Bible Dictionaries
Prison, Prison-House

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

"a place of bonds" (from desmos, "a bond," deo, "to bind"), "a prison," occurs in Matthew 11:2; in Acts 5:21,23; 16:26 , RV, "prison house" (AV, "prison").

for the various meanings of which see CAGE , denotes a "prison," e.g., Matthew 14:10; Mark 6:17; Acts 5:19; 2 Corinthians 11:23; in 2 Corinthians 6:5; Hebrews 11:36 it stands for the condition of imprisonment; in Revelation 2:10; 18:2 , "hold" (twice, RV, marg., "prison;" in the 2nd case, AV, "cage"); Revelation 20:7 .

"a watching, keeping," then "a place of keeping" is translated "prison" in Acts 5:18 AV (RV "ward"). See KEEPING , B.

Notes: (1) For oikema in Acts 12:7 , AV, "prison," see CELL. (2) In Matthew 4:12 , AV, paradidomi, "to betray, deliver up," is translated "was cast into prison" (RV, "was delivered up"); see BETRAY. In Mark 1:14 , AV, "was put in prison," RV, as in Matthew 4:12; see PUT , No. 12.