Bible Strands
Acts 5:24
When the captain of the temple guard and the chief priests heard this account, they were perplexed as to what was happening.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The captain of the temple guard and the chief priests react to the jailers’ report of an empty cell, occurring immediately after the discovery of the vacant prison and before the announcement that the apostles are teaching in the temple courts.
The words — ἤκουσαν (ēkousan) = they heard [G191] and λόγους (logous) = words/account [G3056] denote the reception of a specific, reportable event rather than a general rumor.
The thread — This institutional confusion connects to the earlier arrest and release pattern in Acts 4:1, the subsequent nonviolent retrieval of the apostles in Acts 5:26, and the broader promise of an unending divine government in Isaiah 9:7.
Why it lands — The text states that human authorities faced unexplained events that disrupted their control, requiring the reader to recognize the limits of institutional power when confronted with divine action.
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
Now when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.
Cross-references
- Acts 4:1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,
- Acts 5:26 At that point, the captain went with the officers and brought the apostles—but not by force, for fear the people would stone them.
- Isaiah 9:7 Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish and sustain it with justice and righteousness from that time and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of Hosts will accomplish this.
- Isaiah 53:1 Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
- Daniel 2:34 As you watched, a stone was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay, and crushed them.
- Daniel 2:44 In the days of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will shatter all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, but will itself stand forever.
- Zechariah 6:12 And you are to tell him that this is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Here is a man whose name is the Branch, and He will branch out from His place and build the temple of the LORD.
- Mark 4:30 Then He asked, “To what can we compare the kingdom of God? With what parable shall we present it?
- Luke 22:4 And Judas went to discuss with the chief priests and temple officers how he might betray Jesus to them.
- Luke 22:52 Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?