Acts 12:4

Acts 12:4

2 Then he killed James ^athe brother of John with the sword.

3 And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during ^athe Days of Unleavened Bread.

4 So ^awhen he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four¹ squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Peter Freed from Prison

5 Peter was therefore kept in prison, but¹ constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church.

6 And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were¹ keeping the prison.

7 Now behold, ^aan angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.”

9 So he went out and followed him, and ^adid not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought ^bhe was seeing a vision.

10 When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, ^awhich opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.

11 And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that ^athe Lord has sent His angel, and ^bhas delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.”

12 So, when he had considered this, ^ahe came to the house of Mary, the mother of ^bJohn whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together ^cpraying.

13 And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer.

Commentaries:

Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)

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Acts 12:5 >>

When he had taken him (piasav). See on Acts 3:7 for same form.

He put him in prison (eqeto eiv fulakhn). Second aorist middle indicative of tiqhmi, common verb. This is the third imprisonment of Peter (Acts 4:3; Acts 5:18).

To four quaternions of soldiers (tessarsin tetradioiv stratiwtwn). Four soldiers in each quaternion (tetradion from tetrav, four), two on the inside with the prisoner (chained to him) and two on the outside, in shifts of six hours each, sixteen soldiers in all, the usual Roman custom. Probably Agrippa had heard of Peter's previous escape (Acts 5:19) and so took no chances for connivance of the jailors.

After the passover (meta to pasxa). The passover feast of eight days. "The stricter Jews regarded it as a profanation to put a person to death during a religious festival" (Hackett). So Agrippa is more scrupulous than the Sanhedrin was about Jesus.

To bring him forth (anagagein auton). Second aorist active infinitive of anagw, to lead up, old verb, used literally here. Peter was in the inner prison or lower ward and so would be led up to the judgment seat where Herod Agrippa would sit (cf. John 19:13).

To the people (tw law). Ethical dative, in the presence of and for the pleasure of the Jewish people.

**Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing Acts 12:4:**

Acts 12:6
Revelation 9:14

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Acts 12:5 >>

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