Acts 12:4

Acts 12:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• New International Version (NIV)After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people.
• New King James Version (NKJV)So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover.

Context of Acts 12:4

2and he executed James, John’s brother, with the sword. 3When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter too, during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. After the arrest, he put him in prison and assigned four squads of four soldiers each to guard him, intending to bring him out to the people after the Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying fervently to God for him. 6When Herod was about to bring him out for trial, that very night Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison.

Acts 12:4 word by word

ὃν καὶ πιάσας ἔθετο εἰς φυλακὴν παραδοὺς τέσσαρσιν τετραδίοις στρατιωτῶν φυλάσσειν αὐτόν, βουλόμενος μετὰ τὸ πάσχα ἀναγαγεῖν αὐτὸν τῷ λαῷ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• whenὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he had apprehended himπιάζωpiazō · to arrest/catchG4084
• he putτίθημιtithēmi · to placeG5087
• inεἰςeis · towardG1519
• prisonφυλακήphulakē · prison/watch: prisonG5438
• and deliveredπαραδίδωμιparadidōmi · to deliverG3860
• to fourτέσσαρεςtessares tessara · fourG5064
• quaternionsτετράδιονtetradion · squad of fourG5069
• of soldiersστρατιώτηςstratiōtēs · soldierG4757
• to keepφυλάσσωphulassō · to keep/guard: guardG5442
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• intendingβούλομαιboulomai · to planG1014
• afterμετάmeta · with/afterG3326
• Easterπάσχαpascha · Passover lambG3957
• to bringἀνάγωanagō · to leadG321
• to the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992

Cross-references for Acts 12:4

• Acts 4:3So they seized them and took them into custody until the next day since it was already evening.
• Acts 5:18So they arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.
• Acts 8:3Saul, however, was ravaging the church. He would enter house after house, drag off men and women, and put them in prison.
• Matthew 24:9“Then they will hand you over to be persecuted, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name.
• Luke 21:12But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you. They will hand you over to the synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors because of my name.
• Luke 22:33“Lord,” he told him, “I’m ready to go with you both to prison and to death.”
• John 13:36“Lord,” Simon Peter said to him, “where are you going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.”
• John 21:18“Truly I tell you, when you were younger, you would tie your belt and walk wherever you wanted. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you and carry you where you don’t want to go.”
• Acts 16:23After they had severely flogged them, they threw them in jail, ordering the jailer to guard them carefully.
• Matthew 27:64So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come, steal him, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
• Acts 4:28to do whatever your hand and your will had predestined to take place.
• Esther 3:6And when he learned of Mordecai’s ethnic identity, it seemed repugnant to Haman to do away with Mordecai alone. He planned to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout Ahasuerus’s kingdom.
• Proverbs 19:21Many plans are in a person’s heart, but the Lord’s decree will prevail.
• Proverbs 27:1Don’t boast about tomorrow, for you don’t know what a day might bring.
• Lamentations 3:37Who is there who speaks and it happens, unless the Lord has ordained it?
• Matthew 26:5“Not during the festival,” they said, “so there won’t be rioting among the people.”

Commentaries on Acts 12:4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Four quaternions of soldiers - That is, sixteen, or four companies of four men each, who had the care of the prison, each company taking in turn one of the four watches of the night. Intending after Easter to bring him forth - , After the passover. Perhaps there never was a more unhappy, not to say absurd, translation than that in our text. But, before I come to explain the word, it is necessary to observe that our term called Easter is not exactly the…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And when he had apprehended him - When he had taken or arrested him. He put him in prison - During the solemnities of this religious festival, it would have been deemed improper to have engaged in the trial of a supposed criminal. The minds of the people were expected to be devoted solely to the services of religion; and hence, Herod chose to retain him in custody until the Passover had ended. To four quaternions of soldiers - A “quaternion” was a company…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4Herod had Peter guarded by four squads of soldiers, making it impossible for the apostle to escape (compare 12:6). God was in control, even though the circumstances seemed impossible for humans to overcome (compare 4:27–31; Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17, 27; Matthew 19:26; Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37; 18:27).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers--that is, to four parties of four each, corresponding to the four Roman watches; two watching in prison and two at the gates, and each party being on duty for the space of one watch. intending after Easter--rather, "after the Passover"; that is, after the whole festival was over. (The word in our King James Version is an ecclesiastical term of later date, and ought not to have been employed here). to bring…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 12:4

• Criminals
• Easter (A.v.)
• Herod
• Imprisonment
• Jerusalem
• Minister, Christian
• Persecution
• Peter
• Prison
• Prisoners
• Quaternion
• Rulers
• Soldiers

In the dictionaries

• Agrippa I.
• Constantly
• Drusilla
• Easter
• Guard
• Herod Agrippa I.
• Multiply
• Prayer
• Quaternion
• Raise

Commentaries on Acts 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings