T.R. Maxwell
Does the King James Version (KJV) actually print “Easter”? Yes: it appears in Acts 12:4, where Herod plans to bring Peter before the people after Easter. What about Easter itself and the events described in Scripture? The accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection are a separate question from the wording in Acts. The New International Version (NIV), for example, uses “Passover” in that same verse.
Is the word Easter in the Bible? The verse to read
In Acts 12:4 in the KJV, the relevant phrase is “intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.” The person held is Peter. The preceding verse places his arrest during the Days of Unleavened Bread, and the passage goes on to describe his escape from prison.
Is the word Easter in the Bible in every English edition? No. The NIV text of Acts 12:4 says Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial “after the Passover.” The comparison concerns a particular verse and two named translations; it is not a claim that all other editions make the same choice.
The surrounding story makes the reference easier to follow. Herod has Peter arrested and guarded, with a public appearance planned for a later point. The holiday phrase supplies the timing of that plan. It is one detail in the account of Peter’s imprisonment, not the name of a celebration Peter is described as attending.
In the following verses, an angel leads Peter past the guards and out of the prison. Herod’s intended public proceeding belongs to the narrative as a plan, while Peter’s release changes what happens next. The chapter then follows Peter to a house where believers have gathered and are praying.
Why does the wording differ?
The Greek term in this verse is pascha (πάσχα), shown in the Greek text of Acts 12:4. In this setting, it refers to Passover, the Jewish observance associated with the Exodus story. The KJV renders the term “Easter” here, while the NIV renders it “Passover.”
These English choices can be compared against the same passage without assuming that the original Greek used an English word. A translation carries a text into another language; its vocabulary reflects the translator’s choices. Consequently, finding a term in one English Bible does not mean that the identical English term must appear in another.
The timing also matters. Acts identifies the Days of Unleavened Bread immediately before mentioning pascha. Luke 22:1 shows the close relationship in biblical usage: it describes the Festival of Unleavened Bread as called the Passover. Reading the verses together helps explain why a reference to the festival belongs in the account of Peter’s arrest.
The word and the events are different questions
A search for Easter in a Bible translation asks about the words printed on a page. A question about the events Christians remember at Easter asks about the accounts of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Those are connected subjects, but the answers require different passages.
For the events, readers can turn to the Gospel accounts. Luke 24:1–7, for example, recounts the discovery of the empty tomb and the announcement that Jesus has risen. Acts 12:4 instead concerns Herod and Peter. Its wording should be read in that setting rather than treated as an account of the resurrection.
That distinction also leaves room for a separate historical question: how Christians came to observe Easter. A translation choice in Acts 12:4 cannot establish the full history of that observance. To investigate it, a reader would need evidence about Christian practice beyond this one verse.
What should a reader check next?
If two Bibles give different answers to whether the term Easter appears in Scripture, open Acts 12:4 in each and note the translation names. The KJV’s “Easter” and the NIV’s “Passover” are both visible there; the Greek term and the surrounding story explain why the comparison is worth making.
Miriam in the Bible: Sister, Prophet, and Leader
The biblical story of Miriam follows a prophet and sister of Moses from the song at the sea to a family conflict and her lasting place among Israel’s leaders.