Blastus

Biblical Account

Blastus appears only once, in Acts 12:20. King Herod was highly displeased with the people of Tyre and Sidon. Because their region depended on the king's territory for its food supply, however, the people of Tyre and Sidon came to him with one accord. Having made "Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend," they "desired peace" through him. A chamberlain was an attendant responsible for the king's bedchamber and private quarters, a position of close personal service to the king.

According to the verses that follow, Acts 12:21–23, Herod, on a set day, arrayed himself in royal apparel and delivered an oration to the people. When the people shouted, "It is the voice of a god, and not of a man," the angel of the Lord smote him, and he was eaten of worms and died. Acts 12:19 indicates that these events took place in Caesarea. Scripture says nothing further about Blastus.

Significance Within Scripture

Blastus is not a central figure in the narrative. He appears as the intermediary through whom the people of Tyre and Sidon gained access to the king, and this audience leads into the scene in which Herod appears before the people. Acts 12 opens with Peter's release from prison and closes with the death of Herod, who had persecuted the church. Within this narrative arc, Blastus serves as a background figure who sets the stage for Herod's death.

Interpretation and Issues

The expression "having made... their friend" (rendered 친하여 in the Korean Revised Version) translates a Greek word meaning "to persuade" or "to win over." For this reason, some commentators suggest that the people of Tyre and Sidon may have swayed Blastus with gifts or bribes. Because the biblical text does not specify the means, however, this remains a matter of interpretation. The name Blastus is said to be identical to a Greek word meaning "sprout" or "shoot." The death of Herod Agrippa I is also recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus, but the name Blastus is not attested in any source outside the Bible.

In the Korean Church

Blastus is rarely treated as a sermon topic in his own right. He is usually mentioned only briefly, as a character in the passage, when preachers expound Acts 12 or address Herod's pride and death.