Psalms 46:6

46:6 Nations are in uproar, kingdoms are overthrown. ¹ 

God ²  gives a shout, ³  the earth dissolves. ⁴ 

Psalms 65:7

65:7 You calm the raging seas ⁵ 

and their roaring waves,

as well as the commotion made by the nations. ⁶ 

Psalms 104:9

104:9 You set up a boundary for them that they could not cross,

so that they would not cover the earth again. ⁷ 

Matthew 2:13-16

The Escape to Egypt

2:13 After they had gone, an ⁸  angel of the Lord ⁹  appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you, for Herod ¹⁰  is going to look for the child to kill him.” 2:14 Then he got up, took the child and his mother during ¹¹  the night, and went to Egypt. 2:15 He stayed there until Herod ¹²  died. In this way what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet was fulfilled: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” ¹³ 

2:16 When Herod ¹⁴  saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he became enraged. He sent men ¹⁵  to kill all the children in Bethlehem ¹⁶  and throughout the surrounding region from the age of two and under, according to the time he had learned from the wise men.

Matthew 24:22

24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.

Acts 12:3-19

12:3 When he saw that this pleased the Jews, ¹⁷  he proceeded to arrest Peter too. (This took place during the feast of Unleavened Bread.) ¹⁸  12:4 When he had seized him, he put him in prison, handing him over to four squads ¹⁹  of soldiers to guard him. Herod ²⁰  planned ²¹  to bring him out for public trial ²²  after the Passover. 12:5 So Peter was kept in prison, but those in the church were earnestly ²³  praying to God for him. ²⁴  12:6 On that very night before Herod was going to bring him out for trial, ²⁵  Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, while ²⁶  guards in front of the door were keeping watch ²⁷  over the prison. 12:7 Suddenly ²⁸  an angel of the Lord ²⁹  appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck ³⁰  Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly!” And the chains fell off Peter’s ³¹  wrists. ³²  12:8 The angel said to him, “Fasten your belt ³³  and put on your sandals.” Peter ³⁴  did so. Then the angel ³⁵  said to him, “Put on your cloak ³⁶  and follow me.” 12:9 Peter ³⁷  went out ³⁸  and followed him; ³⁹  he did not realize that what was happening through the angel was real, ⁴⁰  but thought he was seeing a vision. 12:10 After they had passed the first and second guards, ⁴¹  they came to the iron ⁴²  gate leading into the city. It ⁴³  opened for them by itself, ⁴⁴  and they went outside and walked down one narrow street, ⁴⁵  when at once the angel left him. 12:11 When ⁴⁶  Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued ⁴⁷  me from the hand ⁴⁸  of Herod ⁴⁹  and from everything the Jewish people ⁵⁰  were expecting to happen.”

12:12 When Peter ⁵¹  realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John Mark, ⁵²  where many people had gathered together and were praying. 12:13 When he knocked at the door of the outer gate, a slave girl named Rhoda answered. ⁵³  12:14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she did not open the gate, but ran back in and told ⁵⁴  them ⁵⁵  that Peter was standing at the gate. 12:15 But they said to her, “You’ve lost your mind!” ⁵⁶  But she kept insisting that it was Peter, ⁵⁷  and they kept saying, ⁵⁸  “It is his angel!” ⁵⁹  12:16 Now Peter continued knocking, and when they opened the door ⁶⁰  and saw him, they were greatly astonished. ⁶¹  12:17 He motioned to them ⁶²  with his hand to be quiet and then related ⁶³  how the Lord had brought ⁶⁴  him out of the prison. He said, “Tell James and the brothers these things,” and then he left and went to another place. ⁶⁵ 

12:18 At daybreak ⁶⁶  there was great consternation ⁶⁷  among the soldiers over what had become of Peter. 12:19 When Herod ⁶⁸  had searched ⁶⁹  for him and did not find him, he questioned ⁷⁰  the guards and commanded that they be led away to execution. ⁷¹  Then ⁷²  Herod ⁷³  went down from Judea to Caesarea ⁷⁴  and stayed there.

[46:6]  ¹ tn Heb “nations roar, kingdoms shake.” The Hebrew verb הָמָה (hamah, “roar, be in uproar”) is used in v. 3 of the waves crashing, while the verb מוֹט (mot, “overthrown”) is used in v. 2 of mountains tumbling into the sea (see also v. 5, where the psalm affirms that Jerusalem “cannot be moved”). The repetition of the verbs suggests that the language of vv. 2-3 is symbolic and depicts the upheaval that characterizes relationships between the nations of the earth. As some nations (symbolized by the surging, chaotic waters) show hostility, others (symbolized by the mountains) come crashing down to destruction. The surging waters are symbolic of chaotic forces in other poetic texts (see, for example, Isa 17:12; Jer 51:42) and mountains can symbolize strong kingdoms (see, for example, Jer 51:25).

[46:6]  ² tn Heb “He.” God is the obvious referent here (see v. 5), and has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[46:6]  ³ tn Heb “offers his voice.” In theophanic texts the phrase refers to God’s thunderous shout which functions as a battle cry (see Pss 18:13; 68:33).

[46:6]  ⁴ tn Or “melts.” See Amos 9:5. The image depicts the nation’s helplessness before Jerusalem’s defender, who annihilates their armies (see vv. 8-9). The imperfect verbal form emphasizes the characteristic nature of the action described.

[65:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “the roar of the seas.”

[65:7]  ⁶ sn The raging seas…the commotion made by the nations. The raging seas symbolize the turbulent nations of the earth (see Ps 46:2-3, 6; Isa 17:12).

[104:9]  ⁷ tn Heb “a boundary you set up, they will not cross, they will not return to cover the earth.”

[2:13]  ⁸ tn Grk “behold, an angel.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:13]  ⁹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.

[2:13]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Herod the Great was particularly ruthless regarding the succession to his throne.

[2:14]  ¹¹ tn The feminine singular genitive noun νυκτός (nuktos, “night”) indicates the time during which the action of the main verb takes place (ExSyn 124).

[2:15]  ¹² sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:15]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Hos 11:1.

[2:16]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1. Note the fulfillment of the prophecy given by the angel in 2:13.

[2:16]  ¹⁵ tn Or “soldiers.”

[2:16]  ¹⁶ map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.

[12:3]  ¹⁷ tn This could be a reference to the Jewish people (so CEV) or to the Jewish leaders (so NLT). The statement in v. 4 that Herod intended to bring Peter “out to the people” (i.e., for a public trial) may suggest the former is somewhat more likely.

[12:3]  ¹⁸ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[12:4]  ¹⁹ sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.

[12:4]  ²⁰ tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomeno") and an infinitive (ἀναγαγεῖν, anagagein), but this creates an awkward and lengthy sentence in English. Thus a reference to Herod was introduced as subject and the participle translated as a finite verb (“Herod planned”).

[12:4]  ²¹ tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”

[12:4]  ²² tn Grk “to bring him out to the people,” but in this context a public trial (with certain condemnation as the result) is doubtless what Herod planned. L&N 15.176 translates this phrase “planning to bring him up for a public trial after the Passover.”

[12:5]  ²³ tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.

[12:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “but earnest prayer was being made by the church to God for him.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged to follow English style, and the somewhat awkward passive “prayer was being made” has been changed to the simpler active verb “were praying.” Luke portrays what follows as an answer to prayer.

[12:6]  ²⁵ tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.

[12:6]  ²⁶ tn Grk “two chains, and.” Logically it makes better sense to translate this as a temporal clause, although technically it is a coordinate clause in Greek.

[12:6]  ²⁷ tn Or “were guarding.”

[12:7]  ²⁸ 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]  ²⁹ tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.

[12:7]  ³⁰ 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]  ³¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:7]  ³² tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.

[12:8]  ³³ 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]  ³⁴ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:8]  ³⁶ tn Or “outer garment.”

[12:9]  ³⁷ tn Grk “And going out he followed.”

[12:9]  ³⁸ 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]  ³⁹ 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]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).

[12:10]  ⁴¹ tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”

[12:10]  ⁴² 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]  ⁴³ 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]  ⁴⁴ tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automath), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).

[12:10]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).

[12:11]  ⁴⁶ 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]  ⁴⁷ tn Or “delivered.”

[12:11]  ⁴⁸ sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.

[12:11]  ⁴⁹ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:11]  ⁵⁰ sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).

[12:12]  ⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:12]  ⁵² tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”

[12:13]  ⁵³ tn Or “responded.”

[12:14]  ⁵⁴ tn Or “informed.”

[12:14]  ⁵⁵ tn The word “them” 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.

[12:15]  ⁵⁶ sn “You’ve lost your mind!” Such a response to the miraculous is not unusual in Luke-Acts. See Luke 24:11; Acts 26:25. The term μαίνομαι (mainomai) can have the idea of being “raving mad” or “totally irrational” (BDAG 610 s.v.). It is a strong expression.

[12:15]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “she kept insisting that the situation was thus” (cf. BDAG 422 s.v. ἔχω 10.a). Most translations supply a less awkward English phrase like “it was so”; the force of her insistence, however, is that “it was Peter,” which was the point under dispute.

[12:15]  ⁵⁸ tn The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diiscurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.

[12:15]  ⁵⁹ sn The assumption made by those inside, “It is his angel,” seems to allude to the idea of an attending angel (cf. Gen 48:16 LXX; Matt 18:10; Test. Jacob 1:10).

[12:16]  ⁶⁰ tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).

[12:16]  ⁶¹ sn That they were greatly astonished is a common response in Luke-Acts to God’s work (Luke 8:56; Acts 2:7, 12; 8:13; 9:21; 10:45).

[12:17]  ⁶² tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[12:17]  ⁶³ tc ‡ Most mss, including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ Ï sy), read αὐτοῖς (autoi", “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (Ì^45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739 pc) lack the pronoun. Although it is possible that the pronoun was deleted because it was seen as superfluous, it is also possible that it was added as a natural expansion on the text, strengthening the connection between Peter and his listeners. Although a decision is difficult, the shorter reading is slightly preferred. NA²⁷ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[12:17]  ⁶⁴ tn Or “led.”

[12:17]  ⁶⁵ sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.

[12:18]  ⁶⁶ tn BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a has “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (Jhmera ginetai) in this verse.

[12:18]  ⁶⁷ tn Grk “no little consternation.” The translation given for τάραχος (taraco") in this verse by BDAG 991 s.v. τάραχος 1 is “mental agitation.” The situation indicated by the Greek word is described in L&N 25.243 as “a state of acute distress and great anxiety, with the additional possible implications of dismay and confusion – ‘great distress, extreme anxiety.’” The English word “consternation” is preferred here because it conveys precisely such a situation of anxiety mixed with fear. The reason for this anxiety is explained in the following verse.

[12:19]  ⁶⁸ sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).

[12:19]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).

[12:19]  ⁷⁰ tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrina") here because a possible translation offered by BDAG 66 s.v. ἀνακρίνω for this verse is “examined,” which could be understood to mean Herod inspected the guards rather than questioned them. The translation used by the NIV, “cross-examined,” also avoids this possible misunderstanding.

[12:19]  ⁷¹ tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apacqhnai) in this verse is given by BDAG 95 s.v. ἀπάγω 2.c. Although an explicit reference to execution is lacking here, it is what would usually occur in such a case (Acts 16:27; 27:42; Code of Justinian 9.4.4). “Led away to torture” is a less likely option (Pliny the Younger, Letters 10, 96, 8).

[12:19]  ⁷² tn Grk “and,” but the sequence of events is better expressed in English by “then.” A new sentence is begun in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek, which exceeds normal English sentence length.

[12:19]  ⁷³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Since Herod has been the subject of the preceding material, and the circumstances of his death are the subject of the following verses (20-23), it is best to understand Herod as the subject here. This is especially true since according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352], Herod Agrippa I died at Caesarea in a.d. 44, and vv. 20-23 here describe his death. Thus the end of v. 19 provides Luke’s transition to explain how Herod got from Jerusalem to Caesarea where he died. In spite of all this evidence, the NRSV translates this phrase “Then Peter went down from Judea to Caesarea and stayed there,” understanding the referent to be Peter rather than Herod Agrippa I.

[12:19]  ⁷⁴ sn Caesarea was a city on the coast of Palestine south of Mount Carmel (not Caesarea Philippi). See the note on Caesarea in Acts 10:1.