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

2He had James, the brother of John, executed. 3When he saw how this pleased the Jews, he arrested Peter too. This happened during the days of Unleavened Bread. After capturing Peter, Herod had him thrown into prison with sixteen soldiers in squads of four to guard him. Herod wanted to bring Peter to trial in front of the people after Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was praying very hard to God for him. 6The night before Herod was going to bring Peter to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers. His hands were bound with two chains, and guards were in front of the door. They were watching 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 the temple guards arrested them. Since it was already evening, they put Peter and John in jail until the next day.
• Acts 5:18by arresting the apostles and putting them in the city jail.
• Acts 8:3Saul tried to destroy the church. He dragged men and women out of one home after another and threw them into prison.
• Matthew 24:9“Then they will hand you over to those who will torture and kill you. All nations will hate you because you are committed to me.
• Luke 21:12“Before all these things happen, people will arrest and persecute you. They will hand you over to their synagogues and put you into their prisons. They will drag you in front of kings and governors because of my name.
• Luke 22:33But Peter said to him, “Lord, I’m ready to go to prison with you and to die with you.”
• John 13:36Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus answered him, “You can’t follow me now to the place where I’m going. However, you will follow me later.”
• John 21:18I can guarantee this truth: When you were young, you would get ready to go where you wanted. But when you’re old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will get you ready to take you where you don’t want to go.”
• Acts 16:23After they had hit Paul and Silas many times, they threw them in jail and ordered the jailer to keep them under tight security.
• Matthew 27:64Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
• Acts 4:28Through your will and power, they did everything that you had already decided should be done.
• Esther 3:6Because the king’s advisers had informed him about Mordecai’s nationality, he thought it beneath himself to kill only Mordecai. So Haman planned to wipe out Mordecai’s people—all the Jews in the entire kingdom of Xerxes.
• Proverbs 19:21Many plans are in the human heart, but the advice of the Lord will endure.
• Proverbs 27:1Do not brag about tomorrow, because you do not know what another day may bring.
• Lamentations 3:37Who was it who spoke and it came into being? It was the Lord who gave the order.
• Matthew 26:5But they said, “We shouldn’t arrest him during the festival, or else there may be a riot 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