Acts 12:7-11

12:7 Suddenly ¹  an angel of the Lord ²  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ³  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ⁴  wrists. ⁵  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ⁶  and put on your sandals.” Peter ⁷  did so. Then the angel ⁸  said to him, “Put on your cloak ⁹  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ¹⁰  went out ¹¹  and followed him; ¹²  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ¹³  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ¹⁴  they came to the iron ¹⁵  gate leading into the city. It ¹⁶  opened for them by itself, ¹⁷  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ¹⁸  when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When ¹⁹  Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued ²⁰  me from the hand ²¹  of Herod ²²  and from everything the Jewish people ²³  were expecting to happen.”

Acts 16:26

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 ²⁴  of all the prisoners came loose.

Psalms 34:7

34:7 The Lord’s angel camps around

the Lord’s ²⁵  loyal followers ²⁶  and delivers them. ²⁷ 

Psalms 105:17-20

105:17 He sent a man ahead of them ²⁸  –

Joseph was sold as a servant.

105:18 The shackles hurt his feet; ²⁹ 

his neck was placed in an iron collar, ³⁰ 

105:19 until the time when his prediction ³¹  came true.

The Lord’s word ³²  proved him right. ³³ 

105:20 The king authorized his release; ³⁴ 

the ruler of nations set him free.

Psalms 146:7

146:7 vindicates the oppressed, ³⁵ 

and gives food to the hungry.

The Lord releases the imprisoned.

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 ³⁶  me. ³⁷ 

He has commissioned ³⁸  me to encourage ³⁹  the poor,

to help ⁴⁰  the brokenhearted,

to decree the release of captives,

and the freeing of prisoners,

[12:7]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ³ 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]  ⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

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

[12:8]  ⁹ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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]  ¹³ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ¹⁴ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ¹⁸ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[12:11]  ¹⁹ tn 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.

[12:11]  ²⁰ tn Or “delivered.”

[12:11]  ²¹ sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.

[12:11]  ²² sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:11]  ²³ sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).

[16:26]  ²⁴ 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.

[34:7]  ²⁵ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[34:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “those who fear him.”

[34:7]  ²⁷ tn The prefixed verb with vav (ו) consecutive here carries the same generalizing force as the active participle in the first line. See GKC 329 §111.u.

[105:17]  ²⁸ tn After the reference to the famine in v. 16, v. 17 flashes back to events that preceded the famine (see Gen 37).

[105:18]  ²⁹ tn Heb “they afflicted his feet with shackles.”

[105:18]  ³⁰ tn Heb “his neck came [into] iron.” The Hebrew term נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) with the suffix could mean simply “he” or “his life.” But the nuance “neck” makes good sense here (note the reference to his “feet” in the preceding line). See L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 38.

[105:19]  ³¹ 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]  ³² 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]  ³³ tn Heb “refined him.”

[105:20]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[the] king sent and set him free.”

[146:7]  ³⁵ tn Heb “executes justice for the oppressed.”

[61:1]  ³⁶ tn Heb “anointed,” i.e., designated to carry out an assigned task.

[61:1]  ³⁷ 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]  ³⁸ tn Or “sent” (NAB); NCV “has appointed me.”

[61:1]  ³⁹ tn Or “proclaim good news to.”

[61:1]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “to bind up [the wounds of].”