Acts 12:2-3

12:2 He had James, the brother of John, executed with a sword. ¹  12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ²  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ³ 

[12:2]  ¹ sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.

[12:3]  ² tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

[12:3]  ³ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.