And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not a man!”
Parallel translations
- WEB The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
- KJV And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
- NKJV And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
- NASB The people repeatedly cried out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
- NLT The people gave him a great ovation, shouting, “It’s the voice of a god, not of a man!”
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
The crowd flatters Herod, shouting that his voice is a god's, not a man's. They offer worship that belongs to God alone.
Overview
The people's acclamation is gross flattery, ascribing deity to a mortal ruler. Herod's danger lies not merely in receiving such praise but in welcoming it. The scene exposes the idolatry of human pride and the peril of accepting honor that belongs to God, a warning underscored by the verses that follow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Acts 14:10–13In a loud voice Paul called out, “Stand up on your feet!” And the man jumped up and began to walk.
- Jude 1:16These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.
- Rev 13:4They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it?”
- Ps 12:2They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
- Dan 6:7All the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 12:22 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.