Acts 12

Acts · Chapter 12

Acts 12:7

1Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church.2And he killed James the brother of John with the sword.3And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.)4And 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.5Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.6And 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.7And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.8And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.9And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.10When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.11And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.12And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.13And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.14And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.15And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.16But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.17But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.18Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.19And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.20And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king’s country.21And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them.22And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man.23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.24But the word of God grew and multiplied.25And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
7And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.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.And behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shined in the cell: and he smote Peter on the side, and awoke him, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

In context

Who is speaking and to whom, what is happening, when and where, and why it matters, each with its sources. Coming with the context cards.

Original Greek words

EnglishGreekSay itStrong'sMeaning
AndκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

beholdἰδοὺidouG2400
look!

ἰδού (idou) ἰδού, [in LXX chiefly for הִנֵּה,] prop. imperat. 2 aor. mid. of ὁράω, used as a demonstrative particle, with frequency much greater in LXX and NT than in cl. (see M, Pr., 11), lo, behold, see: Mat.10:16 11:8 13:3, Mrk.3:32, Luk.2:48, 1Co.15:51, Jas.5:9, Ju 14, Rev.1:7, al.; after genitive absol., Mat.1:20 2:1, 13 12:46, al.; καὶ ἰδού, Mat.2:9 (and freq.), Luk.1:20 10:25, Act.12:7, al.; in elliptical sentences, taking the place of copula or predicate (like הִנֵּה in Heb.), Mat.3:17, Luk.5:12 22:31, 47 Act.8:27, 36 al. (AS)

an angelἄγγελοςangelosG0032G
angel

ἄγγελος (angelos) ἄγγελος, -ου, ὁ, [in LXX chiefly for מַלְאָךְ ;] 1. a messenger, one sent: Mat.11:10, Jas.22:25. 2. As in LXX, in the special sense of angel, a spiritual, heavenly being, attendant upon God and employed as his messenger to men, to make known his purposes, as Luk.1:11, or to execute them, as Mat.4:6. The ἄ. in Rev.1:20-2:1, al., is variously understood as (1) a messenger or delegate, (2) a bishop or ruler, (3) a guardian angel, (4) the prevailing spirit of each church, i.e. the Church itself. (Cf. Swete, Ap)., in l.; DB, iv, 991; Thayer, see word; Cremer, 18; MM, VGT, see word) (AS)

of [the] LordκυρίουkuriouG2962G
lord: God

κύριος (kurios) κύριος, -α, -ον (also -ος, -ον), [in LXX (subst.) chiefly for יהוה, also for בַּעַל ,אָדוֹן, etc. ;] having power (κῦρος) or authority; as subst., ὁ κ., lord, master; 1. in general: with genitive of thing(s), Mat.9:38 20:8, Mrk.12:9 13:35, Luk.19:33; τ. σαββάτου, Mat.12:8, Mrk.2:28, Luk.6:5; with genitive of person(s), δούλου, etc., Mat.10:24, Luk.14:21, Act.16:16, al.; absol, opposite to οἱ δοῦλοι, Eph.6:5, 9 al.; of the Emperor (Deiss., LAE, 161), Act.25:26; θεοὶ πολλοὶ καὶ κ. πολλοί, 1Co.8:5; of a husband, 1Pe.3:6; in voc, as a title of respect to masters, teachers, magistrates, etc., Ma …

stood byἐπέστηepestēG2186
to approach

ἐφίστημι (ephistēmi) ἐφ-ίστημι [in LXX for נָצַב ni., שִׁית, נָתַן, etc. ;] 1. causal in pres., impf., fut., 1 aor., to set upon or by, set up, etc. (Æsch., Hdt., Arist., al). 2. Intrans. in mid, and in pf. and 2 aor. act.; (a) to stand upon; (b) to be set over; …

andκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

a lightφῶςphōsG5457
light

φῶς (phōs) φῶς (Att.. contr. from φάος; φάω), genitive, φωτός, τό, [in LXX chiefly for אוֹר ;] light (opposite to τὸ σκότος, ἡ σκοτία): Mat.17:2, 5, Jhn.11:9-10, 2Co.4:6; ἡλίου, Rev.22:5; of a lamp, Luk.8:16 11:33, Jhn.5:35, Rev.18:23; of a supernatural heavenly light, Act.9:3 12:7 22:6, 9 22:11 26:13; hence, ἄγγελος φωτός, 2Co.11:14; ὁ κλήρος τ. ἁγίων ἐν τ. φ., Col.1:12; of the divine glory, Rev.21:24; by meton., of that which gives light: of fire, Mrk.14:54, Luk.22:56 (cl.; 1Ma.12:29; cf. DCG, i, 595; pl., of a lamp or torch, Act.16:29; of heavenly bodies, Jas.1:17. Metaphorical, …

shoneἔλαμψενelampsenG2989
to shine

λάμπω (lampō) λάμπω [in LXX for נָגַהּ, etc. ;] to shine: Mat.5:15-16 17:2, Luk.17:24, Act.12:7, 2Co.4:6 (cf. ἐκ-, περι-λάμπω).† (AS)

inἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

cell;οἰκήματι·oikēmatiG3612
cell

οἴκημα (oikēma) οἴκημα, -τος, τό (οἰκέω), [in LXX: Eze.16:24 (גַב), Tob.2:4, Wis.13:15 * ;] a dwelling. As a euphemism for other definite terms (e.g. brothel. Hdt., ii, 121; cf. Ez, l.with), a prison (Thus., iv, 47 f.); Act.12:7.† (AS)

Having struckπατάξαςpataxasG3960
to strike

πατάσσω (patassō) πατάσσω [in LXX chiefly and very frequently for נָכָה hi., also for נָגַף, etc. ;] 1. in Hom., intrans., to beat (of the heart). 2. Trans. = πλήσσω, to strike, smite: absol., ἐν μαχαίρᾳ, Luk.22:49; with accusative of person(s), Mat.26:51, Luk.22:50; with accusative of thing(s), Act.12:7; of a deadly blow, Mat.26:31, Mrk.14:27, Act.7:24. Metaphorical, of disease: Act.12:23, Rev.11:6 19:15.† (AS)

thenδὲdeG1161
then

δέ (de) δέ (before vowels δ᾽; on the general neglect of the elision in NT, see WH, App., 146; Tdf., Pr., 96), post-positive conjunctive particle; 1. copulative, but, in the next place, and, now (Abbott, JG, 104): Mat.1:2ff., 2Co.6:15, 16, 2Pe.1:5-7; in repetition for emphasis, Rom.3:21, 22, 9:30, 1Co.2:6, Gal.2:2, Php.2:8; in transition to something new, Mat.1:18, 2:19, Luk.13:1, Jhn.7:14, Act.6:1, Rom.8:28, 1Co.7:1 8:1, al.; in explanatory parenthesis or addition, Jhn.3:19, Rom.5:8, 1Co.1:12, Eph.2:4, 5:32, al.; ὡς δέ, Jhn.2:9; καὶ . . . δέ, but also, Mat.10:18, Luk.1:76, Jhn.6:51, Rom.11:23, al.; …

sideπλευρὰνpleuranG4125
side

πλευρά (pleura) πλευρά, -ᾶς, ἡ [in LXX (frequently pl. as in Hom.) chiefly for צֵלָע ;] the side: Mat.27:49 ([[WH]] R, mg.), Jhn.19:34 20:20, 25 20:27 Act.12:7.† (AS)

of PeterΠέτρουPetrouG4074G
Bar-Jonah

Βαριωνᾶς (Bariōnas) Βαριωνᾶς, Βαριωνᾶ, -ᾶ, ὁ (Aram. בַּר־יוֹנָה, son of Jonah), Bar-Jonah, a surname of Peter: Mat.16:17.† (AS)

he woke upἤγειρενēgeirenG1453
to arise

ἐγείρω (egeirō) ἐγείρω, [in LXX for קוּם, etc. ;] trans. (imperat. ἔγειρε used intransitively, Mat.9:5, Mrk.2:11, al.); 1. to awaken, arouse from sleep: Mrk.4:38, Act.12:7; metaphorically, of spiritual awakening, Rom.13:11 (pass.), Eph.5:14; pass., to be aroused, wake up: Mat.25:7, Mrk.4:27; ἀπὸ τ. ὕπνου, Mat.1:24. 2. Freq. in NT, to raise from the dead: νεκρούς, Jhn.5:21, Act.26:8, 2Co.1:9; ἐκ νεκρῶν, Jhn.12:1, Act.3:15, Rom.8:11, al.; pass., rise from death: Mat.11:5, Luk.7:22, Jhn.2:22, Rom.6:9, al.; ἀπὸ τ. νεκρῶν, Mat.14:2, al. 3. In late Gk., …

himαὐτὸνautonG0846
it/s/he

αὐτός (autos) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

saying;λέγων·legōnG3004G
to say

λέγω (legō) λέγω, [in LXX very freq., chiefly for אמר; λέγει for נְאֻם, Gen.22:16, al. ;] 1. in Hom., to pick out, gather, reckon, recount. 2. In Hdt. and Att., to say, speak, affirm, declare: absol., Act.13:15, 24:10; before orat. dir., Mat.9:34, Mrk.3:11, Jhn.1:29, al.; before ὅτι recit., Mrk.3:21, Luk.1:24, Jhn.6:14, al.; accusative and inf., Luk.11:18, Jhn.12:29, al.; after another verb of speaking, προσφωνεῖν κ. λέγειν, Mat.11:17, al.; ἀπεκρίθη (ἐλάλησεν) λέγων (καὶ λέγει; Dalman, Words, 24 ff.), Mat.25:9, Mrk.3:33, 7:28, Luk.24:6, 7, al.; of unspoken thought, λ. ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Mat.3:9, Luk.3:8, al.; of …

do rise upἀνάσταanastaG0450
to arise

ἀνίστημι (anistēmi) ἀνίστημι (ἀνά, ἵστημι), [in LXX chiefly for קוּם ;] 1. causal, in fut. and 1 aor. act., with accusative, to raise up: Act.9:41; from death, Jhn.6:39, Act.2:32; to raise up, cause to be born or appear: Mat.22:24, Act.3:22, 26. 2. Intrans., in mid. and 2 aor act.; (a) to rise: from lying, Mrk.1:35; from sitting, Luk.4:16; to leave a place, Mat.9:9; pleonastically, as Heb. קוּם, before verbs of going, Mrk.10:1, al. (see Dalman, Words, 23; M, Pr., 14); of the dead, Mat.17:23, Mrk.8:31; before ἐκ νεκρῶν, Mat.17:9, Mrk.9:9; …

withἐνenG1722
in/on/among

ἐν (en) ἐν, prep, (the most frequently of all in NT), with dative (= Heb. בְּ, Lat. in, with abl.). I. Of place, with dative of thing(s), of person(s), in, within, on, at, by, among: ἐν τ. πόλει, Luk.7:37; τ. οφθαλμῷ, Mat.7:3; τ. κοιλίᾳ, Mat.12:40; τ. ὄρει, 2Pe.1:18; τ. θρόνῳ, Rev.3:21; τ. δεξιᾷ τ. θεοῦ, Rom.8:34; ἐν ἡμῖν Abbott-Smith has ὑμῖν., Luk.1:1; of books, ἐν τ. βιβλίῳ, Gal.3:10; τ. νόμῳ, Mat.12:5, al.; ἐν τοῖς τ. Πατρός, in my Father's house (RV; cf. M, Pr., 103), Luk.2:49; trop., of the region of thought or feeling, ἐν τ. καρδίᾳ (-αις), Mat.5:28, 2Co.4:6, al.; τ. συνειδήσεσιν, 2Co.5:11; af …

speed.τάχει.tacheiG5034
speed

τάχος (tachos) τάχος, -ους, τό [in LXX chiefly for parts and derivatives of מָהַר ;] swiftness, speed. Adverbially, ἐν τ. (ταχέως), quickly, speedily, soon: Luk.18:8, Act.12:7 22:18 25:4, Rom.16:20, 1Ti.3:14, Rev.1:1 22:6.† (AS)

AndκαὶkaiG2532
and

καί (kai) καί, conj., and I. Copulative. 1. Connecting single words; (a) in general: Mat.2:18, 16:1, Mrk.2:15, Luk.8:15, Heb.1:1, al. mult.; repeated before each of the terms in a series, Mat.23:23, Luk.14:21, Rom.7:12, 9:4, al. (b) connecting numerals (WM, §37, 4): Jhn.2:20, Act.13:20; (with) joining terms which are not mutually exclusive, as the part with the whole: Mat.8:33, 26:59, Mrk.16:17, Act.5:29, al. 2. Connecting clauses and sentences: Mat.3:12, Act.5:21, al. mult.; esp. …

fellἐξέπεσανexepesanG1601
to fall out

ἐκπίπτω (ekpiptō) ἐκ-πίπτω [in LXX: Isa.40:8 28:1, 4 (הֶבֶל), Job.14:2 (מָלַל, see RV. mg), Job.15:30 (סוּר), Job.15:33 (שָׁלַךְ hi.), etc. ;] to fall out of, fall from, fall off: before ἐκ τ. χειρῶν, Act.12:7; absol., Act.27:32; of the withering of flowers (as LXX, ll with), Jas.1:11, 1Pe.1:24" (LXX) ; of navigators falling off from a straight course, Act.27:17, 26 27:29 Metaphorical, with genitive of thing(s): Gal.5:4, 2Pe.3:17; absol., fall from its place, fail, perish: Rom.9:6.† (AS)

of himαὐτοῦautouG0846
it/s/he

αὐτός (autos) αὐτός, -ή, -ό, determinative pron., in late Gk. much more frequently than in cl. (WM, 178f.; Jannaris, HGG, §1399). 1. Emphatic (so always in nom. exc. when preceded by the art., see infr., iii); (1) self (ipse), expressing opposition, distinction, exclusion, etc., αὐ. ἐκχυθήσεται, Luk.5:37; αὐ. ἐγινώσκεν, Jhn.2:25; αὐ.ὑμεῖς, Jhn.3:28; καὶ αὐ. ἐγώ, Rom.15:14; αὐ. Ἰησοῦς, Jhn.2:24; αὐ. καὶ οἱ μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ, Mrk.2:25; ὑμεῖς αὐ., Mrk.6:31; esp. (as freq in cl.) αὐ. ὁ, Mat.3:4, Mrk.6:17, Jhn.16:27, 1Th.3:11, al.; in late Gk., sometimes weakened, ἐν αὐτῇ τ. ὥρᾳ, in that hour, Luk.10:21 (M, Pr., 91; …

chainsἁλύσειςhaluseisG0254
chain

ἅλυσις (halusis) ἅλυσις, -εως, ἡ [in LXX: Wis.17:17 * ;] a chain, bond: Mrk.5:3-4, Luk.8:29, Act.12:6-7 21:33 28:20, Eph.6:20, 2Ti.1:16, Rev.20:1.† (AS)

offἐκekG1537
out from

ἐκ (ek) ἐκ (ἐξ), prep. with genitive, from out of, from (see Addendum, p. 492). This entry is included here, but in the print version the entry is found on p. 492. ἐκ, before a vowel ἐξ, prep. with genitive, of motion outwards, separation from (opposite to εἰς; = Lat. e, ex), from out of, from among, from. I. Of Place, …

hands.χειρῶν.cheirōnG5495
hand

χείρ (cheir) χείρ, genitive, χειρος (accusative, χεῖραν, 1Pe.5:6 T), ἡ, [in LXX chiefly for יָד ;] the hand: Mat.3:12, Mrk.3:1, Luk.6:6, al. mult.; ἡ χ., acting subject, Luk.22:21; pl., Act.17:25 20:34, 1Jn.1:1; τ. ἔργα τῶν χ., Act.7:41, Rev.9:20; ὁ ἀσπασμὸς τ. ἐμῇ χ., 1Co.16:21, Col.4:18, 2Th.3:17; prepositional phrases, esp. those without art., similar to Heb. constructions (Bl., §32, 4; 40, 9; 46, 9), ἐν χ.; with genitive (Lft., in l.), Gal.3:19; σὺν χ. ἀγγέλου, Act.7:35; διὰ (τῶν) χειρῶν (διὰ χειρός), Mrk.6:2, Act.5:12 7:25, al.; ἐπὶ χειρῶν, Mat.4:6, Luk.4:11; ellipse of χ. (ἡ δεξία, ἀριστερα; Bl., § …

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.