Who was Agabus in the Bible?

Agabus was a Christian prophet in the early church, known for delivering two specific prophecies recorded in the Book of Acts. He is first mentioned in Acts 11:27-28.

What did the prophet Agabus predict?

Agabus predicted a severe famine that would spread across the Roman world (Acts 11:28), and later, he dramatically foretold the Apostle Paul's arrest in Jerusalem by binding his own hands and feet with Paul's belt (Acts 21:10-11).

Why is Agabus significant in the New Testament?

Agabus demonstrates the active role of prophecy in the early church, providing divine guidance and confirmation. His accurate predictions validated Paul's ministry and prepared believers for coming hardships.

Agabus

New TestamentNew TestamentMaleProphet

Agabus, a prophet, foretold a famine and Paul's arrest in Jerusalem. (Act.11.28; 21.10)

Agabus

Biography

Agabus was a Christian prophet from Jerusalem who appears twice in the book of Acts, both times delivering accurate predictive prophecies. In Acts 11:27–28, he traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch with other prophets and predicted a widespread famine that would affect the whole Roman world, a famine Luke notes did occur during the reign of Emperor Claudius (c. 46–47 AD). This prophecy prompted the Antioch church to organize a famine relief collection for Judean believers, one of the earliest recorded acts of inter-church financial solidarity. In Acts 21:10–11, Agabus came to Caesarea while Paul was preparing to journey to Jerusalem, dramatically binding his own hands and feet with Paul's belt and declaring that the Holy Spirit had shown him Paul would be similarly bound by the Jews in Jerusalem.

Significance

Agabus stands as one of the clearest examples in the New Testament of the gift of prophecy functioning in the early church through specific, verifiable predictions. His prophecy of the famine (Acts 11) led directly to concrete acts of mercy, demonstrating that prophecy's purpose includes shaping the church's practical response to the world's needs. His prophecy about Paul (Acts 21) illustrates the complexity of prophetic ministry: the word was accurate, but those who heard it drew different conclusions about what Paul should do. Paul chose to press on regardless, suggesting that a true prophetic word does not always prescribe a course of action. Agabus models the prophet as a servant of the community rather than a controller of outcomes.

Verse Appearances (2)

Acts

Acts 11:28 Acts 21:10

References

Orr, J. (ed.) (1915) The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Chicago: Howard-Severance Company. [Public Domain]
Tyndale House, Cambridge (n.d.) Translators Individualised Proper Names with all References (TIPNR). STEPBible. Available at: https://www.stepbible.org. [CC BY 4.0]
Church of England (1769) The Holy Bible, Authorized (King James) Version. [Public Domain]

View all sources & licensing →

See our editorial standards →

Content compiled from public domain scholarship, academic sources, and verified references. Editorial standards · View all sources