Acts 12:19

19 And when Herod had sought for him and found him not, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be taken away. Then he went down from Judaea to Caesarea and abode there.

Acts 12:19 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 12:19

And when Herod had sought for him and found him not
Neither in the prison, nor in any part of the city:

he examined the keepers;
of the prison, and those that were upon the watch, whether they had not been accessary to his escape:

and commanded that they should be put to death:
or brought forth, not before a judge to be tried and judged, because they had been examined by Herod already; but either that they should be carried and laid in bonds, or be led forth to suffer punishment; and so our version directs, and which is confirmed by the Syriac; and the Greeks say F14, that (apagwgh) is a kind of punishment:

and he went down from Judea to Caesarea;
not Peter, but Herod:

and there abode;
of this journey of Agrippa's to Caesarea, Josephus makes mention F15; this place was distant from Jerusalem six hundred furlongs, or seventy five miles F16.


FOOTNOTES:

F14 Harpocratian. Lex. p. 32.
F15 Antiqu. l. 19. c. 2. sect. 2.
F16 De Bello Jud. l. 1. c. 3. sect. 5.

Acts 12:19 In-Context

17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to be silent, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go make these things known unto James and to the brethren. And he departed and went to another place.
18 Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers concerning what was become of Peter.
19 And when Herod had sought for him and found him not, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be taken away. Then he went down from Judaea to Caesarea and abode there.
20 And Herod was highly displeased with those of Tyre and Sidon, but they came with one accord to him, and, having bribed Blastus, the king’s chamberlain, they asked for peace because their lands were supplied through those of the king’s.
21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne and made an oration unto them.
The Jubilee Bible (from the Scriptures of the Reformation), edited by Russell M. Stendal, Copyright © 2000, 2001, 2010