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.
Parallel translations
- WEB 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.
- KJV 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.
- NKJV 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.
- NASB 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.
- NLT 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.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Peter quiets them, recounts how the Lord freed him, asks them to tell James, and departs to another place. He gives glory to God and then prudently withdraws.
Overview
Peter's first instinct is to testify that the Lord brought him out, directing attention to God rather than himself. His message to James (the Lord's brother, now a leader in Jerusalem) and the brothers shows the church's developing structure. Going to another place reflects wise caution under Herod's threat, modeling both bold witness and sensible prudence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 23
- Acts 21:40Having received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:
- Acts 19:33The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander forward to explain himself, and he motioned for silence so he could make his defense to the people.
- Acts 13:16Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and began to speak: “Men of Israel and you Gentiles who fear God, listen to me!
- Acts 15:13When they had finished speaking, James declared, “Brothers, listen to me!
- Acts 21:18The next day Paul went in with us to see James, and all the elders were present.
- Gal 2:9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
- Gal 2:12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.
- Gal 1:19But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
- John 8:59At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.
- John 11:54As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
- 1 Cor 15:7Then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles.
- Matt 10:23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
- Ps 102:20–21to hear a prisoner’s groaning, to release those condemned to death,
- Ps 107:21–22Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Ps 146:7He executes justice for the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free,
- Luke 1:22When he came out and was unable to speak to them, they realized he had seen a vision in the temple. He kept making signs to them but remained speechless.
- John 10:40Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
- Ps 116:14–15I will fulfill my vows to the LORD in the presence of all His people.
- Ps 66:16Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me.
- John 7:1After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.
- John 13:24So Simon Peter motioned to him to ask Jesus which one He was talking about.
- Acts 16:40After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house to see the brothers and encourage them. Then they left the city.
- Jas 1:1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes of the Dispersion: Greetings.
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Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
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Original language
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