Darby Bible
Acts 12:4
4whom having seized he put in prison, having delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep, purposing after the passover to bring him out to the people.
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 slew James, the brother of John, with the sword. 3And seeing that it was pleasing to the Jews, he went on to take Peter also: (and they were the days of unleavened bread:) whom having seized he put in prison, having delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep, purposing after the passover to bring him out to the people. 5Peter therefore was kept in the prison; but unceasing prayer was made by the assembly to God concerning him. 6And 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.
Read all of Acts 12Acts 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
- seizedπιάζωpiazō · to arrest/catchG4084
- putτίθημιtithēmi · to placeG5087
- prisonφυλακήphulakē · prison/watch: prisonG5438
- deliveredπαραδίδωμιparadidōmi · to deliverG3860
- fourτέσσαρεςtessares tessara · fourG5064
- soldiersστρατιώτηςstratiōtēs · soldierG4757
- keepφυλάσσωphulassō · to keep/guard: observeG5442
- passoverπάσχαpascha · Passover lambG3957
- bringἀνάγωanagō · to leadG321
- peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
Cross-references for Acts 12:4
- Acts 4:3and they laid hands on them, and put them in ward till the morrow; for it was already evening.
- Acts 5:18and laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison.
- Acts 8:3But Saul ravaged the assembly, entering into the houses one after another, and dragging off both men and women delivered them up to prison.
- Matthew 24:9Then shall they deliver you up to tribulation, and shall kill you; and ye will be hated of all the nations for my name's sake.
- Luke 21:12But before all these things they shall lay their hands upon you and persecute you, delivering [you] up to synagogues and prisons, bringing [you] before kings and governors on account of my name;
- Luke 22:33And he said to him, Lord, with thee I am ready to go both to prison and to death.
- John 13:36Simon Peter says to him, Lord, where goest thou? Jesus answered him, Where I go thou canst not follow me now, but thou shalt follow me after.
- John 21:18Verily, verily, I say to thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst where thou desiredst; but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and bring thee where thou dost not desire.
- Acts 16:23And having laid many stripes upon them they cast [them] into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely;
- Matthew 27:64Command therefore that the sepulchre be secured until the third day, lest his disciples should come and steal him away, and say to the people, He is risen from the dead; and the last error shall be worse than the first.
- Acts 4:28to do whatever thy hand and thy counsel had determined before should come to pass.
- Esther 3:6But he scorned to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai; therefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were in all the kingdom of Ahasuerus — the people of Mordecai.
- Proverbs 19:21Many are the thoughts in a man's heart, but the counsel of Jehovah, that doth stand.
- Proverbs 27:1Boast not thyself of to-morrow, for thou knowest not what a day will bring forth.
- Lamentations 3:37Who is he that saith, and there cometh to pass, what the Lord hath not commanded?
- Matthew 26:5but they said, Not in the feast, that there be not a tumult 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
In the dictionaries
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
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