He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.
Parallel translations
- WEB He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
- KJV And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
- NKJV Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
- NASB And he had James the brother of John executed with a sword.
- NLT He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword.
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
Herod killed James, the brother of John, with the sword. An apostle becomes an early martyr for Christ.
Overview
James, one of the inner circle of apostles (Mark 5:37), is the first apostle martyred, fulfilling Jesus' word that he would share His cup of suffering (Mark 10:39). His death shows the real cost of faithfulness. That God permits a beloved apostle to die, yet later delivers Peter, reminds us His purposes are wise even when painful.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Heb 11:37They were stoned, they were sawed in two, they were put to death by the sword. They went around in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.
- Matt 20:23“You will indeed drink My cup,” Jesus said. “But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them.”
- Matt 4:21–22Going on from there, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets. Jesus called them,
- Mark 10:35Then James and John, the sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and declared, “Teacher, we want You to do for us whatever we ask.”
- Mark 10:38“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I will drink, or be baptized with the baptism I will undergo?”
- 1 Kgs 19:1Now Ahab told Jezebel everything that Elijah had done and how he had killed all the prophets with the sword.
- 1 Kgs 19:10“I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of Hosts,” he replied, “but the Israelites have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well.”
- Jer 26:23They brought Uriah out of Egypt and took him to King Jehoiakim, who had him put to the sword and his body thrown into the burial place of the common people.
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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 12:2 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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