Bible Strands
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.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The temple captain and his officers retrieve the imprisoned apostles after a messenger reports they are teaching in the temple courts, then deliver them to the Sanhedrin for interrogation.
The words — στρατηγὸς (stratēgos) identifies the military captain, while ὑπηρέταις (hupēretais) names the temple guards who accompany him. ἦγεν (ēgen) records the specific action of bringing the apostles forward.
The thread — Official hesitation due to crowd reaction appears in Acts 4:21 and Matthew 14:5, where authorities limit their actions because of public sentiment.
Why it lands — The text states the captain avoided using force because he feared the people would stone the apostles. It presents a concrete example of how popular pressure directly constrained the execution of official orders.
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
Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
Cross-references
- Acts 5:13 Although the people regarded them highly, no one else dared to join them.
- Acts 4:21 After further threats they let them go. They could not find a way to punish them, because all the people were glorifying God for what had happened.
- Matthew 14:5 Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people, because they regarded John as a prophet.
- Matthew 21:26 But if we say, ‘From men,’ we are afraid of the people, for they all regard John as a prophet.”
- Matthew 26:5 “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.”
- Luke 20:6 But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.”
- Luke 20:19 When the scribes and chief priests realized that Jesus had spoken this parable against them, they sought to arrest Him that very hour. But they were afraid of the people.
- Luke 22:2 and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people.
- 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.