Acts 12:6
4 He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him.
On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
8 “Get dressed and put on your sandals,” said the angel. Peter did so, and the angel told him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
- KJV
- And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
- WEB
- The same night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains. Guards in front of the door kept the prison.
- ASV
- And when Herod was about to bring him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and guards before the door kept the prison.
- DARBY
- And when Herod was going to bring him forth, that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door kept the prison.
- BLB
- And when Herod was about to bring him forth, on that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, having been bound with two chains, and guards before the door were keeping the prison.
- ÅB
- Da nå Herodes skulle til å føre ham fram, sov Peter den natt mellom to stridsmenn, bundet med to lenker, og vaktmenn utenfor døren passet på fengslet.
- OTB
- Natten før Herodes skulle føre ham fram til rettssak, sov Peter mellom to soldater, bundet med to lenker, mens vakter sto ved inngangen.
- B1930
- Da nu Herodes skulde til å føre ham frem, sov Peter den natt mellem to stridsmenn, bundet med to lenker, og vaktmenn utenfor døren passet på fengslet.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Hebrews 13:6
So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
Read in contextActs 21:33
The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
Read in context1 Samuel 23:26–27
Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
Read in context2 Timothy 1:16
May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
Read in contextPhilippians 4:6–7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
Read in contextEphesians 6:20
for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
Read in contextGenesis 22:14
And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
Read in contextJeremiah 40:4
But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains that were on your wrists. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther. Look, the whole land is before you. Wherever it seems good and right to you, go there.”
Read in context