Acts 12:2

Acts 12:2

And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.

a. NLT: He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. [Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.]

b. NIV: He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. [THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.]

c. YLT: and he killed James, the brother of John, with the sword, [The Young's Literal Translation was translated by Robert Young, who believed in a strictly literal translation of God's word. This version of the Bible is in the public domain.]

d. Amplified Bible Classic:  And he killed James the brother of John with a sword; [Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC) Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation]

e. Worrell Translation: And he slew James, the brother of John, with the sward. [Copyright 1904 by A.S. Worrell. Copyright assigned to the Assemblies of God, Springfield, MO. This edition was published 1980 by the Gospel Publishing House, Springfield, MO 65802. Printed in the U.S.A.]

1. “And he killed James the brother of John…”

a. And [Strong: 1161. de deh a primary particle (adversative or continuative); but, and, etc.:--also, and, but, moreover, now (often unexpressed in English).]

b. he killed [Strong: 337. anaireo an-ahee-reh'-o from 303 and (the active of) 138; to take up, i.e. adopt; by implication, to take away (violently), i.e. abolish, murder:--put to death, kill, slay, take away, take up.]

c. James [Strong: 2385. Iakobos ee-ak'-o-bos the same as 2384 Graecized; Jacobus, the name of three Israelites:--James.]

d. the [Strong: 3588. [ton] ὁ ho ho, including the feminine he hay, and the neuter to to in all their inflections; the definite article; the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom):--the, this, that, one, he, she, it, etc.] [Thayer: [ton] ὁ, ἡ, τό, originally τος, τῇ, τό (as is evident from the forms τοι, ται for οἱ, αἱ in Homer and the Ionic writings), corresponds to our definite article the (German der, die, das), which is properly a demonstrative pronoun, which we see in its full force in Homer, and of which we find certain indubitable traces also in all kinds of Greek prose, and hence also in the N. T.] [Additional variants: tē, hoi, oi, tēn, ta, tēs, tois, tais, tō, tōn, tou, hé  hē, hai, tas.]

e. brother [Strong: 80. adephos ad-el-fos' from 1 (as a connective particle) and delphus (the womb); a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (much like 1):--brother.]

e. [of] John [Strong: 2491. Ioannes ee-o-an'-nace of Hebrew origin (3110); Joannes (i.e. Jochanan), the name of four Israelites:--John.]

1). James and John were the Zebedee brothers.

a). Matthew 4:21, 22 And 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.

4:22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

2). They were along with Peter the inner circle of Jesus’ apostles. They were the only disciples present at the following events.

a). The transfiguration: Matthew 17:1; Mark 9:2; Luke 9:28.

b). The raising of Jairus’s daughter: Mark 5:37; Luke 8:51.

c). The agony in the garden: Mark 14:33; Matthew 27:37.

3). James and John were surnamed the sons of thunder by Jesus, probably because of their rough personalities.

a). Mark 3:17   And James the son of Zebedee, and John the brother of James; and he surnamed them Boanerges, which is, The sons of thunder:

b). Luke 9:51-56 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,

9:52 And sent messengers before his face: and they went, and entered into a village of the Samaritans, to make ready for him.

9:53 And they did not receive him, because his face was as though he would go to Jerusalem.

9:45 And when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, Lord, wilt thou that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them, even as Elias did?

9:55 But he turned, and rebuked them, and said, Ye know not what manner of spirit ye are of.

9:56 For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village.

4). It is possible that James was beheaded because of his fiery personality in the same manner John the Baptist’s life was ended. 

2. “…with the sword.”

a. [with the] sword [Strong: 3162. machaira makh'-ahee-rah probably feminine of a presumed derivative of 3163; a knife, i.e. dirk; figuratively, war, judicial punishment:--sword.

1). Fox’s Book of Martyrs, p.2 “…It was not until ten years after the death of Stephen that the second martyrdom took place; for no sooner had Herod Agippa been appointed governor of Judea, than, with a view to ingratiate himself with them, he raised a sharp persecution against the Christians, and determined to make an effectual blow, by striking at its leaders. The account given us by an eminent primitive writer, Clemens Alexandrinius, ought not to be overlooked; that, as James was led to the place of martyrdom, his accuser was brought to repent of his conduct by the apostle’s extraordinary courage and undauntedness, and fell down at his feet to request his pardon, professing himself a Christian, and resolving that James should not receive the crown of martyrdom alone. Hence they were both beheaded at the same time.”

a). The account in Acts 12 gives meaning to the phrase found in Romans 13 speaking of the God given authority of capital punishment that was given to civil authorities.

b). Romans 13:1-4 Let every soul be subject to the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.

13:2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.

13:3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? Do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:

13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.