Person New Testament
Herod
Herod Agrippa I was a king who persecuted the early church, killing James and imprisoning Peter. Mentioned in 6 verses across 1 book, first at Acts 12:1.
Why it matters. A Tetrarch who persecuted the early church.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Herod
Herod Agrippa I was the grandson of Herod the Great and ruled as king over Judea, Samaria, and other regions from 41 to 44 AD. In the book of Acts, he is portrayed as a persecutor of the early Christian church. Herod Agrippa I had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword (Act.12.1-2). Seeing that this pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter as well, intending to bring him out for public trial after the Passover (Act.12.3-4). However, an angel miraculously freed Peter from prison (Act.12.6-11). When Herod Agrippa I discovered Peter's escape, he had the guards executed (Act.12.19). Later, Herod Agrippa I was involved in a dispute with the people of Tyre and Sidon (Act.12.20). On the appointed day, he delivered a public address to them, and the people shouted, "This is the voice of a god, not of a man!" (Act.12.21-22). Immediately, an angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not give glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died (Act.12.23). (Act.12.1-23).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
Appears in Scripture
Named in 6 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.