CHAPTER XII. _Herod persecutes the Christians_, 1. _Kills James_, 2. _And casts Peter into prison_, 3, 4. _The Church makes incessant prayer for his deliverance_, 5. _An angel of God opens the prison doors and leads him out_, 6-10. _Peter rejoices, and comes to the house of Mary, where many we... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:2. _HE KILLED JAMES THE BROTHER OF JOHN WITH THE SWORD._] This was _James_ the _greater_, son of Zebedee, and must be distinguished from _James_ the _less_, son of Alpheus. This latter was put to death by Ananias the high priest, during the reign of Nero. This James with his brother Jo... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:3. _HE PROCEEDED - TO TAKE PETER ALSO._] He supposed that these two were pillars on which the infant cause rested; and that, if these were removed, the building must necessarily come down. _THE DAYS OF UNLEAVENED BREAD._] About the latter end of March or beginning of April; but whethe... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:4. _FOUR QUATERNIONS OF SOLDIERS_] That is, _sixteen_, or four companies of _four men_ each, who had the care of the prison, each company taking in turn one of the four watches of the night. _INTENDING AFTER EASTER TO BRING HIM FORTH_] μετα το τασχα, _After_ _the passover_. Perhaps t... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:5. _PRAYER WAS MADE WITHOUT CEASING_] The Greek word εκτενης signifies both _fervour_ and _earnestness_, as well as _perseverance_. These prayers of the Church produced that miraculous interference mentioned below, and without which Peter could not have thus escaped from the hands of t... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:6. _SLEEPING BETWEEN TWO SOLDIERS, BOUND WITH TWO CHAINS_] Two soldiers guarded his person; his right hand being bound to the left hand of one, and his left hand bound to the right hand of the other. This was the Roman method of guarding their prisoners, and appears to be what is intim... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:7. _SMOTE PETER ON THE SIDE_] He struck him in such a way as was just sufficient to awake him from his sleep. _HIS CHAINS FELL OFF FROM_ HIS _HANDS._] The chains mentioned above, by which he was bound to the two soldiers.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:8. _GIRD THYSELF_] It seems Peter had put off the principal part of his clothes, that he might sleep with more comfort. His resuming all that he had thrown off was a proof that every thing had been done leisurely. There was no evidence of any hurry; nor of any design to elude justice,... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:9. _HE - WIST NOT_] He _knew_ not; from the Anglo-Saxon, [A.S.], _to know_. He supposed himself to be in a dream.... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:10. _THE FIRST AND - SECOND WARD_] It is supposed that ancient Jerusalem was surrounded by _three_ walls: if so, then passing through the gates of these three walls successively is possibly what is meant by the expression in the text. The prison in which he was confined might have been... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:11. _WHEN PETER WAS COME TO HIMSELF_] Every thing he saw astonished him; he could scarcely credit his eyes; he was in a sort of ecstasy; and it was only when the angel left him that he was fully convinced that all was real. _NOW I KNOW - THAT THE LORD HATH SENT HIS ANGEL_] The poor G... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:12. _AND WHEN HE HAD CONSIDERED_] When he had weighed every thing, and was fully satisfied of the Divine interposition, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, the author of the Gospel, where it appears many were gathered together making prayer and supplication, and prob... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:13. _AS PETER KNOCKED_] The door was probably shut for fear of the Jews; and, as most of the houses in the east have an area before the door, it might have been at this outer gate that Peter stood knocking. _A DAMSEL CAME TO HEARKEN, NAMED RHODA._] She came to inquire who was there. R... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:15. _IT IS HIS ANGEL._] It was a common opinion among the Jews that every man has a _guardian angel_, and in the popish Church it is an article of faith. The Jews also believed that angels often assumed the likeness of particular persons. They have many stories of the appearance of El... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:17. _DECLARED-HOW THE LORD HAD BROUGHT HIM OUT OF THE_ _PRISON._] He still persisted in the belief that his deliverance was purely supernatural. It seems that some modern critics could have informed him of his mistake. See Acts 12:11. _SHOW THESE THINGS UNTO JAMES, AND TO THE BRETHRE... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:19. _COMMANDED THAT THEY SHOULD BE PUT TO DEATH._] He believed, or pretended to believe, that the escape of Peter was owing to the negligence of the keepers: jailers, watchmen, c., ordinarily suffered the same kind of punishment which should have been inflicted on the prisoner whose es... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:20. _HIGHLY DISPLEASED WITH THEM OF TYRE_] On what account Herod was thus displeased is not related by any historian, as far as I have been able to ascertain. Josephus, who speaks of this journey of Herod to Caesarea, says nothing of it; and it is useless for us to conjecture. _HAVING... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:21. _UPON A SET DAY_, c.] A day on which games, c., were exhibited in honour of the Roman emperor. What this refers to, we learn from Josephus. "Herod, having reigned three years over ALL _Judea_, (he had reigned over the tetrarchy of his brother Philip four years before this,) went d... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:23. _THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SMOTE HIM_] His death was most evidently a judgment from God. _BECAUSE HE GAVE NOT GOD THE GLORY_] He did not rebuke his flatterers, but permitted them to give him that honour that was due to God alone. Acts 12:21, Acts 12:21. _AND WAS EATEN OF WORMS_] Whe... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:24. _BUT THE WORD OF GOD_] The Christian doctrine preached by the apostles _grew_ and _multiplied_-became more _evident_, and had daily _accessions_; for the spirit of _revelation_ rested on those men, and God was daily _adding_ to that _word_ as circumstances required, in order to co... [ Continue Reading ]
Verse Acts 12:25. _RETURNED FROM JERUSALEM_] That is, to _Antioch_, after the death of Herod. _WHEN THEY HAD FULFILLED_ their _ministry_] When they had carried the alms of the Christians at Antioch to the poor saints at Jerusalem, according to what is mentioned, Acts 11:29, to support them in the t... [ Continue Reading ]