Acts 12:5

Therefore (men oun). Because of the preceding situation. Was kept (ethreito). Imperfect passive, continuously guarded, waiting for the feast to be over. But prayer was made earnestly (proseuch de hn ektenw ginomenh). Probably de here is not adversative (but), merely parallel (and) as Page argues. It was a crisis for the Jerusalem church. James had been slain and Peter was to be the next victim. Hence "earnestly" (late adverb from ektenh, strained, from ekteinw, to stretch. In the N.T. only here, Luke 22:44 ; 1 Peter 1:22 ) prayer was going up (ginomenh, present middle participle, periphrastic imperfect with hn). It looked like a desperate case for Peter. Hence the disciples prayed the more earnestly.