Acts 12:17 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Tell these things to James and to the brothers." Then he departed and went to another place.

NIV: Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this," he said, and then he left for another place.

NASB: But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, 'Report these things to James and the brothers.' Then he left and went to another place.

CSB: Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. "Tell these things to James and the brothers," he said, and he left and went to another place.

NLT: He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. 'Tell James and the other brothers what happened,' he said. And then he went to another place.

KJV: But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

NKJV: But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

Peter is finally safe—for now. An angel just rescued him from prison and imminent execution. Days before, Herod Agrippa I arrested and beheaded the apostle James, brother to John and son of Zebedee, then arrested Peter (Acts 12:1–5). Once freed from the prison, Peter came to the home of Mary, mother of John Mark and possibly the host of the first church. A short time of confusion ensued as the Jesus-followers who were praying for his release came to grips with the fact their prayers had been answered (Acts 12:6–16). Now, Peter has a quick opportunity to let them know he is okay before he moves on. To where, we're not told.

In many places in the book of Acts, "the brothers" mean other Jesus-followers, including women. Considering Peter lumps them with James, he most likely means the other apostles and church leaders. "James," here, is Jesus' half-brother, the author of the book of James, who apparently leads the church in Jerusalem. Although James rejected the idea his brother was the Messiah before the resurrection (Mark 3:21), he believed after he saw Jesus raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:7). He was present in the upper room after the ascension (Acts 1:14) and well-known for his humility and his devotion to Scripture.

This is the last time Peter is mentioned until Acts 15:7 when he speaks in favor of letting the Gentiles remain uncircumcised. After a short interlude to complete Agrippa I's story (Acts 12:20–23), the book of Acts follows the missionary journeys of Paul (Acts 12:25).

Acts 12:12–19 records Peter quickly telling the story of his escape from a Roman prison before fleeing. Herod Agrippa I had arrested and beheaded James and found the Sanhedrin greatly impressed. He arrested Peter, as well, and planned to execute him after the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 12:1–5), but an angel arrived first and led Peter out of prison (Acts 12:6–11). Once Peter realized he wasn't dreaming he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark (Acts 12:12–19). Peter will reappear briefly in Acts 15:6–11, but this is the last significant mention of any of the apostles in the book of Acts.

Acts 12 starts with the first death of an apostle and ends with the death of a king. Herod Agrippa I beheads James and imprisons Peter. An angel rescues Peter and he quickly lets the church in Jerusalem know before he goes into hiding. Agrippa, grandson of Herod the Great and friend to the Pharisees, accepts glory due only to God and dies, likely a few days later, of internal worms. Meanwhile, the church continues to grow, and Barnabas and Saul return to Syrian Antioch. The scene is set for Paul's extensive ministry to the Gentiles.

When Acts 12 opens, at least some of the apostles are in Jerusalem, and Barnabas and Saul are in Syrian Antioch, collecting support so the church in Jerusalem can survive the coming famine (Acts 11:27–30). The church is established in Jerusalem and growing in the regions on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea. When the chapter closes, Barnabas and Saul are poised for their missionary trip in modern-day Asia Minor. Saul will take on the Greek version of his name, Paul, and the story of Jesus will spread to Rome and beyond.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.