Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 12:20

"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." — Acts 12:20 (ASV)

Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon.—Literally, as in the margin, was in a hostile state of mind; was, in modern phrase, “contemplating hostilities.” The two Phoenician cities were not subject to Agrippa, but were under the control of Rome with a nominal independence.

Desired peace.—Literally, were seeking peace. They apparently feared that Herod would show his displeasure by prohibiting the export of corn, and oil, and wine, on which the Phoenician cities, with their large population and narrow strips of territory, were dependent for subsistence. Compare 1 Kings 5:11 and Ezekiel 27:17, as showing the identity of the commercial relations of the two countries at long intervals in their history.