Bible Strands
Acts 12:6
On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative places Peter in a Jerusalem prison on the night before Herod’s scheduled trial. The text describes the precise moment before the church’s intercession meets divine intervention.
The words — The Greek ἤμελλεν (ēmellen) means “was about to,” and προαγαγεῖν (proagagein) translates to “to bring forth.” Together they establish the immediate, unalterable timeline of Herod’s planned judicial action.
The thread — The motif of imperial binding appears again when a Roman commander orders Paul bound with two chains (Acts 21:33). The theme of divine protection overriding human threat echoes the confidence later stated in Hebrews 13:6.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that human confinement and scheduled execution cannot override divine purpose. It requires the reader to trust that prayer and supernatural intervention operate within historical reality.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.
Cross-references
- Acts 21:33 The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
- Hebrews 13:6 So we say with confidence: “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”
- 1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
- Ephesians 6:20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may proclaim it fearlessly, as I should.
- Philippians 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
- 2 Timothy 1:16 May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
- Genesis 22:14 And Abraham called that place The LORD Will Provide. So to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.”
- Psalms 3:5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again, for the LORD sustains me.
- Psalms 4:8 I will lie down and sleep in peace, for You alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety.
- Jeremiah 40:4 But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains that were on your wrists. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther. Look, the whole land is before you. Wherever it seems good and right to you, go there.”