There were two kings called Herod and both of them are mentioned in the Bible.
Herod the Great ruled from 37 to 4 BC. His death is perhaps not described in the Bible, but we do know from other sources that he died of a lingering and painful illness. Always a cruel tyrant, given to executing his supporters and even members of his own family on a whim, this disease seems to have magnified his cruelty. His death occurred in March of 4 BC of such a dreadful illness that it was widely believed to be a judgment of God for his wickedness. It has been suggested that he may have died of a particularly horrible cancer like disease called Fournier's gangrene. It is described as a form of necrotizing fasciitis of the private parts most common in men over 50. Predispositions include diabetes and a compromised immune system. This diagnosis is probably derived from the historian, Josephus' exhaustive description of Herod's symptoms, which includes his genital area becoming so severely necrotized that it bred worms. It does seem though that Herod lingered much longer than average for sufferers from this disease, which can kill quickly.
Herod Agrippa I was the second of the two Herods who were given the title of King and was the grandson of Herod the Great. I do not know whether or not anyone has been able to identify precisely what disease it was Herod Agrippa I died of. He died in AD 44, exactly forty years after his grandfather's death, after a reign of seven years.
Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, states that Herod Agrippa, wearing his royal robes and sitting on his throne, gave a public address to a deputation from Tyre and Sidon. They started to shout "This is the voice of a god, not a man". Herod apparently accepted this grovelling instead of giving glory to God and an angel of God "struck him down", apparently during the course of this speech.
The historian, Flavius Josephus tells much the same story. He says that Herod Agrippa appeared to accept the grovelling worship of the people. But he says that he was almost immediately struck by extremely violent pains in the belly. He realised immediately that God had struck him, and that he was dying, he believed as punishment for accepting worship which should only belong to God. Josephus states that he had to be carried back to the palace. His pain was agonising and unremitting. He died five days later, exhausted from the agony.
Josephus' account could suggest something such as a burst appendix or the later stages of bowel cancer, which very often does not become agonizingly painful until the very end. The account in Luke could suggest anything, because it does not describe in detail how he was struck down. There have also been suggestions that he was poisoned by Roman agents because he was becoming too powerful.
The interesting thing is that Luke says that Herod Agrippa was "eaten by worms" and died. Whether that relates to how the extreme agony of his disease felt to Herod Agrippa, or whether Luke is, at this point, describing the death of Herod the Great is hard to tell.
Herod the Great ruled from 37 to 4 BC. His death is perhaps not described in the Bible, but we do know from other sources that he died of a lingering and painful illness. Always a cruel tyrant, given to executing his supporters and even members of his own family on a whim, this disease seems to have magnified his cruelty. His death occurred in March of 4 BC of such a dreadful illness that it was widely believed to be a judgment of God for his wickedness. It has been suggested that he may have died of a particularly horrible cancer like disease called Fournier's gangrene. It is described as a form of necrotizing fasciitis of the private parts most common in men over 50. Predispositions include diabetes and a compromised immune system. This diagnosis is probably derived from the historian, Josephus' exhaustive description of Herod's symptoms, which includes his genital area becoming so severely necrotized that it bred worms. It does seem though that Herod lingered much longer than average for sufferers from this disease, which can kill quickly.
Herod Agrippa I was the second of the two Herods who were given the title of King and was the grandson of Herod the Great. I do not know whether or not anyone has been able to identify precisely what disease it was Herod Agrippa I died of. He died in AD 44, exactly forty years after his grandfather's death, after a reign of seven years.
Luke, in the Acts of the Apostles, states that Herod Agrippa, wearing his royal robes and sitting on his throne, gave a public address to a deputation from Tyre and Sidon. They started to shout "This is the voice of a god, not a man". Herod apparently accepted this grovelling instead of giving glory to God and an angel of God "struck him down", apparently during the course of this speech.
The historian, Flavius Josephus tells much the same story. He says that Herod Agrippa appeared to accept the grovelling worship of the people. But he says that he was almost immediately struck by extremely violent pains in the belly. He realised immediately that God had struck him, and that he was dying, he believed as punishment for accepting worship which should only belong to God. Josephus states that he had to be carried back to the palace. His pain was agonising and unremitting. He died five days later, exhausted from the agony.
Josephus' account could suggest something such as a burst appendix or the later stages of bowel cancer, which very often does not become agonizingly painful until the very end. The account in Luke could suggest anything, because it does not describe in detail how he was struck down. There have also been suggestions that he was poisoned by Roman agents because he was becoming too powerful.
The interesting thing is that Luke says that Herod Agrippa was "eaten by worms" and died. Whether that relates to how the extreme agony of his disease felt to Herod Agrippa, or whether Luke is, at this point, describing the death of Herod the Great is hard to tell.
