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On the appointed day, Herod donned his royal robes, sat on his throne, and addressed the people.
Acts 12:21 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB On an appointed day, Herod dressed himself in royal clothing, sat on the throne, and gave a speech to them.
  • KJV And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.
  • NKJV So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them.
  • NASB On an appointed day, after putting on his royal apparel, Herod took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.
  • NLT and an appointment with Herod was granted. When the day arrived, Herod put on his royal robes, sat on his throne, and made a speech to them.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

On the set day Herod, robed in royal splendor, sits enthroned and addresses the crowd. He stages a display of his own majesty.

Overview

Arrayed in his royal apparel, Herod presents himself in glory before the people. The Jewish historian Josephus describes a similar scene with shimmering garments at Caesarea. Luke frames the spectacle as the prelude to a tragic reversal, where human pomp invites a humbling judgment from God.

Cross-references & the web

No cross-references recorded for this verse.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (8)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 12:21YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.

How Acts 12:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.