John Calvin 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)

Upon an appointed day. Luke says that the men of Tyre and Sidon were granted peace, because this was the reason for the king’s oration, undoubtedly so that he might make them his subjects in the future. The same account is found in Josephus, in his nineteenth book of Antiquities, except that Josephus everywhere calls him Agrippa, whom Luke calls Herod.

It is thought that Agrippa was his actual name, and that he was not called by any other name as long as he was a private citizen. But after he was elevated to be a king, he assumed a princely title or dignity in keeping with the name of his grandfather.

Josephus and Luke agree remarkably well on the event itself and in all its circumstances. First, they agree concerning the place. Josephus says that Herod's garment was embroidered with gold, and when the sun's rays shone on it, it glistened brightly. This, he states, was the reason that led the courtiers to call him a god.

Josephus also recounts that Herod was suddenly struck, and that an owl was seen sitting on a rope above his head, which rope foretold his ruin. Josephus is so certain that Herod's sacrilegious pride was punished in this way that he says Herod openly confessed this amid his cruel torments, declaring, “Behold me, whom you call a god; I am forced to end my life most miserably.”

In Josephus's account, no mention is made of the peace established with the people of Tyre and Sidon; instead, it states that Herod organized and presented games in honor of Caesar. However, it may be that the solemnity of these games was arranged on account of the peace that had been concluded, which, as we know, was a solemn occasion.