^12:5So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly¹¹ praying to God for him.¹²^12:6On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial,¹³ Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while¹⁴ guards in front of the door were keeping watch¹⁵ over the prison. ^12:7Suddenly¹⁶ an angel of the Lord¹⁷ appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck¹⁸ Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s¹⁹ wrists.²⁰^12:8The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt²¹ and put on your sandals.” Peter²² did so. Then the angel²³ said to him, “Put on your cloak²⁴ and follow me.” ^12:9Peter²⁵ went out²⁶ and followed him;²⁷ he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real,²⁸ but thought he was seeing a vision. ^12:10After they had passed the first and second guards,²⁹ they came to the iron³⁰ gate leading into the city. It³¹ opened for them by itself,³² and they went outside and walked down one narrow street,³³ when at once the angel left him. ^12:11When³⁴ Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued³⁵ me from the hand³⁶ of Herod³⁷ and from everything the Jewish people³⁸ were expecting to happen.”

^12:12When Peter³⁹ realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark,⁴⁰ where many people had gathered together and were praying. ^12:13When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered.⁴¹^12:14When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told⁴² them⁴³ that Peter was standing at the gate. ^12:15But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!”⁴⁴ But she kept insisting that it was Peter,⁴⁵ and they kept saying,⁴⁶ “It is his angel!”⁴⁷^12:16Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door⁴⁸ and saw him, they were greatly astonished.⁴⁹^12:17He motioned to them⁵⁰ with his hand to be quiet and then related⁵¹ how the Lord had brought⁵² him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place.⁵³

^12:18At daybreak⁵⁴ there was great consternation⁵⁵ among the soldiers over what had become of Peter.

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Footnotes

11 Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:15 and Acts 26:7.
12 Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.
13 Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.
14 Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.
15 Or “were guarding.”
16 Grk “And behold.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here. The interjection ἰδού (idou), often difficult to translate into English, expresses the suddenness of the angel’s appearance.
17 Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in .
18 Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap ( πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
19 Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20 Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.
21 While ζώννυμι (zōnnumi) sometimes means “to dress,” referring to the fastening of the belt or sash as the final act of getting dressed, in this context it probably does mean “put on your belt” since in the conditions of a prison Peter had probably not changed into a different set of clothes to sleep. More likely he had merely removed his belt or sash, which the angel now told him to replace. The translation “put on your belt” is given by L&N 49.14 for this verse. The archaic English “girdle” for the sash or belt has an entirely different meaning today.
22 Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23 Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 Or “outer garment.”
25 Grk “And going out he followed.”
26 Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
27 The word “him” is not in the Greek text. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
28 Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see ἀληθής 3).
29 Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
30 The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
31 Grk “which.” The relative pronoun (“which”) was replaced by the pronoun “it,” and a new sentence was begun in the translation at this point to improve the English style, due to the length of the sentence in Greek.
32 The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automatē), indicates something that happens without visible cause ( αὐτόματος).
33 Or “lane,” “alley” ( ῥύμη).
34 Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
35 Or “delivered.”
36 Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.
37 King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
38 Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).
39 Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40 Grk “John who was also called Mark.” John Mark becomes a key figure in Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37–39.
41 Or “responded.”
42 Or “informed.”
43 The word “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
44 “You’ve lost your mind!” Such a response to the miraculous is not unusual in Luke-Acts. See Luke 24:11; Acts 26:25. The term μαίνομαι (mainomai) can have the idea of being “raving mad” or “totally irrational” ( ). It is a strong expression.
45 Grk “she kept insisting that the situation was thus” (cf. ἔχω 10.a). Most translations supply a less awkward English phrase like “it was so”; the force of her insistence, however, is that “it was Peter,” which was the point under dispute.
46 The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diischurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.
47 The assumption made by those inside, “It is his angel,” seems to allude to the idea of an attending angel (cf. Gen 48:16 ; Matt 18:10; Test. Jacob 1:10).
48 The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).
49 That they were greatly astonished is a common response in Luke-Acts to God’s work (Luke 8:56; Acts 2:7, 12; 8:13; 9:21; 10:45).
50 Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal … he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
51 Most , including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ 𝔐 sy), read αὐτοῖς (autois, “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (𝔓45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739 ) lack the pronoun. Although it is possible that the pronoun was deleted because it was seen as superfluous, it is also possible that it was added as a natural expansion on the text, strengthening the connection between Peter and his listeners. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
52 Or “led.”
53 He … went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.
54 ῥμέρα 1.a has “day is breaking” for ῥμέρα γίνεται (hēmera ginetai) in this verse.
55 Grk “no little consternation.” The translation given for τάραχος (tarachos) in this verse by τάραχος 1 is “mental agitation.” The situation indicated by the Greek word is described in L&N 25.243 as “a state of acute distress and great anxiety, with the additional possible implications of dismay and confusion—‘great distress, extreme anxiety.’ ” The English word “consternation” is preferred here because it conveys precisely such a situation of anxiety mixed with fear. The reason for this anxiety is explained in the following verse.