Acts 12:4 Passover or Easter?

Wycliffe Bible (1539): And whanne he hadde cauyte Petre, he sente hym in to prisoun; and bitook to foure quaternyouns of knyytis, to kepe hym, and wolde aftir pask (Passover) bringe hym forth to the puple.
[Herod the king] slew by sword James, the brother of John.
And he saw that it pleased to the Jews, and cast to take also Peter; and the days of (unleavened)loaves were.

The translators of the King James Version of 1611 admitted that they also ‘diligently compared other previous versions.(Tyndale New Testament 1525, Myles Coverdale Bible 15:35, Bishop's Bible 1568) ’ So, they made a choice to insert “Easter" into the translation because earlier English translations also deviated from the Greek pascha being translated as Passover in the New Testament (Matthew 26:2; Mark 14:1; Luke 2:41; Luke 22:1; John 2:13, 23; John 6:4; John 11:55; John 12:1; John 13:1; John 18:39; John 19:14).

In the translation by Wicliffe [Wycliffe], the word paske, i.e., passover, is used. But Tindal [Tyndale] and Coverdale used the word Easter, and hence it has very improperly crept into our [King James Version] translation” (Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, 1798-1870, comments on Acts 12:4).

The correct word is “Passover" …the springtime festival of the Jews. But 15 centuries after the death of the Apostles, put the word “Easter" Acts 12:4 referring to the “pasch”.. . Passover. Two years later the KJ version injected the word “Easter" up in the main text but without a footnote to explain why.

Textus Receptus: “ον και πιασας εθετο εις φυλακην παραδους τεσσαρσιν τετραδιοις στρατιωτων φυλασσειν αυτον βουλομενος μετα το >>>πασχα<<< αναγαγειν αυτον τω λαω”

Original Word: πάσχα, τό
Part of Speech: Aramaic Transliterated Word (Indeclinable)
Transliteration: pascha
Phonetic Spelling: (pas'-khah)
Definition: the Passover, the Passover supper or lamb
Usage: the feast of Passover, the Passover lamb.

Bishop's Bible 1568: And when he had caught hym, he put hym in pryson also, and delyuered hym to foure quaternions of souldiers to be kept, intendyng after Easter to bryng hym foorth to the people. 

1599 Geneva Bible: And when he had caught him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to be kept, intending after >>>the Passover<<< to bring him forth to the people. 

King James Version 1611: And when hee had apprehended him, hee put him in prison, and deliuered him to foure quaternions of souldiers to keepe him, intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

King James Version 1769: “And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after >>>Easter<<< to bring him forth to the people.”



Strongs 3957 πάσχα - pascha

Englishman's Concordance
Matthew 26:2
GRK: ἡμέρας τὸ πάσχα γίνεται καὶ
NAS: days the Passover is coming,
KJV: is [the feast of] the passover, and

Matthew 26:17
GRK: φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα
NAS: for You to eat the Passover?
KJV: for thee to eat the passover?

Matthew 26:18
GRK: ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν
NAS: I [am to] keep the Passover at your house with My disciples.'
KJV: I will keep the passover at

Matthew 26:19
GRK: ἡτοίμασαν τὸ πάσχα
NAS: them; and they prepared the Passover.
KJV: and they made ready the passover.

Mark 14:1 Aram
GRK: ΔΕ ΤΟ ΠΑΣΧΑ καὶ τὰ
NAS: Now the Passover and Unleavened
KJV: was [the feast of] the passover, and
INT: moreover the passover and the

Mark 14:12
GRK: ὅτε τὸ πάσχα ἔθυον λέγουσιν
NAS: Bread, when the Passover [lamb] was being sacrificed,
KJV: they killed the passover, his

Mark 14:12
GRK: φάγῃς τὸ πάσχα
NAS: for You to eat the Passover?
KJV: that thou mayest eat the passover?

Mark 14:14
GRK: ὅπου τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν
NAS: I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'
KJV: where I shall eat the passover with my

Mark 14:16
GRK: ἡτοίμασαν τὸ πάσχα
NAS: them; and they prepared the Passover.
KJV: and they made ready the passover.

Luke 2:41
GRK: ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα
NAS: year at the Feast of the Passover.
KJV: year at the feast of the passover.
INT: feast of the passover

Luke 22:1
GRK: ἡ λεγομένη Πάσχα
NAS: Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.
KJV: which is called the Passover.

Luke 22:7
GRK: θύεσθαι τὸ πάσχα
NAS: Bread on which the Passover [lamb] had
KJV: when the passover must

Luke 22:8
GRK: ἡμῖν τὸ πάσχα ἵνα φάγωμεν
NAS: and prepare the Passover for us, so
KJV: us the passover, that

Luke 22:11
GRK: ὅπου τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν
NAS: I may eat the Passover with My disciples?'
KJV: where I shall eat the passover with my
INT: where the passover with the

Luke 22:13
GRK: ἡτοίμασαν τὸ πάσχα
NAS: them; and they prepared the Passover.
KJV: and they made ready the passover.

Luke 22:15
GRK: τοῦτο τὸ πάσχα φαγεῖν μεθ'
NAS: this Passover with you before
KJV: to eat this passover with you

John 2:13
GRK: ἦν τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων
NAS: The Passover of the Jews was near,
KJV: And the Jews' passover was at hand,
INT: was the passover of the Jews

John 2:23
GRK: ἐν τῷ πάσχα ἐν τῇ
NAS: He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during
KJV: at the passover, in

John 6:4
GRK: ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα ἡ ἑορτὴ
NAS: Now the Passover, the feast
KJV: And the passover, a feast of the Jews,

John 11:55
GRK: ἐγγὺς τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων
NAS: Now the Passover of the Jews was near,
KJV: the Jews' passover was

John 11:55
GRK: πρὸ τοῦ πάσχα ἵνα ἁγνίσωσιν
NAS: before the Passover to purify
KJV: before the passover, to

John 12:1
GRK: ἡμερῶν τοῦ πάσχα ἦλθεν εἰς
NAS: before the Passover, came
KJV: days before the passover came to

John 13:1
GRK: ΕΟΡΤΗΣ τοῦ πάσχα εἰδὼς ὁ
NAS: the Feast of the Passover, Jesus
KJV: the feast of the passover, when Jesus

John 18:28
GRK: φάγωσιν τὸ πάσχα
NAS: but might eat the Passover.
KJV: that they might eat the passover.

John 18:39 Aram
GRK: ἐν τῷ πάσχα βούλεσθε οὖν
NAS: someone for you at the Passover; do you wish
KJV: one at the passover: will ye therefore