Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Acts
Chapter 12: But the Word of God Grew and Multiplied
Acts 12 sets the fury of a king against the prayer of the church, and shows which prevails. Herod kills James the brother of John with the sword, and, seeing it pleased the Jews, seizes Peter also, guarding him with sixteen soldiers, intending to bring him out after the feast. But 'prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him,' and the night before his trial the angel of the Lord fills the prison with light, strikes Peter awake, and his chains fall off; gate after gate opens, and Peter walks free, coming to the house where the church is praying, to their astonishment. Then the scene turns to the proud king: arrayed in royal apparel, hailed by the crowd as 'the voice of a god, and not of a man,' Herod 'gave not God the glory,' and 'immediately the angel of the Lord smote him... and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.' And Luke sums up the whole with a triumphant line: 'But the word of God grew and multiplied.' The chapter shows us the God who hears the praying church, delivers His servants, humbles the proud, and whose word cannot be stopped.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Acts chapter 12. For each section you will find the KJV text, the Greek words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. Here James is martyred, Peter is delivered from prison by the praying church's God, and the proud Herod is struck down, while the word of God grows. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
He Killed James
Herod's fury falls on the church; James is martyred.
Without Ceasing
The church prays earnestly, and the chains fall off.
The Lord Hath Sent His Angel
Gate after gate opens, and Peter walks free.
The Word of God Grew
Herod is struck down; God's word cannot be stopped.
Prayer Was Made Without Ceasing (Acts 12:1-19)
Herod kills James and imprisons Peter, but the praying church's God sends His angel to set Peter free.
Now I Know of a Surety, That the Lord Hath Sent His Angel
"Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 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. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews. And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place. Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode."
Word Study
"without ceasing," Greek ektenes (ἐκτενής). The word means stretched out, earnest, fervent, strained to the utmost, like a muscle stretched taut; it describes prayer that is intense and unremitting. "Prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." The same root describes the church's later prayer and Peter's own call to "fervent charity." This was not casual, half-hearted prayer but the earnest, continual crying of the whole church to God for their imprisoned apostle. And God answered. The chains that Herod fastened could not withstand the prayer that the church stretched out to heaven. Fervent, persevering prayer moves the hand of God; the praying church is mightier than the armed king, and the God who hears such prayer sends His angel to break every chain.
Explanation
Herod kills James with the sword and imprisons Peter, intending the same -- but "prayer was made without ceasing of the church... for him." On the very eve of execution, an angel wakes the sleeping Peter, his chains fall off, and doors open of their own accord until he stands free in the street. The praying church can scarcely believe their own answered prayer when Peter knocks -- Rhoda leaves him at the gate for joy. The contrast is stark: an earthly king's power over life and death is undone by the God who hears His praying people. The same sovereignty that permitted James's martyrdom delivered Peter, for God's purposes, not Herod's, govern the church.
Gospel Focus
Herod Agrippa launches a persecution to please the Jews. He kills "James the brother of John with the sword", the first of the apostles to be martyred, and one of the inner three. Here is a sobering mystery: James is killed, yet Peter, as we shall see, is delivered. God does not always spare His servants from death; James received the martyr's crown while Peter was spared for further service, and both outcomes were within the will of God. Emboldened by the crowd's approval, Herod seizes Peter too, guarding him with "four quaternions of soldiers", sixteen men, chaining him between two, and intending a public execution after the feast. Humanly, Peter's case was hopeless. But against Herod's iron security stands one weapon: "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him." The church could not break the prison, but it could pray, and it prayed fervently and continually. On the very night before his trial, Peter sleeps peacefully between his guards, so at rest in God that he must be struck awake. The angel of the Lord comes, light fills the cell, "and his chains fell off from his hands." Step by step the angel leads him, past the guards, through the iron gate that "opened to them of his own accord," out into the street, and then departs. Peter, who thought he was dreaming, "came to himself" and declared, "Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me." He goes to the house of Mary, where the church is gathered praying, and here comes one of the most human and gently humorous scenes in Scripture: the servant girl Rhoda, hearing Peter's voice, is so overjoyed she forgets to open the gate and runs to tell the others, who insist, "Thou art mad," and then, "It is his angel." They were praying earnestly for Peter's deliverance, yet could scarcely believe it when the answer stood knocking at the door, a tender picture of how our faith often lags behind God's willingness to answer. But Peter keeps knocking, and at last they see him and are astonished. He tells them how the Lord brought him out, sends word to James (the Lord's brother) and the brethren, and withdraws. Meanwhile the soldiers are thrown into confusion, and Herod, unable to find his prisoner, executes the guards in his rage. The praying church, weak and unarmed, has prevailed over the mighty king, for the God who hears fervent prayer had sent His angel and delivered His servant.
He Gave Not God the Glory (Acts 12:20-25)
The proud king who took to himself the honour of God is struck down, while the word of God grows unhindered.
But the Word of God Grew and Multiplied
"And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country. 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. But the word of God grew and multiplied. And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark."
Word Study
"grew," Greek auxano (αὐξάνω). The word means to grow, to increase, to spread, as a living plant grows. "But the word of God grew and multiplied." The little word "but" sets up a great contrast: the proud king who exalted himself is "eaten of worms" and dies, but the word of God grows and multiplies, alive and unstoppable. Herod's kingdom ended in a maggot-ridden corpse; God's kingdom, borne by His living word, kept spreading. Luke uses this same language of the word's growth at key points in Acts, marking the triumphant advance of the gospel. No king, no prison, no persecution can halt the growth of God's word; it is a living seed that increases and fills the earth. The death of the persecutor and the growth of the word stand side by side as the verdict of God: the proud fall, but the word of the Lord endureth forever.
Explanation
Herod, hailed by flatterers as a god -- "the voice of a god, and not of a man" -- accepts the worship due God alone, and is struck down, "eaten of worms," and dies. The proud king who killed an apostle and imprisoned another is humbled by God in an instant, a vivid lesson that those who usurp God's glory perish. Luke sets the dying tyrant against the living word: "but the word of God grew and multiplied." Kings rise and rot, but the gospel advances unstoppably. The chapter ends with Barnabas and Saul returning from Jerusalem, poised for the missionary journeys that will carry the growing word across the empire.
Gospel Focus
The chapter's second scene is the fall of the proud king. Herod, at odds with the cities of Tyre and Sidon who depend on his territory for food, receives their delegation on "a set day," seated on his throne "arrayed in royal apparel," and makes a grand oration. The flattering crowd shouts, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man." Here was the fatal moment. A man of God would have done as Peter did with Cornelius, "Stand up; I myself also am a man," or as Paul and Barnabas would do at Lystra, tearing their clothes and refusing worship. But Herod "gave not God the glory"; he received the honour due to God alone, letting men call him a god. "And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him... and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." The same "angel of the Lord" who delivered Peter now strikes the king; the God who saves His servants also judges the proud. Herod's horrifying end, devoured by worms, is God's verdict on the man who stole His glory and killed His servants. The contrast with Peter could not be sharper: the apostle, weak and chained, is delivered and honoured; the king, robed and enthroned, is struck down and consumed. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. Then comes Luke's triumphant summary of the whole chapter: "But the word of God grew and multiplied." Herod tried to stop the gospel by the sword and the prison, and Herod is dead; but the word of God he sought to silence keeps growing, alive and unstoppable. This is the great lesson: kings and persecutors rise and fall, but the word of God endures and advances. The chapter closes by turning our eyes forward: Barnabas and Saul, having completed their relief mission to Jerusalem, return to Antioch, taking John Mark with them, and from that church the great missionary journeys would soon begin. The persecutor is gone; the church prays on; the word multiplies; and the mission goes forward. The God who hears the praying church, delivers His servants, and humbles the proud, is carrying His word to the ends of the earth, and nothing can stop it.
Chapter 12 in Review
Acts 12 pits a king's fury against a church's prayer. Herod kills James with the sword and imprisons Peter under heavy guard, but "prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him," and the night before his trial the angel of the Lord fills the cell with light, and Peter's chains fall off; gate after gate opens, and he walks free to the astonishment of the praying church. Then the proud king, hailed as "the voice of a god, and not of a man," is struck down because "he gave not God the glory," and "was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost." And Luke sums it all up: "But the word of God grew and multiplied," as Barnabas and Saul return to Antioch with John Mark.
For the Apostolic reader this chapter is a study in the sovereignty and faithfulness of God. It does not hide the hard mystery that James was killed while Peter was spared; God's servants are not always delivered from death, yet the martyr and the freed apostle alike are in His hands, and He works His good purpose through both. It exalts the power of fervent, persevering prayer: the church could not break the prison, but it could pray, and the God who hears earnest prayer sent His angel and shattered Herod's chains, showing that the praying church is mightier than the armed king. It warns the proud: the man who steals the glory of God and persecutes His people is struck down and consumed, for God resists the proud and will not give His glory to another. And above all it declares the invincibility of God's word: kings rage and die, but "the word of God grew and multiplied," and the mission of the gospel goes forward unstoppable. So pray fervently and do not lose heart when the answer seems delayed; trust God's hand whether He delivers or grants the martyr's crown; give God alone the glory; and take courage that no power on earth can halt the growth of His word.
- God's servants are not always spared death, yet all are in His hands (12:2-6).
- Fervent, unceasing prayer moves the hand of God (12:5).
- The Lord sends His angel to deliver; no chain or gate can hold (12:7-10).
- Our faith often lags behind God's willingness to answer (12:14-16).
- The proud who steal God's glory are struck down (12:22-23).
- "But the word of God grew and multiplied"; it cannot be stopped (12:24).
Questions for Reflection
- Do you pray with the fervent, unceasing prayer that moves God's hand?
- Do you trust God's wisdom whether He delivers or calls to suffer?
- Are you careful to give God alone the glory in every honour that comes to you?
- Do you take courage that no power can halt the growth of God's word?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). Supporting passages are listed so every claim can be verified in its own setting. Martyrdom and God's sovereignty over His servants: Matthew 20:23; Revelation 6:9-11; Philippians 1:21. The power of fervent prayer: James 5:16-18; Luke 18:1-8; Ephesians 6:18. Angelic deliverance: Psalm 34:7; Acts 5:19; Daniel 6:22; Hebrews 1:14. Refusing the worship due to God: Acts 10:26; 14:14-15; Revelation 19:10. God's judgment on pride and stolen glory: Isaiah 42:8; Daniel 4:30-33; Proverbs 16:18. The unstoppable growth of God's word: Acts 6:7; 19:20; Isaiah 55:11; 2 Timothy 2:9. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- James martyred and Peter delivered: Acts 12:1-19; James 5:16-18; Psalm 34:7.
- The death of Herod and the growth of the word: Acts 12:20-25; Daniel 4:30-33; Isaiah 55:11.