And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.
Parallel translations
- WEB And he went out and followed him. He didn’t know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he saw a vision.
- BSB So Peter followed him out, but he was unaware that what the angel was doing was real. He thought he was only seeing a vision.
- NKJV So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
- NASB And he went out and continued to follow, and yet he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
- NLT So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening.
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 follows the angel but cannot tell whether it is real or a vision. The miracle is so unexpected that even the one being rescued is slow to grasp it.
Overview
The deliverance comes in answer to the church's earnest prayer (12:5), yet Peter himself walks out half-believing. His confusion underscores that the rescue is wholly God's doing, not something Peter engineered. Scripture is honest about the gap between God's saving acts and our slow apprehension of them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 126:1When the LORD turned again the captivity of Zion, we were like them that dream.
- Heb 11:8By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
- Gen 45:26And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob’s heart fainted, for he believed them not.
- Acts 10:3He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
- Acts 26:19Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision:
- Acts 9:10And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
- John 2:5His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.
- Acts 10:17Now while Peter doubted in himself what this vision which he had seen should mean, behold, the men which were sent from Cornelius had made enquiry for Simon’s house, and stood before the gate,
- 2 Cor 12:1–3It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
- Acts 11:5I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me:
- Gen 6:22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
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.
How Acts 12:9 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.