Acts 5:19

"and laid hands on the apostles, then put them in public custody."

Key Reflection

This action by the high priest and council symbolizes both physical restraint and a spiritual test, highlighting the opposition faced by the early Christian community as they continued to preach despite persecution. By laying hands on the apostles before confining them, the authorities aimed to assert their authority while also invoking a religious ritual that might have been seen as legitimizing their actions in the eyes of some.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 19. But the angel of the Lord. This does not denote any particular angel, but simply an angel. The article is not used in the original. The word angel denotes, properly, a messenger, and particularly it is applied to the pure spirits that are sent to this world on errands of mercy. See Barnes "Mt 1:20". The case here was evidently a miracle.

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