And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.
And immediately the (or 'an') angel of the Lord smote him, because, [ anth' (G473 ) hoon (G3739 )] he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. The medical precision of the phrase here employed to describe Herod's disease х genomenos (G1096) skooleekobrootos (G4662)] - in which it has the advantage of Josephus'-has been often remarked on, as coming naturally from "the beloved physician." It is remarkable that this Herod's grandfather, Herod the Great, died of the same horrible disease. Josephus' account of Herod's death (Ant. 19: 8. 2) strikingly confirms that of our historian. According to him, Herod was at Caesarea (as Luke represents him to be), presiding over the games in honour of Caesar. On the second day of the games, the theater being filled to the ceiling, Agrippa entered at daybreak, clothed in a robe all worked throughout with silver, on which the rays of the morning sun alighting, he appeared as if all irradiated with glory: voices here and there saluted him as a god; and on his making an oration to them, they shouted, We have taken thee for a man, but henceforth we recognize in thee a god! The king rebuked them not, nor showed any displeasure at this impiety; but after awhile, looking up, he saw an owl perched on a rope over his head, and immediately, taking this for an ill omen, he was filled with remorse, and seized with violent pain in his bowels, exclaiming to his friends, Your god is already come to his life's end, and he whom you saluted immortal is going away to die. To such a height did the pain rise, that he had to be carried hastily into the palace, where, after five days' torture, he expired in his fifty-fourth year. The slight difference between this account and Luke's tends only to confirm the accuracy of it.