Acts 12:15

THE MESSAGE

But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away. Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell James and the brothers what's happened." He left them and went off to another place. At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. "Where is Peter? What's happened to Peter?" When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea. But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and Sidon put him on the warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod's right-hand man, to put in a good word for them and got a delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on Judea for food supplies, they couldn't afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their meeting, Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: "The voice of God! The voice of God!" That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod's arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died. Meanwhile, the ministry of God's Word grew by leaps and bounds. Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“You’re out of your mind!” they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true, and they said, “It’s his angel.”

King James Version (1611)
And they said vnto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was euen so. Then said they, It it his Angel.

King James Version
And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

English Standard Version
They said to her, "You are out of your mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"

New American Standard Bible
They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

New Century Version
They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she kept on saying it was true, so they said, "It must be Peter's angel."

Amplified Bible
They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel!"

New American Standard Bible (1995)
They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel."

Legacy Standard Bible
And they said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel."

Berean Standard Bible
"You are out of your mind," they told her. But when she kept insisting it was so, they said, "It is his angel."

Contemporary English Version
"You are crazy!" everyone told her. But she kept saying that it was Peter. Then they said, "It must be his angel."

Complete Jewish Bible
"You're out of your mind!" they said to her. But she insisted it was true. So they said, "It is his angel."

Darby Translation
And they said to her, Thou art mad. But she maintained that it was so. And they said, It is his angel.

Easy-to-Read Version
The believers said to her, "You are crazy!" But she continued to say that it was true. So they said, "It must be Peter's angel."

Geneva Bible (1587)
But they said vnto her, Thou art mad. Yet she affirmed it constantly, that it was so. Then said they, It is his Angel.

George Lamsa Translation
They said to her, You are confused. But she argued that it was so. Then said they, Perhaps it is his angel.

Good News Translation
"You are crazy!" they told her. But she insisted that it was true. So they answered, "It is his angel."

Lexham English Bible
But they said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she kept insisting it was so. And they kept saying, "It is his angel!"

Literal Translation
But they said to her, You are raving. But she insisted, holding it to be so. And they said, It is his angel.

American Standard Version
And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she confidently affirmed that it was even so. And they said, It is his angel.

Bible in Basic English
And they said to her, You are off your head. But still she said, with decision, that it was so. And they said, It is his angel.

Hebrew Names Version
They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

International Standard Version
They said to her, "You're out of your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was so. Then they said, "It's his angel."Genesis 48:16; Matthew 18:10;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
And they said to her, Thou art altogether moved. And she contended that it was so. And they said, It may be that it is his angel.

Murdock Translation
They said to her: Thou art delirious. But she maintained that it was a fact. They said to her: Perhaps it is his ghost.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they sayde vnto her: thou art mad. But she affirmed that it was euen so. Then sayde they: it is his Angel.

English Revised Version
And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she confidently affirmed that it was even so. And they said, It is his angel.

World English Bible
They said to her, "You are crazy!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they said to her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed, it was so. Then they said, It is his angel.

Weymouth's New Testament
"You are mad," they said. But she strenuously maintained that it was true. "It is his guardian angel," they said.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei seiden `to hir, Thou maddist. But sche affermyde, that it was so. And thei seiden, It is his aungel.

Update Bible Version
And they said to her, You are insane. But she confidently affirmed that it was even so. And they said, It is his angel.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they said to her, Thou art insane. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then they said, It is his angel.

New English Translation
But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"

New King James Version
But they said to her, "You are beside yourself!" Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, "It is his angel."

New Living Translation
"You're out of your mind!" they said. When she insisted, they decided, "It must be his angel."

New Life Bible
They said to her, "You are crazy." But she said again that it was so. They kept saying, "It is his angel."

New Revised Standard
They said to her, "You are out of your mind!" But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
She, however, kept on strongly declaring that, so, it was. But, they, were saying - It is his, messenger.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But they said to her: Thou art mad. But she affirmed that it was so. Then said they: It is his angel.

Revised Standard Version
They said to her, "You are mad." But she insisted that it was so. They said, "It is his angel!"

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they sayde vnto her: thou arte mad. And she bare them doune yt it was even so. Then sayde they: it is his angell.

Young's Literal Translation
and they said unto her, `Thou art mad;' and she was confidently affirming [it] to be so, and they said, `It is his messenger;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But they sayde vnto her: Thou art mad. Neuertheles she abode by it, that is was so. They sayde: it is his angell.

Mace New Testament (1729)
are you mad? said they. but she persisting that it was even so, they reply'd, it is then his angel.

Simplified Cowboy Version
"You're crazy!" everyone said. But when she was adamant, they said, "It must be Pete's angel with a message."

Contextual Overview

⁵ All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously. ⁶ Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances! ⁷Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here." Peter followed him, but didn't believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming. ¹⁰Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That's when Peter realized it was no dream. "I can't believe it—this really happened! The Master sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was looking forward to." ¹²Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who was John Mark's mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter's voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street. ¹⁵But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away. Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell James and the brothers what's happened." He left them and went off to another place. At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. "Where is Peter? What's happened to Peter?" When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea. But things went from bad to worse for Herod. Now people from Tyre and Sidon put him on the warpath. But they got Blastus, King Herod's right-hand man, to put in a good word for them and got a delegation together to iron things out. Because they were dependent on Judea for food supplies, they couldn't afford to let this go on too long. On the day set for their meeting, Herod, robed in pomposity, took his place on the throne and regaled them with a lot of hot air. The people played their part to the hilt and shouted flatteries: "The voice of God! The voice of God!" That was the last straw. God had had enough of Herod's arrogance and sent an angel to strike him down. Herod had given God no credit for anything. Down he went. Rotten to the core, a maggoty old man if there ever was one, he died. Meanwhile, the ministry of God's Word grew by leaps and bounds. Barnabas and Saul, once they had delivered the relief offering to the church in Jerusalem, went back to Antioch. This time they took John with them, the one they called Mark. ¹⁷Peter Under Heavy Guard That's when King Herod got it into his head to go after some of the church members. He murdered James, John's brother. When he saw how much it raised his popularity ratings with the Jews, he arrested Peter—all this during Passover Week, mind you—and had him thrown in jail, putting four squads of four soldiers each to guard him. He was planning a public lynching after Passover. All the time that Peter was under heavy guard in the jailhouse, the church prayed for him most strenuously. Then the time came for Herod to bring him out for the kill. That night, even though shackled to two soldiers, one on either side, Peter slept like a baby. And there were guards at the door keeping their eyes on the place. Herod was taking no chances! Suddenly there was an angel at his side and light flooding the room. The angel shook Peter and got him up: "Hurry!" The handcuffs fell off his wrists. The angel said, "Get dressed. Put on your shoes." Peter did it. Then, "Grab your coat and let's get out of here." Peter followed him, but didn't believe it was really an angel—he thought he was dreaming. Past the first guard and then the second, they came to the iron gate that led into the city. It swung open before them on its own, and they were out on the street, free as the breeze. At the first intersection the angel left him, going his own way. That's when Peter realized it was no dream. "I can't believe it—this really happened! The Master sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's vicious little production and the spectacle the Jewish mob was looking forward to." Still shaking his head, amazed, he went to Mary's house, the Mary who was John Mark's mother. The house was packed with praying friends. When he knocked on the door to the courtyard, a young woman named Rhoda came to see who it was. But when she recognized his voice—Peter's voice!—she was so excited and eager to tell everyone Peter was there that she forgot to open the door and left him standing in the street. But they wouldn't believe her, dismissing her, dismissing her report. "You're crazy," they said. She stuck by her story, insisting. They still wouldn't believe her and said, "It must be his angel." All this time poor Peter was standing out in the street, knocking away. Finally they opened up and saw him—and went wild! Peter put his hands up and calmed them down. He described how the Master had gotten him out of jail, then said, "Tell James and the brothers what's happened." He left them and went off to another place. ¹⁸At daybreak the jail was in an uproar. "Where is Peter? What's happened to Peter?" When Herod sent for him and they could neither produce him nor explain why not, he ordered their execution: "Off with their heads!" Fed up with Judea and Jews, he went for a vacation to Caesarea.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Thou: Acts 26:24, Job 9:16, Mark 16:11, Mark 16:14, Luke 24:11

It is: Genesis 48:16, Matthew 18:10, Luke 24:37, Luke 24:38

Reciprocal: Proverbs 21:28 - the man Matthew 14:26 - they were Titus 3:8 - that thou

Cross-References

Genesis 12:2
I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you."

Genesis 12:4
So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound. Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land.

Genesis 12:16
Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick.

Genesis 41:1
Two years passed and Pharaoh had a dream: He was standing by the Nile River. Seven cows came up out of the Nile, all shimmering with health, and grazed on the marsh grass. Then seven other cows, all skin and bones, came up out of the river after them and stood by them on the bank of the Nile. The skinny cows ate the seven healthy cows. Then Pharaoh woke up.

Exodus 2:15
Pharaoh heard about it and tried to kill Moses, but Moses got away to the land of Midian. He sat down by a well.

1 Kings 3:1
Solomon arranged a marriage contract with Pharaoh, king of Egypt. He married Pharaoh's daughter and brought her to the City of David until he had completed building his royal palace and God 's Temple and the wall around Jerusalem. Meanwhile, the people were worshiping at local shrines because at that time no temple had yet been built to the Name of God . Solomon loved God and continued to live in the God-honoring ways of David his father, except that he also worshiped at the local shrines, offering sacrifices and burning incense.

Proverbs 29:12
When a leader listens to malicious gossip, all the workers get infected with evil.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they said unto her, thou art mad, c. "Or art thou not mad?" as the Ethiopic version, and two of Beza's exemplars read, and some others: they thought the girl must be out of her senses they looked upon the thing impossible; for though they were praying for him, and praying in faith, yet they might have no expectation of a deliverance; but were praying that they might be supported under such a trial, and that it might be sanctified to them; and for Peter, that he might be strengthened and made steadfast, and kept faithful to the last; and bear, by his sufferings and death, a glorious and honourable testimony for Christ:

but she constantly affirmed that it was even so; she asserted it over and over, and was positive in it; nothing they could say could put her off of it; she was sure of it; which when they observed, they could not tell what to say to it, but as follows: then said they,

it is his angel; not his tutelar or guardian angel, everyone having, as some think, a particular angel to attend him; whereas sometimes one angel attends many persons, and sometimes many angels encamp about, and are a guard to a single saint; nor did they think it was an angel sent to give notice of his death, as some persons, by one means or another, have had previous notices of the death of their friends; but rather, that it was an angel in Peter's shape, who had something to communicate: and this agrees with the notions of the Jews, who think that angels do assume the shapes of men on certain occasions: so they say i, when Moses was in danger in Pharaoh's court, God sent Michael, the prince of the host of heaven, "in the shape of an executioner"; who brought him at once out of Egypt, and set him at the border of it, the distance of three days journey: Bar Kaphra says k, an angel descended בדמות משה, "in the likeness of Moses", and caused him to flee, and they thought the angel had been Moses: and so it is elsewhere said l, that an angel descended "in the likeness of Solomon", sitting upon his throne: there are some who think, that the sense of the brethren praying for Peter, was not that it was an angel, a celestial spirit, but a messenger sent by Peter from the prison on some errand: who represented him, or mentioning his name, the damsel took him for Peter himself. Beza's ancient copy reads, "then said they unto her, perhaps it is his angel", and so the Syriac version.

i Chronicon Mosis, fol. 6. 1. k Debarim Rabba, sect. 2. fol. 237. 1. l Midrash Kohelet, fol. 64. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thou art mad - Thou art insane. They seemed to have regarded his rescue as so difficult and so hopeless, that they deemed it proof of derangement that she now affirmed it. And yet this was the very thing for which they had been so earnestly praying. When it was now announced to them that the object of their prayers was granted, they deemed the messenger that announced it insane. Christians are often surprised even when their prayers are answered. They are overwhelmed and amazed at the success of their own petitions, and are slow to believe that the very thing for which they have sought could be granted. It shows, perhaps, with how little faith, after all, they pray, and how slow they are to believe that God can hear and answer prayer. In a revival of religion in answer to prayer, Christians are often overwhelmed and astonished when even their own petitions are granted, and when God manifests his own power in his own way and time. Prayer should be persevered in, and we should place ourselves in a waiting posture to catch the first indications that God has heard us.

But she constantly affirmed - She insisted on it. How much better it would have been to have hastened at once to the gate, than thus to have engaged in a controversy on the subject. Peter was suffered to remain knocking while they debated the matter. Christians are often engaged in some unprofitable controversy when they should hasten to catch the first tokens of divine favor, and open their arms to welcome the proofs that God has heard their prayers.

Then said they - Still resolved not to be convinced.

It is his angel - Any way of accounting for it rather than to admit the simple fact, or to ascertain the simple truth. All this was caused by the little hope which they had of his release, and their earnest desire that it should be so. It was just such a state of mind as is indicated when we say, “The news is too good to e believed.” The expression “It is his angel” may mean that they supposed that the “tutelary guardian,” or angel appointed to attend Peter, had come to announce something respecting him, and that he had assumed the voice and form of Peter in order to make them certain that he came from him. This notion arose from the common belief of the Jews that each individual had assigned to him, at birth, a celestial spirit, whose office it was to guard and defend him through life. See the notes on Matthew 18:10. That the Jews entertained this opinion is clear from their writings. See Kuinoel. Lightfoot thinks that they who were assembled supposed that the angel had assumed the voice and manner of Peter in order to intimate to them that he was about to die, and to excite them to earnest prayer that he might die with constancy and firmness. Whatever their opinions were, however, it proves nothing on these points. There is no evidence that they were inspired in these opinions, nor are their notions countenanced by the Scriptures. They were the mere common traditions of the Jews, and prove nothing in regard to the truth of the opinion one way or the other.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 12:15. It is his angel. — It was a common opinion among the Jews that every man has a guardian angel, and in the popish Church it is an article of faith. The Jews also believed that angels often assumed the likeness of particular persons. They have many stories of the appearance of Elijah in the likeness of different rabbins. As αγγελος signifies in general a messenger, whether Divine or human, some have thought that the angel or messenger here means a servant or person which the disciples supposed was sent from Peter to announce something of importance to the brethren: it was also an opinion among the Jews, even in the time of the apostles, as appears from Philo, that the departed souls of good men officiated as ministering angels; and it is possible that the disciples at Mary's house might suppose that Peter had been murdered in the prison; and that his spirit was now come to announce this event, or give some particular warning to the Church.