Acts 12:18 Meaning and Explanation
“Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →At daybreak the guards discover Peter gone, and the prison erupts in confusion.
What Does Acts 12:18 Mean?
Morning comes, and sixteen soldiers wake to two empty chains. Luke's 'no small stir' is dry understatement: under Roman discipline a guard who lost a prisoner could answer for it with his life (compare Acts 16:27), so the uproar was desperate as well as baffled.
The empty cell preaches without a word: God has acted, and the machinery of power can only mill about asking what became of Peter. It recalls another morning, when soldiers guarded a tomb and found themselves keeping watch over nothing (Matthew 28:11-15). The world has procedures for everything except the works of God; it can only register, with alarm, that someone it held is gone — and that no door was broken.
Frequently Asked Questions About Acts 12:18
What does Acts 12:18 mean?
At daybreak the guards discover Peter gone, and the prison erupts in confusion.