Acts 12:4

After they seized Peter, they put him in prison. They arranged for four groups of soldiers to guard Peter. Each group had four soldiers. Every three hours a different group began to guard him while the others rested. Herod wanted to bring Peter out of prison and judge him in front of the Jewish people after the Passover Festival was finished. He then planned to command soldiers to execute Peter.

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

3When Herod realized that he had pleased the leaders of the Jewish people by doing that, he commanded soldiers to arrest Peter in order to kill him, too. This happened during the festival when the Jewish people ate bread that did not have yeast.

5So for several days Peter was kept {they kept Peter} in prison. But the other believers in the congregation at Jerusalem were praying earnestly to God that he would help Peter.

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Cross References

Esther 3:6After he found out that Mordecai was a Jew, he decided that it would not be enough to get rid of only Mordecai. He decided to kill all the Jews in all the area that Xerxes ruled.

Proverbs 19:21People plan to do many kinds of things, but what will happen is what Yahweh has decided will happen.

Lamentations 3:37No one can [RHQ] command something to happen and then cause it to happen if Yahweh has not already decided that it should happen.

Matthew 26:5But they said, “ We must not do it during the Passover festival, because if we do it then, the people might riot.”

Luke 21:12But before all these things happen, some of you will be persecuted and arrested {people will persecute some of you and arrest you} [MTY]. Some of you will be put {They will put some of you} on trial in the places where you gather to worship, and you will be thrown into prison. You will be put on trial { They will put you on trial} in front of high government authorities because you are my [MTY] disciples.

John 13:36Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, where are you going?” Jesus replied, “The place where I am going, you cannot come with me now, but you will come there later.”

Matthew Henry on Acts 12:2-5

The Martyrdom of James; Peter's Imprisonment. 1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4 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. Ever since the… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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