5 Peter therefore was kept in the prison; but unceasing prayer was made by the assembly to God concerning him.
6 And when Herod was going to bring him forth, that night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards before the door kept the prison.
7 And lo, an angel of [the] Lord came there, and a light shone in the prison: and having smitten the side of Peter, he roused him up, saying, Rise up quickly. And his chains fell off his hands.
8 And the angel said to him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And he did so. And he says to him, Cast thine upper garment about thee and follow me.
9 And going forth he followed [him] and did not know that what was happening by means of the angel was real, but supposed he saw a vision.
10 And having passed through a first and second guard, they came to the iron gate which leads into the city, which opened to them of itself; and going forth they went down one street, and immediately the angel left him.
11 And Peter, being come to himself, said, Now I know certainly that [the] Lord has sent forth his angel and has taken me out of the hand of Herod and all the expectation of the people of the Jews.
12 And having become clearly conscious [in himself], he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was surnamed Mark, where were many gathered together and praying.
13 And when he had knocked at the door of the entry, a maid came to listen, by name Rhoda;
14 and having recognised the voice of Peter, through joy did not open the entry, but running in, reported that Peter was standing before the entry.
15 And they said to her, Thou art mad. But she maintained that it was so. And they said, It is his angel.
16 But Peter continued knocking: and having opened, they saw him and were astonished.
17 And having made a sign to them with his hand to be silent, he related [to them] how the Lord had brought him out of prison; and he said, Report these things to James and to the brethren. And he went out and went to another place.
18 And when it was day there was no small disturbance among the soldiers, what then was become of Peter.
19 And Herod having sought him and not found him, having examined the guards, commanded [them] to be executed. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea and stayed [there].
20 And he was in bitter hostility with [the] Tyrians and Sidonians; but they came to him with one accord, and, having gained Blastus the king's chamberlain, sought peace, because their country was nourished by the king's.
21 And on a set day, clothed in royal apparel and sitting on the elevated seat [of honour], Herod made a public oration to them.
22 And the people cried out, A god's voice and not a man's.
23 And immediately an angel of [the] Lord smote him, because he did not give the glory to God, and he expired, eaten of worms.
24 But the word of God grew and spread itself.
25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, having fulfilled the service [entrusted to them], taking also with them John, surnamed Mark.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Acts 12
Commentary on Acts 12 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 12
In this chapter we have the story,
Act 12:1-4
Ever since the conversion of Paul, we have heard no more of the agency of the priests in persecuting the saints at Jerusalem; perhaps that wonderful change wrought upon him, and the disappointment it gave to their design upon the Christians at Damascus, had somewhat mollified them, and brought them under the check of Gamaliel's advice-to let those men alone, and see what would be the issue; but here the storm arises from another point. The civil power, not now, as usual (for aught that appears) stirred up by the ecclesiastics, acts by itself in the persecution. But Herod, though originally of an Edomite family, yet seems to have been a proselyte to the Jewish religion; for Josephus says he was zealous for the Mosaic rites, a bigot for the ceremonies. He was not only (as Herod Antipas was) tetrarch of Galilee, but had also the government of Judea committed to him by Claudius the emperor, and resided most at Jerusalem, where he was at this time. Three things we are here told he did-
Act 12:5-19
We have here an account of Peter's deliverance out of prison, by which the design of Herod against him was defeated, and his life preserved for further service, and a stop given to this bloody torrent. Now,
Act 12:20-25
In these verses we have,