Acts 12:8

Act 12:8. Εἶπε, said) It was not the angel himself who clothed Peter; for there was no need. Decorum was observed.—περίζωσαι, gird thyself around) His girdle, sandals, and garment, either Peter himself had laid aside when going to sleep, or else the guards had taken away: now he is ordered to put them on. Still Peter had his time for walking uninterfered with (at his disposal): Joh 21:18, “(περιεπάτεις) whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old,—another shall grid thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.”

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Act 12:8 . περίζωσαι , but simple verb in R.V., W.H [250] , Weiss, Wendt; bind thy tunic with a girdle: during the night the long flowing undergarment was loosened, but fastened up by day, so as not to impede the movements. Wetstein, Weiss, Page, and others contrast Hor., Sat. , i., 2, 132. “Colligit sarcinulas nec festinat” (Wetstein), simple verb only twice elsewhere in N.T., and there also of St. Peter, cf. Joh 21:18 . σανδάλιά : Mar 6:9 , elsewhere ὑποδήματα . St. Peter still observed his Master’s rule to be shod with sandals (Mark, u. s. ), i.e. , the shoes of the poor as distinguished from those of the more wealthy: dim. of σάνδαλον , a wooden sole . In LXX cf. Jos 9:5 , Isa 20:2 ; in Jdt 10:4 ; Jdt 16:9 , of the sandals of the richer class. περιβαλοῦ , only here in Acts; Luk 12:27 ; Luk 23:2 , often elsewhere in N.T., and in LXX. τὸ ἱμάτιον : the outer garment worn over the χιτών , and laid aside at night with the sandals. Lumby compares Didache 1 , i., 4. Mark the distinction between the aorist and present tense, περίζωσαι … ὑπόδ .… περιβ ., but ἀκολούθει ( cf. Joh 2:16 ). “Præsens propter finem non indicatum” Blass; Simcox, Language of N. T. , p. 114.

[250] Westcott and Hort’s The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

about thee . . . follow me--In such graphic minuteness of detail we have a charming mark of reality: while the rapidity and curtness of the orders, and the promptitude with which they were obeyed, betoken the despatch which, in the circumstances, was necessary.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 8. Gird thyself] It seems Peter had put off the principal part of his clothes, that he might sleep with more comfort. His resuming all that he had thrown off was a proof that every thing had been done leisurely. There was no evidence of any hurry; nor of any design to elude justice, or even to avoid meeting his accusers in any legal way. It appears that the two soldiers were overwhelmed by a deep sleep, which fell upon them from God.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.—In lying down to sleep the Apostle had naturally laid aside his “cloak,” loosened the girdle that bound his tunic, and put off his sandals. As regards the latter we note his continued observance of the rule of Mar_6:9.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. Gird thyself] A binding up of the loose Oriental robe, so as to be fit for expeditious movement. Thus the Passover was to be eaten (Exo_12:11) as if by persons prepared to depart at once. So Gehazi was bidden (2Ki_4:29) to make himself ready for his journey to the house of the Shunammite.

Cast thy garment about thee] The Greek word signifies the outer dress as distinguished from the under tunic.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And the angel said unto him, gird thyself,.... He slept in his inner garment loose about him; wherefore the angel bids him gird it up with his girdle, and prepare to walk out after him:

and bind on thy sandals; which were a sort of shoes that covered only the soles of the feet, and were fastened to the leg, with strings:

and so he did; he did not ask any question, or the reason of these orders; he did not dispute the matter, but at once obeyed:

and he saith unto him, cast thy garment about thee; meaning his upper garment, or cloak, which lay by him:

and follow me; suggesting hereby, that he should take care of him, and show him his way, and bring him safe out of the prison.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

Ver. 8. And follow me] See here how by degrees (and not all at once) God oftentimes sendeth forth his prisoners (his afflicted ones) out of the pit wherein is no water, Zec 9:11. He is a "God of judgment," and waits a fit time to deal forth his favours, Isa 30:18; he crumbles his mercies, as the cloud dissolves drops rain upon the earth; we have his blessings by retail, to maintain commerce and communion between him and us. Have patience, therefore, and wait for full deliverance. We know not what we lose by making haste, and not holding up our hands, as Moses did, to the going down of the sun. If God have begun to enlarge us, he will in due time do it to the full. If we should not be in straits sometimes, God should have "no tribute from us;" as those malignants suggested against those returned captives, Ezr 4:13.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gird thyself - When they slept the outer garment was thrown off, and the girdle with which they bound their inner garment, or tunic, was loosed. He was directed now to gird up that inner garment as they usually wore it; that is, to dress himself, and prepare to follow him.

Bind on thy sandals - Put on thy sandals; prepare to walk. See the notes on Mat 3:11.

Cast thy garment about thee - The outer garment, that was thrown loosely around the shoulders. It was nearly square, and was laid aside when they slept, or worked, or ran. The direction was that he should dress himself in his usual apparel. See the notes on Mat 5:38-42.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Gird thyself; the custom being to wear long garments, they were not so fit to go about any business until they had girt their garments to them; hence Jeremiah is commanded to get a girdle about him, Jer 13:1, when he was to be sent on God’s errand. The sandals were little other than sole leathers, bound or fastened with thongs.

Thy garment; the uppermost vest, answerable to a cloak amongst us. God furnishes his people thus with necessaries, and he will have them use them, so far as they are able to serve them, even then when he is working of miracles for their deliverances.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Bind… sandals—The minuteness of the details are ample answer to the irrational drivel of the so-called rationalists, who endeavour to explain this transaction by natural means. We may add, that before this chapter closes we shall find that even a secular historian, Josephus, discloses a supernaturalism in close sequence to this narrative.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He did so for so he did, A.V. Thy garment (iJmation); especially the outer garment, which was worn over the citwn, or tunic. (see Mat_9:20, 21 14:36 23:5, etc.) The girding, therefore, applied to the inner garments, and peribalou to the cloak which went over them.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Gird thyself - Probably he had put off his girdle, sandals, and upper garment, before he lay down to sleep.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

angel

(See Scofield "Heb 1:4").

The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

See notes one verse 7

J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. ζῶσαι, gird thyself. To gird up the loose Oriental robe was a necessity before undertaking any expeditious movement. So to Gehazi, (LXX.) 2Ki 4:29, Elisha says Ζῶσαι τὴν ὀσφύν σου, and uses the same phrase (2Ki 9:1) to that one of the sons of the prophets whom he is about to send to Ramoth-Gilead.

περιβαλοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου, cast thy garment about thee. The ἱμάτιον was the outer garment as distinguished from the under one, which is χιτών. The ἱμάτια were stripped off by those who stoned Stephen (Act 7:58), and in the LXX. the constant phrase for rending the loose robe as a sign of horror is διέῤῥηξαν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, while the dress made for Adam and Eve is described as χιτῶνες δερμάτινοι (Gen 3:21), and it was the χιτών which Ahab (1Ki 21:27) rent, that he might put sackcloth upon his flesh. Cf. also ‘Teaching of the Twelve Apostles,’ chap. i. ἐὰν ἄρῃ τις τὸ ἱμάτιόν σου, δὸς αὐτῷ καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Garment [ιματιον] . The outer garment, or mantle. See on Mt 5:40.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.