And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.
Parallel translations
- WEB The people shouted, “The voice of a god, and not of a man!”
- BSB And they began to shout, “This is the voice of a god, not 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 14:10–13Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
- Jude 1:16These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
- Rev 13:4And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?
- Ps 12:2They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
- Dan 6:7All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast 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
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