Herod Agrippa
The king who killed the apostle James, imprisoned Peter, and was struck down by an angel.
At a glance
- Name
- Herod Agrippa
- Also known as
- Herod, King Herod
- Type
- Person
- Period
- New Testament
- Appears in
- The book of Acts
- First appearance
- Acts 12
- Known for
- The king struck down after killing James and imprisoning Peter
Who is Herod Agrippa?
Herod is a king who persecutes the early church in the book of Acts. Acts calls him King Herod; he is known to history as Herod Agrippa, a name that distinguishes him from the earlier rulers named Herod in the Gospels.
He has the apostle James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword, and, seeing that this pleases some, arrests Peter and imprisons him. The night before Peter's trial, an angel frees Peter from the prison, and Herod, unable to find him, has the guards executed.
Later, at Caesarea, Herod puts on his royal robes and addresses the people, who hail him as a god. Because he does not give glory to God, an angel of the Lord strikes him down, and he dies.
Herod Agrippa in the Bible
James killed, Peter imprisoned
Herod executes the apostle James and imprisons Peter, who is freed from prison by an angel.
Read Acts 12 →People connected with Herod Agrippa
- imprisons Peter Herod imprisons Peter, who is freed from the prison by an angel.
Not to be confused with
- Herod the Great The king ruling when Jesus was born, who ordered the killing of the infants of Bethlehem.
- Herod the tetrarch The ruler who beheaded John the Baptist and questioned Jesus at his trial.
- Agrippa A later King Agrippa, before whom Paul makes his defense in Acts, is a different man, known to history as Herod Agrippa II.
Key passages featuring Herod Agrippa
These are key passages, not a complete list of every appearance.