Saying, The prison truly found we shut with all safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
Saying {G3004},{G3754} The prison {G1201} truly {G3303} found we {G2147} shut {G2808} with {G1722} all {G3956} safety {G803}, and {G2532} the keepers {G5441} standing {G2476} without {G1854} before {G4253} the doors {G2374}: but {G1161} when we had opened {G455}, we found {G2147} no man {G3762} within {G2080}.
“We found the jail securely locked and the guards standing at the doors; but when we opened it, we found no one inside!”
“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
saying, The prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the keepers standing at the doors: but when we had opened, we found no man within.
-
Psalms 2:4
He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. -
Psalms 33:10
The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect. -
Proverbs 21:30
¶ [There is] no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD. -
Daniel 6:22
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. -
Daniel 6:24
And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast [them] into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den. -
Acts 5:19
But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said, -
Lamentations 3:55
¶ I called upon thy name, O LORD, out of the low dungeon.
Acts 5:23 KJV is a pivotal verse in the early narrative of the Church, highlighting the dramatic outcome of a divine intervention. It records the bewildered report of the temple guards and officers who were sent to retrieve the apostles from prison, only to find an impossible situation.
Context
This verse follows the miraculous release of the apostles from a heavily guarded prison. After being arrested by the High Priest and the Sadducees for their bold preaching and healing in the name of Jesus, an angel of the Lord had supernaturally opened the prison doors and led them out (Acts 5:19-20). The angel instructed them to continue preaching in the temple. When the Sanhedrin convened, they sent officers to bring the apostles before them, leading to the scene described in this verse. The officers' report underscores the inexplicable nature of the apostles' disappearance.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
The phrase "shut with all safety" (Greek: asphaleia) emphasizes the thoroughness of the human effort to secure the prisoners. It implies a state of certainty, security, and stability. The guards were confident in their containment, making the discovery of "no man within" all the more astonishing and inexplicable from a human perspective. This contrast highlights the supernatural nature of the escape, as human security was clearly inadequate against divine power.
Practical Application
Acts 5:23 offers profound encouragement for believers today: