And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Parallel translations
- WEB He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.
- BSB He had James, the brother of John, put to death 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 sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
- Matt 20:23And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
- Matt 4:21–22And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.
- Mark 10:35And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire.
- Mark 10:38But Jesus said unto them, Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?
- 1 Kgs 19:1And Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and withal how he had slain all the prophets with the sword.
- 1 Kgs 19:10And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
- Jer 26:23And they fetched forth Urijah out of Egypt, and brought him unto Jehoiakim the king; who slew him with the sword, and cast his dead body into the graves of the common people.
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 12:2 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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