Acts 12:21
ContextNETBible | On a day determined in advance, Herod 1 put on his royal robes, 2 sat down on the judgment seat, 3 and made a speech 4 to them. |
NET © Notes |
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. sn Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). 2 tn Or “apparel.” On Herod’s robes see Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 (19.344), summarized in the note at the end of v. 23. 3 tn Although BDAG 175 s.v. βῆμα 3 gives the meaning “speaker’s platform” for this verse, and a number of modern translations use similar terms (“rostrum,” NASB; “platform,” NRSV), since the bema was a standard feature in Greco-Roman cities of the time, there is no need for an alternative translation here. sn The judgment seat (βῆμα, bhma) was a raised platform mounted by steps and sometimes furnished with a seat, used by officials in addressing an assembly or making pronouncements, often on judicial matters. The judgment seat was a familiar item in Greco-Roman culture, often located in the agora, the public square or marketplace in the center of a city. 4 tn Or “delivered a public address.” |