance, which Luke implies, and supplies more, namely, the king’s oratory. As to the applause, Josephus furnishes some details. He says the applause began with Herod’s flatterers, who, acclaiming to him as a god, said, “Be propitious to us, and, although thus far we have revered thee as a man, in the future we will esteem thee greater than mortal.” Of course the attendant crowd of people joined in, and gave a shout, and pronounced his oratory the voice of a god.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Shouted for gave a shout, A.V.; the voice for it is the voice, A.V.

Vers. 22, 23. The sin of accepting Divine honors.

The explanation of this incident is given in the exegetical portion of this Commentary. Several points of interest come out upon comparison of the Scripture narrative with that given by Josephus. The Jewish historian is fuller on the adulation offered to Herod than is St. Luke. He notices the remarkable silver garment which Herod wore on the occasion, and the effect it produced on the people, adding that "presently his flatterers cried out, one from one place and another from another, though not for his good, that he was a god. And they added, "Be thou merciful to us, for although we have hitherto reverenced thee only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee as superior to mortal nature. Upon this the king did neither rebuke them nor reject their impious flattery. " St. Luke distinctly makes the same charge, stating that he was smitten because he gave not God the glory. He permitted himself to listen to and accept the flattery, and failed to see that in so doing he openly and publicly insulted the Divine majesty. This God never will permit. He is jealous in the high sense of that term of his sole and sovereign rights, and immediately punishes all who dare to claim the honor, which is due alone to him. Flattery of the creature may never rise to this height. Man can commit no sin so heinous as that of assuming Divine honors and rights. The most striking illustration is that of Nebuchadnezzar, whose pride swelled to a claim of Divine power and honor, and was, immediately upon his boastful utterance, smitten of God with a most humiliating disease. It is said that Antiochus the Great, because he sinned in a similar high-handed way, was brought low by a disease like that which afflicted Herod. We may consider some of the reasons why there is such jealousy of the Divine rights, and why Jehovah"s honor he will never give to another.

I THE SOLE CLAIM OF GOD IS ESSENTIAL TO OUR RIGHT RELATIONS WITH HIM. We are required to love God with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. We cannot unless he be indeed the one add only God. We are to recognize our relations with him as Greater, and to admit the claims which this relationship brings. But we cannot conceive of two Creators; he hath made us, and he alone. Our life is to be under his present gracious lead; in all our ways we are to acknowledge him, and to feel that he directs our paths; but only confusion can come into our thought and life if our daily allegiance is to be in any sense divided. Sin only gains its heinousness in our sight when it is thought of as committed against the one supreme will, and redemption has no point if it be not our recovery to the harmony of that one will. Illustrations may be taken from the confusion created by dualistic and polytheistic systems. Men never could be quite sure that they had propitiated the right god, and a constant anxiety wore away the hearts of even the sincerely pious.

II THE SOLE CLAIM OF GOD IS THE FOUNDATION OF MORALS. The connection between the two tables of the Law needs to be carefully considered. "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself" is an injunction without force save as it follows on the great command to "love God with all our heart." The life of morality is love to the one living God. The spirit of sonship is the inspiration of brotherhood. If a man truly loves God he will love his brother also. Illustrate from the uncertainty of all moral systems associated with polytheism. Some of the gods became even the patrons of impurity and immorality. Oar one God being the "ideal of goodness," his service must be wholly pure.

III THE CLAIM OF MAN TO DIVINE HONORS REVEALS HIS UTMOST DEGRADATION. The claim has been made again and again, but only by men utterly abandoned, mastered by pride and self-conceit, and only after the crushing down of all reverence. Self-will may go great lengths and keep within human limits; it becomes Satanic when it dares to rival God and claim for itself Divine rights. When such heart-baseness is declared, the man must come under the immediate and awful judgments of God, even as Herod did. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes one verse 20

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. The people gave a shout. The people of Cæsarea were, many of them at least, heathen. As we learn from Josephus, on the second day of the games, Herod, clad in robes of silver cloth, entered the theater, and standing in the sunshine, his robes reflected his splendor. Then he made an oration, and the people raised their shout: It is the voice of a god. It is thought that his speech was an announcement of his decision in the matter of difficulty with Tyre and Sidon, and that the embassadors were present.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

Connecting Statement:

This is the end of the part of the story about Herod.

Immediately an angel

"Right away an angel" or "While the people were praising Herod, an angel"

struck him

"afflicted Herod" or "caused Herod to become very ill"

he did not give God the glory

Herod let those people worship him instead of telling them to worship God.

he was eaten by worms and died

Here "worms" refers to worms inside the body, probably intestinal worms. This can be stated in active form. AT: "worms ate Herod's insides and he died" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

angel

lord

glory

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

The people [δημος] . The assembled people.

A God. As most of the assembly were heathen, the word does not refer to the Supreme Being, but is to be taken in the pagan sense - a God.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.