Herod Agrippa I kills James the brother of John with the sword and, seeing it pleases the Jews, arrests Peter during Passover with intent to execute him publicly afterward. The church prays earnestly while Peter, chained between two soldiers, is miraculously delivered by an angel who leads him past guards and through the iron gate to freedom, leaving Peter himself uncertain whether he is dreaming. Peter reports to the praying believers gathered at Mary's house before departing, Herod executes the guards, and the king is later struck by an angel and eaten by worms because he accepted divine acclamation, while God's word grows and multiplies, and Barnabas and Saul return from Jerusalem with John Mark.
Read Acts Chapter 12 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Peter
Leader of early Jerusalem church
Paul the Apostle
Apostle to the Gentiles, missionary
Stephen
First Christian martyr
Herod the Great
King of Judea
James, Brother of Jesus
Leader of the Jerusalem Church
John Mark
Author of the Gospel of Mark
Mary of Bethany
Sister of Martha and Lazarus
Barnabas
Son of Encouragement
Saul
First King of Israel
Places in This Chapter
Caesarea
View on MapCaesarea Maritima was a grand Roman port city built by Herod the Great. Peter preached to the Roman centurion Cornelius here, opening Christianity to the Gentiles. Paul was imprisoned here for two years and made his defense before Felix, Festus, and King Agrippa.
Sidon
View on MapSidon was an ancient Phoenician port city, often mentioned with its sister city Tyre. Queen Jezebel was a Sidonian princess. Jesus visited the region and healed the daughter of a Syrophoenician woman. Sidon was known for its skilled craftsmen and maritime trade. Paul stopped briefly in Sidon on his voyage to Rome.
Position in Book
Jerusalem ChurchChapters 1-7
Expansion to Judea/SamariaChapters 8-12
Philip, Paul's conversion, Peter and Cornelius.
Paul's First JourneyChapters 13-14
Jerusalem CouncilChapters 15
Paul's Second JourneyChapters 16-18
Paul's Third JourneyChapters 19-21
Paul's Trials and RomeChapters 22-28
Bible Bites
The Gospel Spreads in 28 Chapters
The book of Acts contains 28 chapters chronicling the explosive growth of the early church from Jerusalem to Rome. Written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, it begins with 120 believers in an upper room and ends with Paul preaching boldly in the capital of the Roman Empire.
ActsThe narrator joins the story
In Acts 16:10, Luke suddenly switches from 'they' to 'we,' revealing he personally joined Paul's missionary journey. These 'we passages' (Acts 16, 20-21, 27-28) provide eyewitness accounts showing Luke was present for key events including Paul's shipwreck.
Acts 16:10