Tree of Life Version
Acts 12:4
4After seizing him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads with four soldiers each to guard him. He was intending to bring him before the people after Passover.
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 Jacob, John’s brother, put to death with the sword. 3Seeing it pleased the Judean leaders, he proceeded to capture Peter as well. This was during the Days of Matzah. After seizing him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads with four soldiers each to guard him. He was intending to bring him before the people after Passover. 5So Peter was kept in prison, but prayer for him was being offered fervently to God by Messiah’s community. 6Now that very night when Herod was about to bring him out, Peter was sleeping—bound with two chains between two soldiers, while guards before the gate were keeping watch over 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
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 grabbed them and put them in jail until the next day, for it was already evening.
- Acts 5:18They grabbed the emissaries and put them in a public jail.
- Acts 8:3But Saul was destroying Messiah’s community, entering house after house; and dragging off men and women, he was throwing them into prison.
- Matthew 24:9“Then they will hand you over to persecution and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of My name.
- Luke 21:12But before all these things, they will grab you and persecute you, handing you over to the synagogues and prisons, and leading you away to kings and governors on account of My name.
- Luke 22:33But Simon said to Him, “Master, I am ready to go with You even to prison and to death!”
- John 13:36“Master, where are You going?” Simon Peter said to Him. Yeshua answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow Me later.”
- John 21:18“Amen, amen I tell you, when you were younger, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.”
- Acts 16:23After inflicting many blows on them, they threw them into prison, ordering the jailer to guard them securely.
- Matthew 27:64Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, so His disciples do not come and steal Him away. They will tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first!”
- Acts 4:28They did whatever Your hand and Your purpose predetermined to happen.
- Esther 3:6But it was repugnant in his eyes to lay hands on Mordecai alone, for they had told him the identity of Mordecai’s people. So Haman sought to destroy all the Jews, the people of Mordecai, who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus.
- Proverbs 19:21Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but the counsel of Adonai will stand.
- Proverbs 27:1Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.
- Lamentations 3:37Who speaks and it comes to pass unless the Lord has decreed it?
- Matthew 26:5“But not during the festival,” they were saying, “so there won’t 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
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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