Herod Agrippa in Bible history

Herod Agrippa before the crowd at Caesarea

Flavius Josephus wrote the following account of Herod Agrippa's death which matches the account found in the Bible:

"After Agrippa had ruled in Judea for three full years, he traveled to the city of Caesarea, which in the past was called Strato's Tower. There he put on an exhibition in honor of Caesar, declaring this to be a festival for the Emperor. And there came a large number of officials and those of a high-ranking status. At sunrise on the following day, he put on a robe made of all silver and walked into the theater. Then the silver shown brightly as the sun's first rays fell upon it and he sparkled in the sunlight, dazzling the crowd and causing a sort of fear and trembling in those who were viewing Herod’s display. The crowds then began to shout from various parts of the amphitheater, words which in truth were not for his best, addressing him as a god, and crying out, "We have in the past honored you as a man, but now we honor you as one with a nature greater than any mortal being.”

"The king did not rebuke, nor disagree with the flattery of the crowd . . . Shortly afterwards he experienced a violent attack with a severe pain in his stomach . . . The king was carried quickly into the palace and word of this account reached the ears of all his subjects, that it would not be long before he died . . . And when he had suffered for five straight days from the pain in his stomach, he died at the age of fifty-four after ruling for seven years.'

The Bible gives an identical account in Acts chapter 12:19: (After Herod had the apostle James put to death with the sword, and put Peter into prison. Peter was then broken out of jail by an angel of the Lord.) The Bible then continues: "Herod went from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there a while. He had been quarreling with the people of Tyre and Sidon; they now joined together and sought an audience with him. Having secured the support of Blastus, a trusted personal servant of the king, they asked for peace, because they depended on the king's country for their food. On the appointed day, Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of man." Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.

GIVE GLORY TO GOD

"Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb (Jesus Christ)!" All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen." Revelation 7:10-12

HOW TO GIVE GLORY TO GOD

PRAISE GOD:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!" Luke 2:13-14

THANK GOD:

(After curing ten lepers of their disease, one of them came back to thank Jesus) Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? "Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?" And He said to him, "Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well." Luke 17:17-19

WORSHIP GOD:

(After receiving a vision from an angel of the Lord, the apostle John said) "I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10

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This article on Herod Agrippa in Bible History is taken from our 4 volume book series "Bible Believer's Archaeology" which can be downloaded for your ebook reader by visiting our resource download page by Clicking Here.

Sources used in compiling data and illustrations for this article:

The Holy Bible, Author: The Lord God. Scripture is taken from the New King James Version unless noted.

The New Testament Documents (Are They Reliable), Author: F.F. Bruce. ISBN 0-85110-307-3,

Pg.105 (Account of Herod's death as recorded by Josephus).

Artwork: "Herod before the People,” Artist: Edward Henry Corbould (1815-1905) (Original artwork entitled “Demetrius inciting the Ephesians”) Illustrated in “The Childs Bible being a Consecutive Arrangement of the Bible" (1884), Author Dr. J.H. Vincent, Publisher: Cassell and Company.