Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 12:21

"And upon a set day Herod arrayed himself in royal apparel, and sat on the throne, and made an oration unto them." — Acts 12:21 (ASV)

Luke’s account of Agrippa’s death is paralleled by a story in Josephus, the Jewish historian of the first century. Both accounts differ from each other in significant ways, but they are so similar in outline that we may assume that we know in general how Herod Agrippa I died in A. D. 44. Both Luke and Josephus attribute his death to the king’s impiety and God’s judgment. Moreover, Luke sees it as part of God’s activity on behalf of the Jerusalem church. Luke’s reference to worms suggests an infection by intestinal roundworms, which grow as long as ten to sixteen inches and feed on the nutrient fluids in the intestines. Bunches of roundworms can obstruct the intestines, causing severe pain, copious vomiting of worms, and death. In this outdoor theater in Caesarea, the Lord struck down King Herod. The person is standing where Herod’s throne would have been placed.