Psalms 102:20

102:20 in order to hear the painful cries of the prisoners,

and to set free those condemned to die, ¹ 

Psalms 105:19-20

105:19 until the time when his prediction ²  came true.

The Lord’s word ³  proved him right. ⁴ 

105:20 The king authorized his release; ⁵ 

the ruler of nations set him free.

Psalms 116:16

116:16 Yes, Lord! I am indeed your servant;

I am your lowest slave. ⁶ 

You saved me from death. ⁷ 

Psalms 146:7

146:7 vindicates the oppressed, ⁸ 

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord releases the imprisoned.

Job 36:8

36:8 But if they are bound in chains, ⁹ 

and held captive by the cords of affliction,

Isaiah 61:1

The Lord Will Rejuvenate His People

61:1 The spirit of the sovereign Lord is upon me,

because the Lord has chosen ¹⁰  me. ¹¹ 

He has commissioned ¹²  me to encourage ¹³  the poor,

to help ¹⁴  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

Jeremiah 52:31-34

Jehoiachin in Exile

52:31 In the thirty-seventh year of the exile of King Jehoiachin of Judah, on the twenty-fifth ¹⁵  day of the twelfth month, ¹⁶  Evil-Merodach, in the first year of his reign, pardoned ¹⁷  King Jehoiachin of Judah and released him from prison. 52:32 He spoke kindly to him and gave him a more prestigious position than ¹⁸  the other kings who were with him in Babylon. 52:33 Jehoiachin ¹⁹  took off his prison clothes and ate daily in the king’s presence for the rest of his life. 52:34 He was given daily provisions by the king of Babylon for the rest of his life until the day he died.

Zechariah 9:11-12

9:11 Moreover, as for you, because of our covenant relationship secured with blood, I will release your prisoners from the waterless pit. 9:12 Return to the stronghold, you prisoners, with hope; today I declare that I will return double what was taken from you.

Acts 5:19

5:19 But during the night an angel of the Lord ²⁰  opened ²¹  the doors of the prison, ²²  led them out, ²³  and said,

Acts 5:25

5:25 But someone came and reported to them, “Look! The men you put in prison are standing in the temple courts ²⁴  and teaching ²⁵  the people!”

Acts 12:7-10

12:7 Suddenly ²⁶  an angel of the Lord ²⁷  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ²⁸  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ²⁹  wrists. ³⁰  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ³¹  and put on your sandals.” Peter ³²  did so. Then the angel ³³  said to him, “Put on your cloak ³⁴  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ³⁵  went out ³⁶  and followed him; ³⁷  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ³⁸  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ³⁹  they came to the iron ⁴⁰  gate leading into the city. It ⁴¹  opened for them by itself, ⁴²  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ⁴³  when at once the angel left him.

Acts 16:26-40

16:26 Suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. Immediately all the doors flew open, and the bonds ⁴⁴  of all the prisoners came loose. 16:27 When the jailer woke up ⁴⁵  and saw the doors of the prison standing open, ⁴⁶  he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, ⁴⁷  because he assumed ⁴⁸  the prisoners had escaped. 16:28 But Paul called out loudly, ⁴⁹  “Do not harm yourself, ⁵⁰  for we are all here!” 16:29 Calling for lights, the jailer ⁵¹  rushed in and fell down ⁵²  trembling at the feet of Paul and Silas. 16:30 Then he brought them outside ⁵³  and asked, “Sirs, what must ⁵⁴  I do to be saved?” 16:31 They replied, ⁵⁵  “Believe ⁵⁶  in the Lord Jesus ⁵⁷  and you will be saved, you and your household.” 16:32 Then ⁵⁸  they spoke the word of the Lord ⁵⁹  to him, along with all those who were in his house. 16:33 At ⁶⁰  that hour of the night he took them ⁶¹  and washed their wounds; ⁶²  then ⁶³  he and all his family ⁶⁴  were baptized right away. ⁶⁵  16:34 The jailer ⁶⁶  brought them into his house and set food ⁶⁷  before them, and he rejoiced greatly ⁶⁸  that he had come to believe ⁶⁹  in God, together with his entire household. ⁷⁰  16:35 At daybreak ⁷¹  the magistrates ⁷²  sent their police officers, ⁷³  saying, “Release those men.” 16:36 The jailer reported these words to Paul, saying, ⁷⁴  “The magistrates have sent orders ⁷⁵  to release you. So come out now and go in peace.” ⁷⁶  16:37 But Paul said to the police officers, ⁷⁷  “They had us beaten in public ⁷⁸  without a proper trial ⁷⁹  – even though we are Roman citizens ⁸⁰  – and they threw us ⁸¹  in prison. And now they want to send us away ⁸²  secretly? Absolutely not! They ⁸³  themselves must come and escort us out!” ⁸⁴  16:38 The police officers reported these words to the magistrates. They were frightened when they heard Paul and Silas ⁸⁵  were Roman citizens ⁸⁶  16:39 and came ⁸⁷  and apologized to them. After ⁸⁸  they brought them out, they asked them repeatedly ⁸⁹  to leave the city. 16:40 When they came out of the prison, they entered Lydia’s house, and when they saw the brothers, they encouraged them and then ⁹⁰  departed.

[102:20]  ¹ tn Heb “the sons of death.” The phrase “sons of death” (see also Ps 79:11) is idiomatic for those condemned to die.

[105:19]  ² tn Heb “word,” probably referring to Joseph’s prediction about the fate of Pharaoh’s cupbearer and baker (see Gen 41:9-14).

[105:19]  ³ tn This line may refer to Joseph’s prediction of the famine in response to Pharaoh’s dream. Joseph emphasized to Pharaoh that the interpretation of the dream came from God (see Gen 41:16, 25, 28, 32, 39).

[105:19]  ⁴ tn Heb “refined him.”

[105:20]  ⁵ tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”

[116:16]  ⁶ tn Heb “I am your servant, the son of your female servant.” The phrase “son of a female servant” (see also Ps 86:16) is used of a son born to a secondary wife or concubine (Exod 23:12). In some cases the child’s father is the master of the house (see Gen 21:10, 13; Judg 9:18). The use of the expression here certainly does not imply that the Lord has such a secondary wife or concubine! It is used metaphorically and idiomatically to emphasize the psalmist’s humility before the Lord and his status as the Lord’s servant.

[116:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “you have loosed my bonds.” In this context the imagery refers to deliverance from death (see v. 3).

[146:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”

[36:8]  ⁹ tn Dhorme thinks that the verse is still talking about kings, who may be in captivity. But this diverts attention from Elihu’s emphasis on the righteous.

[61:1]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ¹¹ sn The speaker is not identified, but he is distinct from the Lord and from Zion’s suffering people. He possesses the divine spirit, is God’s spokesman, and is sent to release prisoners from bondage. The evidence suggests he is the Lord’s special servant, described earlier in the servant songs (see 42:1-4, 7; 49:2, 9; 50:4; see also 51:16).

[61:1]  ¹² tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ¹³ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”

[52:31]  ¹⁵ sn The parallel account in 2 Kgs 25:28 has “twenty-seventh.”

[52:31]  ¹⁶ sn The twenty-fifth day would be March 20, 561 b.c. in modern reckoning.

[52:31]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “lifted up the head of.”

[52:32]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “made his throne above the throne of

[52:33]  ¹⁹ tn The subject is unstated in the Hebrew text, but Jehoiachin is clearly the subject of the following verb.

[5:19]  ²⁰ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[5:19]  ²¹ tn Grk “opening the doors of the prison.” The participle ἀνοίξας (anoixa") has been translated as a finite verb due to the requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:19]  ²² tn Greek φυλακῆς (fulakh"), a different word from the one in v. 18 (τήρησις, thrhsi", “jail”).

[5:19]  ²³ tn Or “brought them out.” Grk “and leading them out, said.” The participle ἐξαγαγών (exagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[5:25]  ²⁴ tn Grk “the temple.” This is actually a reference to the courts surrounding the temple proper, and has been translated accordingly.

[5:25]  ²⁵ sn Obeying God (see v. 29), the apostles were teaching again (4:18-20; 5:20). They did so despite the risk.

[12:7]  ²⁶ tn 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.

[12:7]  ²⁷ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ²⁸ tn Grk “striking the side of Peter, he awoke him saying.” The term refers to a push or a light tap (BDAG 786 s.v. πατάσσω 1.a). The participle πατάξας (pataxa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:7]  ²⁹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ³⁰ tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ³¹ tn While ζώννυμι (zwnnumi) 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.

[12:8]  ³² tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁴ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ³⁵ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ³⁶ tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:9]  ³⁷ tn 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.

[12:9]  ³⁸ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ³⁹ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ⁴⁰ sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).

[12:10]  ⁴¹ tn 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.

[12:10]  ⁴² tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ⁴³ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[16:26]  ⁴⁴ tn Or perhaps, “chains.” The translation of τὰ δεσμά (ta desma) is to some extent affected by the understanding of ξύλον (xulon, “stocks”) in v. 24. It is possible (as mentioned in L&N 18.12) that this does not mean “stocks” but a block of wood (a log or wooden column) in the prison to which prisoners’ feet were chained or tied.

[16:27]  ⁴⁵ tn L&N 23.75 has “had awakened” here. It is more in keeping with contemporary English style, however, to keep the two verbal ideas parallel in terms of tense (“when the jailer woke up and saw”) although logically the second action is subsequent to the first.

[16:27]  ⁴⁶ tn The additional semantic component “standing” is supplied (“standing open”) to convey a stative nuance in English.

[16:27]  ⁴⁷ sn Was about to kill himself. The jailer’s penalty for failing to guard the prisoners would have been death, so he contemplated saving the leaders the trouble (see Acts 12:19; 27:42).

[16:27]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “thought.”

[16:28]  ⁴⁹ tn Grk “But Paul called out with a loud voice, saying.” The dative phrase μεγάλῃ φωνῇ (megalh fwnh) has been simplified as an English adverb (“loudly”), and the participle λέγων (legwn) has not been translated since it is redundant in English.

[16:28]  ⁵⁰ sn Do not harm yourself. Again the irony is that Paul is the agent through whom the jailer is spared.

[16:29]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:29]  ⁵² tn Or “and prostrated himself.”

[16:30]  ⁵³ tn Grk “And bringing them outside, he asked.” The participle προαγαγών (proagagwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style. Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun by supplying the conjunction “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:30]  ⁵⁴ tn The Greek term (δεῖ, dei) is used by Luke to represent divine necessity.

[16:31]  ⁵⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[16:31]  ⁵⁶ sn Here the summary term of response is a call to believe. In this context it refers to trusting the sovereign God’s power to deliver, which events had just pictured for the jailer.

[16:31]  ⁵⁷ tc The majority of mss add Χριστόν (Criston, “Christ”) here (C D E Ψ 1739 Ï sy sa), but the best and earliest witnesses read simply τὸν κύριον ᾿Ιησοῦν (ton kurion Ihsoun, “the Lord Jesus”; Ì^74vid א A B 33 81 pc bo). The addition of “Christ” to “Lord Jesus” is an obviously motivated reading. Thus on both external and internal grounds, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[16:32]  ⁵⁸ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the continuity with the preceding verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style does not.

[16:32]  ⁵⁹ sn The word of the Lord is a technical expression in OT literature, often referring to a divine prophetic utterance (e.g., Gen 15:1, Isa 1:10, Jonah 1:1). In the NT it occurs 15 times: 3 times as ῥῆμα τοῦ κυρίου (rJhma tou kuriou; Luke 22:61, Acts 11:16, 1 Pet 1:25) and 12 times as λόγος τοῦ κυρίου (logo" tou kuriou; here and in Acts 8:25; 13:44, 48, 49; 15:35, 36; 19:10, 20; 1 Thess 1:8, 4:15; 2 Thess 3:1). As in the OT, this phrase focuses on the prophetic nature and divine origin of what has been said.

[16:33]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “And at.” 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.

[16:33]  ⁶¹ tn Grk “taking them…he washed.” The participle παραλαβών (paralabwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:33]  ⁶² tn On this phrase BDAG 603 s.v. λούω 1 gives a literal translation as “by washing he freed them from the effects of the blows.”

[16:33]  ⁶³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the logical sequence.

[16:33]  ⁶⁴ sn All his family. It was often the case in the ancient world that conversion of the father led to the conversion of all those in the household.

[16:33]  ⁶⁵ tn Or “immediately.”

[16:34]  ⁶⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (the jailer) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:34]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “placed [food] on the table” (a figurative expression). Since the actual word for food is not specified, it would also be possible to translate “set a meal before them,” but since this is taking place in the middle of the night, the preparations necessary for a full meal would probably not have been made. More likely Paul and Silas were given whatever was on hand that needed little or no preparation.

[16:34]  ⁶⁸ tn Or “he was overjoyed.”

[16:34]  ⁶⁹ tn The translation “come to believe” reflects more of the resultative nuance of the perfect tense here.

[16:34]  ⁷⁰ tn The phrase “together with his entire household” is placed at the end of the English sentence so that it refers to both the rejoicing and the belief. A formal equivalence translation would have “and he rejoiced greatly with his entire household that he had come to believe in God,” but the reference to the entire household being baptized in v. 33 presumes that all in the household believed.

[16:35]  ⁷¹ tn The translation “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse is given by BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a.

[16:35]  ⁷² tn On the term translated “magistrates,” see BDAG 947-48 s.v. στρατηγός 1. These city leaders were properly called duoviri, but were popularly known as praetors (στρατηγοί, strathgoi). They were the chief officials of Philippi. The text leaves the impression that they came to the decision to release Paul and Silas independently. God was at work everywhere.

[16:35]  ⁷³ tn On the term ῥαβδοῦχος (rJabdouco") see BDAG 902 s.v. The term was used of the Roman lictor and roughly corresponds to contemporary English “constable, policeman.”

[16:36]  ⁷⁴ tn The word “saying” is not in the Greek text, but is implied; it is necessary in English because the content of what the jailer said to Paul and Silas is not the exact message related to him by the police officers, but is a summary with his own additions.

[16:36]  ⁷⁵ tn The word “orders” 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.

[16:36]  ⁷⁶ tn Grk “So coming out now go in peace.” The participle ἐξελθόντες (exelqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ⁷⁷ tn Grk “to them”; the referent (the police officers) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:37]  ⁷⁸ tn Grk “Having us beaten in public.” The participle δείραντες (deirante") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:37]  ⁷⁹ tn Or “in public, uncondemned.” BDAG 35 s.v. ἀκατάκριτος has “uncondemned, without due process” for this usage.

[16:37]  ⁸⁰ tn The participle ὑπάρχοντας (Juparconta") has been translated as a concessive adverbial participle.

[16:37]  ⁸¹ tn The word “us” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.

[16:37]  ⁸² tn L&N 28.71 has “send us away secretly” for this verse.

[16:37]  ⁸³ tn Grk “But they.”

[16:37]  ⁸⁴ sn They themselves must come and escort us out! Paul was asking for the injustice he and Silas suffered to be symbolically righted. It was a way of publicly taking their actions off the record and showing the apostles’ innocence, a major public statement. Note the apology given in v. 39.

[16:38]  ⁸⁵ tn Grk “heard they”; the referents (Paul and Silas) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:38]  ⁸⁶ sn Roman citizens. This fact was disturbing to the officials because due process was a right for a Roman citizen, well established in Roman law. To flog a Roman citizen was considered an abomination. Such punishment was reserved for noncitizens.

[16:39]  ⁸⁷ tn Grk “and coming, they apologized.” The participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[16:39]  ⁸⁸ tn Grk “and after.” Because of the length of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[16:39]  ⁸⁹ tn The verb ἐρώτων (erwtwn) has been translated as an iterative imperfect; the English adverb “repeatedly” brings out the iterative force in the translation.

[16:40]  ⁹⁰ tn “Then” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied to clarify the logical sequence in the translation.