Acts 12:17
New International Version
Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

New Living Translation
He motioned for them to quiet down and told them how the Lord had led him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers what happened,” he said. And then he went to another place.

English Standard Version
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

Berean Standard Bible
Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

Berean Literal Bible
And having made a sign to them with the hand to be silent, he related to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, "Report these things to James and to the brothers." And having gone out, he went to another place.

King James Bible
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

New King James Version
But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

New American Standard Bible
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

NASB 1995
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” Then he left and went to another place.

NASB 1977
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place.

Legacy Standard Bible
But motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he recounted to them how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

Amplified Bible
But motioning to them with his hand to be quiet and listen, he described how the Lord had led him out of the prison. And he said, “Report these things to James and the brothers and sisters.” Then he left and went to another place.

Christian Standard Bible
Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Tell these things to James and the brothers,” he said, and he left and went to another place.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Motioning to them with his hand to be silent, he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Report these things to James and the brothers,” he said. Then he departed and went to a different place.

American Standard Version
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. And he said, Tell these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went to another place.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And he was gesturing to them with his hands so as to silence them, and he entered and related to them how THE LORD JEHOVAH had brought him out from the prison. And he said to them, “Tell these things to Yaqob and to the brethren.” And he went out to another place.

Contemporary English Version
Peter motioned for them to keep quiet. Then he told how the Lord had led him out of jail. He also said, "Tell James and the others what has happened." After that, he left and went somewhere else.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But he beckoning to them with his hand to hold their peace, told how the Lord had brought him out of prison, and he said: Tell these things to James, and to the brethren. And going out, he went into another place.

English Revised Version
But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him forth out of the prison. And he said, Tell these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went to another place.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Peter motioned with his hand to quiet them down and told them how the Lord had taken him out of prison. He added, "Tell James and the other believers about this." Then he left and went somewhere else.

Good News Translation
He motioned with his hand for them to be quiet, and he explained to them how the Lord had brought him out of prison. "Tell this to James and the rest of the believers," he said; then he left and went somewhere else.

International Standard Version
He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet, and then he told them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He added, "Tell this to James and the brothers." Then he left and went somewhere else.

Literal Standard Version
and having beckoned to them with the hand to be silent, he declared to them how the LORD brought him out of the prison, and he said, “Declare these things to James and to the brothers”; and having gone forth, he went on to another place.

Majority Standard Bible
Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place.

New American Bible
He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and explained [to them] how the Lord had led him out of the prison, and said, “Report this to James and the brothers.” Then he left and went to another place.

NET Bible
He motioned to them with his hand to be quiet and then related how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, "Tell James and the brothers these things," and then he left and went to another place.

New Revised Standard Version
He motioned to them with his hand to be silent, and described for them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he added, “Tell this to James and to the believers.” Then he left and went to another place.

New Heart English Bible
But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, "Tell these things to James, and to the brothers." Then he departed, and went to another place.

Webster's Bible Translation
But he beckoning to them with the hand to hold their peace, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go, show these things to James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

Weymouth New Testament
But he motioned with his hand for silence, and then described to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. "Tell all this to James and the brethren," he added. Then he left them, and went to another place.

World English Bible
But he, beckoning to them with his hand to be silent, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. He said, “Tell these things to James and to the brothers.” Then he departed and went to another place.

Young's Literal Translation
and having beckoned to them with the hand to be silent, he declared to them how the Lord brought him out of the prison, and he said, 'Declare to James and to the brethren these things;' and having gone forth, he went on to another place.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Rescue of Peter
16But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for silence, and he described how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. “Send word to James and to the brothers,” he said, and he left for another place. 18At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.…

Cross References
Mark 6:3
Isn't this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren't His sisters here with us as well?" And they took offense at Him.

Acts 1:15
In those days Peter stood up among the brothers (a gathering of about a hundred and twenty) and said,

Acts 12:16
But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astounded.

Acts 12:18
At daybreak there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter.

Acts 13:16
Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: "Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me!

Acts 15:13
When they had finished speaking, James declared, "Brothers, listen to me!

Acts 19:33
The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people.


Treasury of Scripture

But he, beckoning to them with the hand to hold their peace, declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go show these things to James, and to the brothers. And he departed, and went into another place.

beckoning.

Acts 13:16
Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

Acts 19:33
And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.

Acts 21:40
And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

declared.

Psalm 66:16
Come and hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Psalm 102:20,21
To hear the groaning of the prisoner; to loose those that are appointed to death; …

Psalm 107:21,22
Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! …

James.

Acts 15:13
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

Acts 21:18
And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.

1 Corinthians 15:7
After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles.

And he.

Acts 16:40
And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia: and when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed.

Matthew 10:23
But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.

John 7:1
After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him.

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Account Added Beckoning Declared Departed Described Forth Hand Hold James Led Motioned Motioning News Peace Peter Prison Report Shew Show Sign Silence Silent
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Account Added Beckoning Declared Departed Described Forth Hand Hold James Led Motioned Motioning News Peace Peter Prison Report Shew Show Sign Silence Silent
Acts 12
1. King Herod persecutes the Christians, kills James, and imprisons Peter;
6. whom an angel delivers upon the prayers of the church.
20. Herod in his pride taking to himself the honor due to God,
23. is stricken by an angel, and dies miserably.
24. After his death, the word of God prospers.
25. Saul and Barnabas return to Antioch.














(17) Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren.--The James, or Jacob, thus spoken of may have been either James the son of Alphaeus or James the brother of the Lord. Many writers have maintained the identity of the person described under these two names; but reasons have been given in the Notes on Matthew 10:3; Matthew 12:47; Matthew 13:55, for believing that they were two distinct persons, and that the brother of the Lord was therefore not an Apostle. It is obvious that about this time, probably in consequence of the death of his namesake, the son of Zebedee, James the brother of the Lord comes into a fresh prominence. He is named as receiving St. Paul in Galatians 1:19, and as being, with Peter and John, one of the pillars of the Church (Galatians 2:9). Probably about this time (but see Introduction to the Epistle of St. James) he addressed the letter that bears his name to the Twelve Tribes that were scattered abroad. He presides at the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15:13, and acted as bishop of the Church at Jerusalem. According to the statement of Hegesippus, a Jewish Christian writer of the second century, preserved by Eusebius (Hist. ii. 23). he led the life of a Nazarite in all its rigour, was regarded by the Jews as having a priestly character, wore the linen ephod, and the golden petalon or plate, fitting on the brow of the priests, and as such was admitted to the Holy Place in the Temple. In A.D. 62 or 63 he was tempted by the priestly rulers, especially by the high-priest Ananias, to declare that the Christ was a deceiver, and on proclaiming his faith in Him was thrown from the pinnacle of the Temple, and as he lay on the ground, received a coup de grace from a fuller's club. The way in which St. Peter here speaks of him implies that he was, in some way, the head and representative of the Christian community at Jerusalem. . . . Verse 17. - Brought him forth for brought him, A.V.; tell for go show, A.V.; to for into, A.V. Beckoning, etc.; κατασείσασ τῇ χειρὶ (see Acts 13:16; Acts 19:33; Acts 21:40). It is the action of one having something to say and bespeaking silence while he says it. Unto James. This, of course, is the same James as is mentioned in Galatians 1:19 as "the Lord's brother," and who, in Galatians 2:9, 12, and Acts 15:12 and Acts 21:18, as well as here, appears as occupying a peculiar place in the Church at Jerusalem, viz. as all antiquity testifies, as Bishop of Jerusalem. So Hegesippus, quoted by Eusebius ('Eccl. Hist.,' 2:23), "James the Lord's brother, called by universal consent the Just, received the government of the Church together with the apostles;" and in Acts 2:1 he quotes Clement of Alexandria as saying that, after the Ascension, Peter, James, and John selected James the Just, the Lord's brother, to be the first Bishop of Jerusalem. And Eusebius gives it as the general testimony of antiquity that James the Just, the Lord's brother, was the first who sat on the episcopal throne of Jerusalem. But who he was exactly is a point much controverted. The three hypotheses are:

1. That he was the son of Alphaeus or Clopas and Mary, sister to the blessed Virgin, and therefore our Lord's cousin german, and called his brother by a common Hebrew idiom. According to this theory he was one of the twelve (Luke 6:15), as he appears to be in Galatians 1:19, though this is not certain (see Bishop Lightfoot, in loc.).

2. That he was the son of Joseph by his first wife, and so stepbrother to the Lord, which is Eusebius's explanation ('Eccl. Hist.,' 2:1).

3. That he was in the full sense the Lord's brother, being the son of Joseph and Mary. This is the opinion of Alford (in lee.), fully argued in the 'Proleg. to the Epistle of James,' and of Meyer, Credner, and many German commentators. According to these two last hypotheses, he was not one of the twelve. "The apostolic constitutions distinguish between James the son of Alphaeus, the apostle, and James the brother of the Lord, ὁ ἐπίσκοπος (Meyer). It may be added that Acts 1:14 separates the brethren of the Lord from the apostles, who are enumerated in the preceding verses. The hypothesis which identifies James the Lord's brother with James the son of Alphaeus or Clopas and Mary is well argued in Smith's 'Dictionary of the Bible,' art. "James" (see also the able Introduction to the Epistle of James in the 'Speaker's Commentary'). It seems impossible to come to a certain conclusion. The weakest point in the hypothesis which identifies James the Lord's brother with the son of Alphaeus is that it fails to account for the distinction clearly made between the Lord's brothers and the apostles in such passages as John 2:12; John 7:3, 5, 10; Acts 1:13; Matthew 12:46, 49; 1 Corinthians 9:5. For the effect of these passages is scarcely neutralized by Galatians 1:19. But then, on the other hand, the hypothesis that the Lord's brethren, including James and Joses, were the children of Joseph and Mary, seems to be flatly contradicted by the mention of Mary the wife of Clopas as being "the mother of James and Jests" (Mark 15:40; John 19:25). He went to another place. Whether Luke was not informed what the place was, or whether there was some reason why he did not mention it, we cannot tell. The Venerable Bode ('Prolog. in Expos. in Act. Apost.'), Baronius, and other authorities of the Church of Rome, say he went to Rome, and commenced his episcopate of Rome at this time Dr Lightfoot thinks it more probable that he went to Antioch (Comm. on Acts, in vol. 8. pp. 273, 289). Some guess Caesarea; but there is no clue really.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
[Peter] motioned
κατασείσας (kataseisas)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2678: From kata and seio; to sway downward, i.e. Make a signal.

with [his]
τῇ (tē)
Article - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

hand
χειρὶ (cheiri)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5495: A hand.

for
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

silence,
σιγᾶν (sigan)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 4601: Intrans: I am silent, keep silence; trans: I keep secret; pass: I am kept secret. From sige; to keep silent.

[and] he described
διηγήσατο (diēgēsato)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1334: To relate in full, describe, narrate. From dia and hegeomai; to relate fully.

how
πῶς (pōs)
Adverb
Strong's 4459: Adverb from the base of pou; an interrogative particle of manner; in what way?; also as exclamation, how much!

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Lord
Κύριος (Kyrios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

had brought
ἐξήγαγεν (exēgagen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1806: To lead out, sometimes to death, execution. From ek and ago; to lead forth.

him
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

out of
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

prison.
φυλακῆς (phylakēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5438: From phulasso; a guarding or, the act, the person; figuratively, the place, the condition, or, the time, literally or figuratively.

“Send word
Ἀπαγγείλατε (Apangeilate)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 518: To report (from one place to another), bring a report, announce, declare. From apo and the base of aggelos; to announce.

to James
Ἰακώβῳ (Iakōbō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2385: The same as Iakob Graecized; Jacobus, the name of three Israelites.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

to the
τοῖς (tois)
Article - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

brothers,”
ἀδελφοῖς (adelphois)
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

he said,
εἶπέν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

he left for
ἐξελθὼν (exelthōn)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1831: To go out, come out. From ek and erchomai; to issue.

another
ἕτερον (heteron)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2087: (a) of two: another, a second, (b) other, different, (c) one's neighbor. Of uncertain affinity; other or different.

place.
τόπον (topon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5117: Apparently a primary word; a spot, i.e. Location; figuratively, condition, opportunity; specially, a scabbard.


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NT Apostles: Acts 12:17 But he beckoning to them with his (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 12:16
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