Footnotes

1. Acts 12:1 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great). His mediocre career is summarized in Josephus, Ant. 18-19. This event took place in a.d. 42 or 43.
2. Acts 12:1 tn Or “King Herod had some from the church arrested.”
3. Acts 12:1 tn Or “to cause them injury.”
4. Acts 12:2 sn The expression executed with a sword probably refers to a beheading. James was the first known apostolic martyr (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 2.9.1-3). On James, not the Lord’s brother, see Luke 5:10; 6:14. This death ended a short period of peace noted in Acts 9:31 after the persecution mentioned in 8:1-3.
5. Acts 12:3 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.
6. Acts 12:3 sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.
7. Acts 12:4 sn Four squads of soldiers. Each squad was a detachment of four soldiers.
8. Acts 12:4 tn Grk “guard him, planning to bring him out.” The Greek construction continues with a participle (βουλόμενος, boulomenos) 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”).
9. Acts 12:4 tn Or “intended”; Grk “wanted.”
10. Acts 12:4 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.”
11. Acts 12:5 tn Or “constantly.” This term also appears in Luke 22:14 and Acts 26:7.
12. Acts 12:5 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.
13. Acts 12:6 tn Grk “was going to bring him out,” but the upcoming trial is implied. See Acts 12:4.
14. Acts 12:6 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.
15. Acts 12:6 tn Or “were guarding.”
16. Acts 12:7 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.
17. Acts 12:7 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 5:19.
18. Acts 12:7 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 (pataxas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
19. Acts 12:7 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
20. Acts 12:7 tn Grk “the hands,” but the wrist was considered a part of the hand.
21. Acts 12:8 tn While ζώννυμι (zōnnumi) 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.
22. Acts 12:8 tn Grk “He”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
23. Acts 12:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24. Acts 12:8 tn Or “outer garment.”
25. Acts 12:9 tn Grk “And going out he followed.”
26. Acts 12:9 tn Grk “Peter going out followed him.” The participle ἐξελθών (exelthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
27. Acts 12:9 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.
28. Acts 12:9 tn Grk “what was done through the angel was a reality” (see BDAG 43 s.v. ἀληθής 3).
29. Acts 12:10 tn Or perhaps, “guard posts.”
30. Acts 12:10 sn The iron gate shows how important security was here. This door was more secure than one made of wood (which would be usual).
31. Acts 12:10 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.
32. Acts 12:10 tn The Greek term here, αὐτομάτη (automatē), indicates something that happens without visible cause (BDAG 152 s.v. αὐτόματος).
33. Acts 12:10 tn Or “lane,” “alley” (BDAG 907 s.v. ῥύμη).
34. Acts 12:11 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.
35. Acts 12:11 tn Or “delivered.”
36. Acts 12:11 sn Here the hand of Herod is a metaphor for Herod’s power or control.
37. Acts 12:11 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
38. Acts 12:11 sn Luke characterizes the opposition here as the Jewish people, including their leadership (see 12:3).
39. Acts 12:12 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Peter) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
40. Acts 12:12 tn Grk “John who was also called Mark.”sn John Mark becomes a key figure in Acts 12:25; 13:5, 13; 15:37-39.
41. Acts 12:13 tn Or “responded.”
42. Acts 12:14 tn Or “informed.”
43. Acts 12:14 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.
44. Acts 12:15 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.
45. Acts 12:15 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.
46. Acts 12:15 tn The two imperfect tense verbs, διϊσχυρίζετο (diischurizeto) and ἔλεγον (elegon), are both taken iteratively. The picture is thus virtually a shouting match between Rhoda and the rest of the believers.
47. Acts 12:15 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).
48. Acts 12:16 tn The words “the door” are not in the Greek text, but are implied (see Acts 12:13).
49. Acts 12:16 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).
50. Acts 12:17 tn Or “He gave them a signal.” Grk “Giving them a signal…he related to them.” The participle κατασείσας (kataseisas) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
51. Acts 12:17 tc ‡ Most mss, including some of the most important ones (B D E Ψ M sy), read αὐτοῖς (autois, “to them”) here, while some excellent and early witnesses (P^45vid,74vid א A 33 81 945 1739) 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. NA²⁸ puts the pronoun in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.
52. Acts 12:17 tn Or “led.”
53. Acts 12:17 sn He…went to another place. This is Peter’s last appearance in Acts with the exception of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15.
54. Acts 12:18 tn BDAG 436 s.v. ἡμέρα 1.a has “day is breaking” for ἡμέρα γίνεται (hēmera ginetai) in this verse.
55. Acts 12:18 tn Grk “no little consternation.” The translation given for τάραχος (tarachos) 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.
56. Acts 12:19 sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great).
57. Acts 12:19 tn Or “had instigated a search” (Herod would have ordered the search rather than conducting it himself).
58. Acts 12:19 tn “Questioned” is used to translate ἀνακρίνας (anakrinas) 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.
59. Acts 12:19 tn The meaning “led away to execution” for ἀπαχθῆναι (apachthēnai) 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).
60. Acts 12:19 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.
61. Acts 12:19 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.sn King Herod was Herod Agrippa I, the grandson of Herod I (Herod the Great), who died at Caesarea in a.d. 44 according to Josephus, Ant. 19.8.2 [19.343-352].
62. Acts 12:19 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.