Acts 5:22
But when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told,
Original Language Analysis
οἱ
G3588
οἱ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
1 of 13
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
ὑπηρέται
when the officers
G5257
ὑπηρέται
when the officers
Strong's:
G5257
Word #:
3 of 13
an under-oarsman, i.e., (generally) subordinate (assistant, sexton, constable)
παραγενόμενοι
came
G3854
παραγενόμενοι
came
Strong's:
G3854
Word #:
4 of 13
to become near, i.e., approach (have arrived); by implication, to appear publicly
αὐτοὺς
them
G846
αὐτοὺς
them
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
7 of 13
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
τῇ
G3588
τῇ
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 13
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
φυλακῇ·
the prison
G5438
φυλακῇ·
the prison
Strong's:
G5438
Word #:
10 of 13
a guarding or (concretely, guard), the act, the person; figuratively, the place, the condition, or (specially), the time (as a division of day or nigh
Historical Context
Ancient prisons were simple - locked doors, guards posted. Escape without violence or noticed departure suggested supernatural intervention. The guards' ignorance ('standing without before the doors') cleared them of negligence, preventing punishment. The officers' detailed report emphasized impossibility of natural explanation.
Questions for Reflection
- How do miraculous signs force opponents to acknowledge divine activity even while resisting?
- What does the locked but empty prison teach about God's power transcending human restriction?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
The officers' discovery - 'when the officers came, and found them not in the prison, they returned, and told, 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' - describes supernatural escape with no natural explanation. The doors remained locked, guards unaware, yet prisoners vanished. This irrefutable evidence of divine intervention confronted authorities with God's approval of apostolic ministry.