Acts 12:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his hands.

NIV: Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. 'Quick, get up!' he said, and the chains fell off Peter's wrists.

NASB: And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And his chains fell off his hands.

CSB: Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, "Quick, get up! " And the chains fell off his wrists.

NLT: Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, 'Quick! Get up!' And the chains fell off his wrists.

KJV: And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

NKJV: Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands.

Peter is in a Roman prison in Jerusalem. James, the brother of John and son of Zebedee, has already been beheaded by Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1–2). The Feast of Unleavened Bread is coming to a close, and Peter's death is imminent. Peter is chained at the wrists—the term used in Greek includes the hand, as well, thus the confusion over where Jesus received nails during His crucifixion. Peter is guarded over by four soldiers, two of whom presently surround him. And he's sleeping (Acts 12:1–6). He's sleeping hard enough the angel has to nudge him to wake him up—the Greek terms used here don't always imply a forceful blow.

Peter knows he will eventually be crucified (John 21:18–19), but he's not excessively bothered by it. His attempts on his own behalf in the past, first by attacking a servant in the mob who arrested Jesus and then by trying to hide his involvement, led to nothing but shame (John 18:10–11, 15–18, 25–27). After His resurrection, Jesus sought Peter out specifically (1 Corinthians 15:5; Luke 24:34; Mark 16:7). Later Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him, each time responding by commissioning Peter to care for and lead His people (John 21:15–17). Peter has seen Jesus calm a storm that threatened to kill him, Jesus, and the other disciples (Mark 4:35–41). He's already been released from prison by an angel once (Acts 5:19). He is content to live or die, whichever will best serve those who need to hear Jesus' offer of redemption.

In the New Testament angels usually take on the role of messenger. The angel Gabriel tells Zechariah about the birth of his son John (Luke 1:11–17, 19) and tells Mary about Jesus (Luke 1:26–38), and an angel (quite possibly Gabriel) tells Joseph about Jesus (Matthew 1:20). One will tell Paul that he will survive a storm at sea and spread Jesus' message in Rome (Acts 27:23–24). Occasionally, angels minister more directly, notably by comforting Jesus after His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11). Angels are "ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation" (Hebrews 1:14), and some people today have seen them (Hebrews 13:2). Many others have been rescued or served by angels but will never know.

Acts 12:6–11 describes Peter's angelic rescue from a Roman prison. Herod Agrippa I arrested and killed the apostle James, brother of John. When he realized how much local religious leaders approved, he arrested Peter with plans to kill him after the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The church has been praying, however, and Peter's ministry is not over. God answers their prayer by sending an angel to rescue him from prison. Peter will stop by and update members of the church and then go into hiding. We won't see him again until the meeting of church leaders in Acts 15.

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.