Acts 12:18-25
Lesson 247
Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."
In this lesson:
An angel strikes down King Herod Agrippa.
This lesson ends the section of Acts entitled, "the church scattered."
An angel strikes down King Herod Agrippa.
Where were -
Sidon and Tyre -
Two seaport cities in Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon). Sidon (also called Zidon) was a seaport city (Ezekiel 27:8) located on the Mediterranean Sea twenty-five miles north of Tyre (south of modern-day Beirut, Lebanon) and thirty-five miles from Galilee. It was a one-day sail from Caesarea. Mentioned in Joshua 11:8 and 19:28 as a great city, Sidon was inhabited by Gentiles who had a history of oppressing Jews (Judges 10:12). In the Old Testament, Sidon was destroyed by God due to its pagan worship. But by Jesus' day, Sidon had recovered and was a thriving fishing town and trading center with prosperous glass and weaving shops and was famous for its art, commerce, and cedar trees (1 Kings 5:6 and 1 Chronicles 22:4). Today, Sidon is home to about 10,000 citizens and boasts many ancient ruins.
Tyre was a seaport city also located on the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Lebanon. It lay thirty-five miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee, forty-seven miles north of Caesarea and twenty-five miles south of Sidon, and was populated mostly by Gentiles. Tyre dates back to the twenty-eighth century BC and was called Tyrus in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 26:2). Described as a beautiful city (Ezekiel 27:4), Tyre was a primary city known for its cedar trees (1 Chronicles 22:4), dye works, glassware, weaving, and other manufactured goods. Isaiah 23:8 tells us that Tyre was a "crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth." Tyre supplied cedarwood, carpenters, and masons to build the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 5:2-10; 2 Chronicles 2:3), but the city also had a reputation for wickedness. Its people turned against Israel and sold Hebrews into slavery (Joel 3:6-8). Tyre was destroyed in the Old Testament (Isaiah 23:1; Amos 1:9-10; Zechariah 9:3-4). But by Jesus' time, the city had been rebuilt and had one of the busiest harbors in the eastern Mediterranean. Ezekiel 27:3 describes Tyre as being "situate at the entry of the sea, a merchant of the people for many isles." Tyre's merchants shipped goods throughout the Roman empire and made the city wealthy. Today, Tyre is called Sur and inhabited by just a few thousand residents. Tyre is also mentioned extensively in Isaiah 23 and Ezekiel 26-28.
Sidon and Tyre -
Two seaport cities in Phoenicia (modern-day Lebanon). Sidon (also called Zidon) was a seaport city (Ezekiel 27:8) located on the Mediterranean Sea twenty-five miles north of Tyre (south of modern-day Beirut, Lebanon) and thirty-five miles from Galilee. It was a one-day sail from Caesarea. Mentioned in Joshua 11:8 and 19:28 as a great city, Sidon was inhabited by Gentiles who had a history of oppressing Jews (Judges 10:12). In the Old Testament, Sidon was destroyed by God due to its pagan worship. But by Jesus' day, Sidon had recovered and was a thriving fishing town and trading center with prosperous glass and weaving shops and was famous for its art, commerce, and cedar trees (1 Kings 5:6 and 1 Chronicles 22:4). Today, Sidon is home to about 10,000 citizens and boasts many ancient ruins.
Tyre was a seaport city also located on the Mediterranean Sea in modern-day Lebanon. It lay thirty-five miles northwest of the Sea of Galilee, forty-seven miles north of Caesarea and twenty-five miles south of Sidon, and was populated mostly by Gentiles. Tyre dates back to the twenty-eighth century BC and was called Tyrus in the Old Testament (Ezekiel 26:2). Described as a beautiful city (Ezekiel 27:4), Tyre was a primary city known for its cedar trees (1 Chronicles 22:4), dye works, glassware, weaving, and other manufactured goods. Isaiah 23:8 tells us that Tyre was a "crowning city, whose merchants are princes, whose traffickers are the honourable of the earth." Tyre supplied cedarwood, carpenters, and masons to build the Temple in Jerusalem (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Kings 5:2-10; 2 Chronicles 2:3), but the city also had a reputation for wickedness. Its people turned against Israel and sold Hebrews into slavery (Joel 3:6-8). Tyre was destroyed in the Old Testament (Isaiah 23:1; Amos 1:9-10; Zechariah 9:3-4). But by Jesus' time, the city had been rebuilt and had one of the busiest harbors in the eastern Mediterranean. Ezekiel 27:3 describes Tyre as being "situate at the entry of the sea, a merchant of the people for many isles." Tyre's merchants shipped goods throughout the Roman empire and made the city wealthy. Today, Tyre is called Sur and inhabited by just a few thousand residents. Tyre is also mentioned extensively in Isaiah 23 and Ezekiel 26-28.
Study Tip:
When you come across important Bible verses, write them down, and ponder their meaning.
When you come across important Bible verses, write them down, and ponder their meaning.