The Death of King Herod
The death of King Herod is described in the Bible:
“And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12:21-23)
It certainly can sound and be understood like a jealous God sending His angel to kill off a potential rival. But is that what is really happening? Would God really do that? He is certainly under no threat from a mere mortal pretending to be a god.
Life eternal is to know God (John 17:3). We want to correctly know what God is like and always have to ask of a questionable passage “is this like God?” Is this consistent with His character? We should not judge God by events but judge events by God and what He says about Himself. So let’s take a closer look.
It is always good to identify and then check any assumptions that we are making. For example, in the passage above:
- Does “smote” mean what we think it does?
- What was the actual cause of death?
- What was the time interval between the act of the angel and Herod’s death?
Meaning of Smote
The meaning of “smote” is given in the glossary. It does not necessarily mean to kill. Also, see an examination of every use of the original Greek word (“patasso;” Strong’s G3960) for smote in the New Testament.
The Death of King Herod – Cause
“And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.” (Acts 12:21-23)
Following the smiting, Herod was “eaten of worms” and then he “gave up the ghost.” It seems Herod had some kind of parasitic infection of which he died. It does not say that the angel struck him with a blow that killed him and then his dead body was eaten by worms. Rather, first the angel smote him (whatever that meant) and then, sometime later, he died as a result of the action of the worms.
There is actually an extra-Biblical account giving more details of the events leading to the death of King Herod. Note that this King Herod’s full name was Marcus Julius Agrippa Herodes. He was the father of the king Agrippa of Acts chapter 15 whose full name was Marcus Julius Agrippa Herodes II.
The Death of King Herod – Timing
That account of the death of the King Herod (Agrippa I) of Acts chapter 12 was written by the Jewish historian Flavius Josephus:
“Now when Agrippa had reigned three years over all Judea, he came to the city Caesarea […] There he exhibited shows in honor of the emperor […] On the second day of the festival, Herod put on a garment made wholly of silver, and of a truly wonderful contexture, and came into the theater early in the morning; at which time the silver of his garment was illuminated by the fresh reflection of the sun’s rays upon it. It shone out after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent as to spread a horror over those that looked intently upon him. At that moment, his flatterers cried out […] 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. But as he presently afterward looked up, he saw an owl sitting on a certain rope over his head, and immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings, as it had once been the messenger of good tidings to him; and he fell into the deepest sorrow. A severe pain also arose in his belly, and began in a most violent manner. He therefore looked upon his friends, and said, ‘I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence allots, as it pleases God; for we have by no means lived ill, but in a splendid and happy manner.’
After he said this, his pain was become violent. Accordingly he was carried into the palace, and the rumor went abroad that he would certainly die in a little time. But the multitude presently sat in sackcloth, with their wives and children, after the law of their country, and besought God for the king’s recovery. All places were also full of mourning and lamentation. Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not himself forbear weeping. And when he had been quite worn out by the pain in his belly for five days, he departed this life, being in the fifty-fourth year of his age, and in the seventh year of his reign.” (Flavius Josephus, Jewish Antiquities, Book 19, Chapter 8, p343-350).
To what degree we can accept Herod’s stating what he saw is uncertain but in the account by Josephus the point at which Herod “immediately understood that this bird was the messenger of ill tidings” would mark the point at which he (really, his conscience) was smitten.
If the smiting by the angel according to both history and the Bible was not the cause of Herod’s death, what was the reason for it – for the smiting by the angel?
Why Does God Smite?
Earlier in Acts chapter 12, the same angel smote Peter:
“And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.” (Acts 12:7)
Peter did not die but was only awakened and helped to escape from prison. So the angel smiting Peter was only to get his attention. Could it have been for the same purpose in the case of Herod? Consider this verse:
“… the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” (Rom 2:4)
This is commonly understood to mean that, as we understand and appreciate the goodness of God, it helps us to see our own sinfulness and to repent and turn to Him and that is certainly true. But could it also be understood in this way – that God, not wanting any to be lost, performs the good act (through the Holy Spirit or angels) of getting the attention of those heading the wrong way and warning them that they had better change from the destructive path they are on?
In that way, God could be leading a person to repentance, showing them their present danger and the better way to go. However, once the person becomes aware of their need of repentance, it is up to them to actually choose to repent. God does not force the will. God is good in that, if we are in grave spiritual danger, He will try to get our attention and offer us the opportunity to repent.
Even the Bible says that Herod died not from an angel’s blow but from an acute illness. Josephus records that he died several days later and there are even some clues that he may have repented (although the Bible does not record it). Wouldn’t that have been the object of any act on God’s part?
“I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32, see also Hosea 6:6)
The smiting of King Herod was certainly not an act of divine vengeance because God didn’t like Herod accepting worship as a god. The account by Josephus includes these words from Herod:
“‘I, whom you call a god, am commanded presently to depart this life; while Providence thus reproves the lying words you just now said to me; and I, who was by you called immortal, am immediately to be hurried away by death. But I am bound to accept of what Providence allots, as it pleases God’ … Now the king rested in a high chamber, and as he saw them [the people beseeching God for his recovery] below lying prostrate on the ground, he could not himself forbear weeping.”
Man takes vengeance, in its most extreme form, by doing away with his enemies by killing them. God’s form of vengeance is to do away with His enemies by doing all He can to turn them into his friends.
Is it possible that this smiting was a call from the God of infinite love to Herod’s conscience to warn one that He loved to make a much needed change in course? The pain in his belly was part of His reaction and likely contributed to his death several days later.
The Death of King Herod – Conclusion
The smiting of King Herod was certainly not an act of divine vengeance because God didn’t like Herod accepting worship as a god. It seems that is was more like a call from the God of infinite love to warn one that He loved to make a much needed change in course.
There is nothing in the passage itself which says directly that God or His angel smote Herod with the intent and result of killing him. Rather, that idea is contrary to the text; to the details of the timing, what is stated of the cause of death and to recorded history as well as being inconsistent with God’s actions and character. When reading scripture, especially any that seem to put God in a bad light, we need to carefully examine the assumptions we might be making.
Hg
December 22, 2019 @ 12:03 pm
It says why after the “because.”
Ray Foucher
December 23, 2019 @ 6:49 am
Thank you Hg for your comment. I think what you are saying is that the reason for King Herod’s death was because “he gave not God the glory.” That is absolutely correct. What we need to be clear about though is who was responsible for his death. If we take “the Lord smote him” to mean that God struck him with a physical blow to cause his death that is (I am saying) inconsistent with the character of God as properly understood and as portrayed in scripture (when read carefully).
Here is the definition of smite (smote is the simple past tense of smite) from http://www.dictionary.com:
1. to strike or hit hard, with or as with the hand, a stick, or other weapon
2. to deliver or deal (a blow, hit, etc.) by striking hard.
3. to strike down, injure, or slay: His sword had smitten thousands.
4. to afflict or attack with deadly or disastrous effect: smitten by polio.
5. to affect mentally or morally with a sudden pang: His conscience smote him.
History confirms that he died some days after the incident by being eaten of worms (as scripture actually says) which would not be instantaneous.
Another factor to consider is what Herod said or did not say. He was praised as “a god” (Acts 12:22) and there is no indication that he declined that worship. The smiting it says the Lord did could have been to smite Herod’s conscience with a call to repentance as in the fifth definition above. In not responding to that call he was severing himself from the true God Who respected his decision and, regretfully, withdrew His protection.
Dolores
July 8, 2022 @ 4:03 pm
Now that our current people in government are so preoccupied with doing whatever they can to to preserve abortion instead of listening to the decision of the Supreme Court, I can only wonder how God will deal with all of this. How often I have felt sorry for God in His judgement of all of us. God bless.
Ray Foucher
July 8, 2022 @ 4:50 pm
God must be hurt by having to see and deal with so many of the things we do. He is all-wise so He is certainly capable of dealing with it but He also has emotions and must be hurt over man’s inhumanity to man.
I wonder too where this will lead – the government not honoring the decisions of the highest court in the land. Trends in the U.S. are headed for a massive conservative backlash.
Jeff
January 20, 2023 @ 7:36 am
Mmmm… in discussing the nature and character of the Lord it is vital to be aware of the harmony of Scripture. Not withstanding the Old Testament, think perhaps of Ananias and Sapphira. The Lord is not a codependent, or have attributes we would place on Him as humans. But He is filled with divine, mercy, love and Grace for those who love Him, and awaits all patiently.
Corey Bender
November 26, 2023 @ 10:01 am
silly sinners, the Holy Word of the Lord does not need to be perverted to make the Lord more appealing to the world. there is a time to kill and a time to heal. God is outside of the humanly shadow we call love. a clear understanding and reading of the Word, is the Lord ended Herods time in this earth age. a simple reading of the Bible is full of the Lord striking people down (carry the Ark at your own peril). this is new age seeker friendly arrogant twisting of the Word.
Above comment copied with my reply inserted (bold and italic):
silly sinners, the Holy Word of the Lord does not need to be perverted The problem is that the Word has already been perverted through mistranslation and misinterpretation. This website is an effort to help “unpervert” it. to make the Lord more appealing to the world When one looks at the behavior of most Christians and the rejection of Christian principles by most of the rest of the world, it is pretty obvious that neither the Word nor Christian lifestyle is very appealing to the world. there is a time to kill and a time to heal. God is outside of the humanly shadow we call love. That seems to be a suggestion that God is not love when the Word plainly says He is (1 John 4:8) a clear understanding and reading of the Word, is the Lord ended Herods time in this earth age. The Word does not say that the Lord ended Herod’s life. A careful comparison of scripture with scripture and the evidence of recorded history shows that He did not. It is the carelessness and neglect of many to investigate scripture and what it really says that will cause them to be lost – please be careful. a simple reading of the Bible is full of the Lord striking people down (carry the Ark at your own peril). As this would be a clear contradiction of the Word, it is incumbent upon each person to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15) Approved by who? – God. Is God going to approve of being charged with murder? There are good explanations for all of these seeming contradictions. this is new age seeker friendly arrogant twisting of the Word.
Corey Bender
November 26, 2023 @ 1:33 pm
God is not only Love. A plain reading of scripture is that God caused the demise of Herod. it was intentional, God does not have to stick a knife in you to accomplish this. the problem is when we humans say God is Love so God could not have done this. you introduce bias into your reading. By the US is full of churches and churchgoers but most are practicing a worldly religion and worshipping a God deconstructed from the True One. Too much of the churchgoer embraces abortion as an example. this misconception that God is love and therefore I have to misinterpret scripture so as to prevent offense to people is one of the downfalls of the American church. I finish with a quote from a Pastor
But our human experience of anger, especially my stupid anger that I had struck out for the 19th time or whatever it was, it stands in stark contrast to divine anger, the wrath of God. Our wrath is selfish. It is irrational. It is often uncontrolled and it does great harm. On the other hand, God’s wrath is just and it is impartial, it is measured, it is usually very quick, even though it may be very destructive while it is being a poured out.
God’s wrath, though, is not an insignificant subject. We tend to like to emphasize His kinder virtues, but the Bible talks about God’s wrath quite a bit. Phrases like God’s anger, God’s wrath, God’s fury. Or maybe it will change the title. Maybe it will be the Lord’s wrath, the Lord’s anger, the Lord’s fury. However it is set up, it is mentioned 64 times in the New King James version. This does not include the 56 times that the possessive pronoun His is used. So it is His anger, His wrath, His fury. And together, that is 120 times that it is mentioned in just those phrases. Another 100 or so verses have the words anger, wrath, or fury with reference to God in other kinds of phrases that you have to really figure out how to set up all those phrases to find them, but you have about 220 or so mentions of God’s wrath in the Scriptures.
Ray Foucher
December 19, 2023 @ 9:06 am
Yes, Corey, there are indeed many mentions of God’s wrath. However, if we understand His wrath incorrectly, we will be left with a wrong understanding of His character. To understand the messages God gives to us in the Bible, we need to know the meaning of the terms used. Thus, The Character of God and the Gospel Glossary. See the entry there for the word “wrath.”
Michael
August 15, 2024 @ 11:16 pm
God is good enough. He doesn’t need the Ray to make Him any better. It is clear that Luke intended to connect the demise of Herod to an angelic action. if for no reason, give respect to Luke (the author of the books of Luke and Acts) and leave it at that. Don’t shove him aside (proverbially) because we have to believe God is good.
I enjoyed your writing style though.
Stay blessed.