Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Acts 12:8
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.
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.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
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.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
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.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
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 Gods 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.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. about thee . . . follow meInsuch graphic minuteness of detail we have a charming mark of reality:while the rapidity and curtness of the orders, and the promptitudewith which they were obeyed, betoken the despatch which, in thecircumstances, was necessary.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
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.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gird thyself (). Direct middle first aorist (ingressive) imperative (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 806f.) from (). Old verb, but in the N.T. only here and Joh 21:18 (twice to Peter) where the active voice and the reflexive pronoun occur in the first example. The girdle was worn round the or undergarment.
Bind on (). Indirect middle (by yourself or for yourself) first aorist imperative of , to bind under, old verb, only three times in the N.T. (Mark 6:9; Acts 12:8; Eph 6:15 (middle)).
Sandals (). Persian word common from Herodotus on, a sole made of wood or leather covering the bottom of the foot and bound on with thongs. In the N.T. only here and Mr 6:9. In the LXX used indiscriminately with .
Cast about thee (). Second aorist middle (indirect) imperative of , old and common verb to throw around, especially clothing around the body as here. The (outer garment) was put over the . It was not a hurried flight.
Follow me ( ). Present (linear) active imperative, keep on following me (associative instrumental case).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Garment [] . The outer garment, or mantle. See on Mt 5:40.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And the angel said unto him,” (eipen de ho angelos pros auton) “Then the angel instructed or directed him,” as Gabriel instructs servants of God, Dan 8:15-19; Luk 1:11-22; Luk 1:26-35.
2) “Gird thyself and bind on thy sandals,” (zosai kai hupodesai ta sandalia sou) “Gird or dress yourself with a girdle tightening and put on your sandals,” for a journey, an escape from that prison and the power of the chains that held and enslaved him.
3) “And so he did,” (epoiesen de houtos) “And he did so,” did exactly that, what he was told, at once, in obedience to the angel, a messenger from God to minister to and deliver him that night, Psa 34:7; Dan 6:22; Heb 1:14.
4) “And he saith unto him,” (kai legei auto) “And he (the angel) then instructed him further,” step by step, as by the Spirit he obediently led him out of the prison cell or chamber, Rom 8:14.
5) “Cast thy garment about thee,” (peribalou to himation soul “Throw your garment (wrap around garment) around you,” the tunic loosely worn at night or laid aside, but bound tightly with a girdle around the waist for daily travel, not to hinder rapid movement.
6) “And follow me,” (kai akolouthei moi) “And follow toward me,” or follow me closely, as if I were the Lord, even as Paul morally, ethically, and doctrinally instructed, 1Co 11:1-2.
7) “And his chains fell off from his hands,” (kai eksepesan autou hai haluseis ek ton cheiron) “And the chains with which he was bound came apart and fell out from and off of him,” of his hands, each of which had been bound to a soldier on either side. He breaks bonds of sin, sets captives free, and cares for His own in every trial, Heb 13:5; 1Co 10:13.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
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.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself, and bind on your sandals.” And he did so. And he says to him, “Throw your robe about you, and follow me.”
We must presume that Peter was heavy with sleep, such was the clarity of his conscience, so that the angel had to urgently prod him into action. He bade him to gird himself, that is put his belt on in order to keep his clothing off the ground for fast walking, and bind on his sandals. He wanted Peter to know that he would be coming with him. And Peter did as he was told. Then he urged him to throw his robe around him and follow him.
The detail given suggests that Luke wants us to see Peter as in a daze, and this is brought out in what follows. That the visitant was God-sent is certain, but there is nothing here that necessarily requires that it be a heavenly visitant, apart from the description ‘angel of the Lord’ itself. Had it not been for that it could equally have been a messenger of God on earth.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
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 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Act 12:8 . , 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 . : Mar 6:9 , elsewhere . 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 , 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. , only here in Acts; Luk 12:27 ; Luk 23:2 , often elsewhere in N.T., and in LXX. : the outer garment worn over the , and laid aside at night with the sandals. Lumby compares Didache 1 , i., 4. Mark the distinction between the aorist and present tense, . ., but ( cf. Joh 2:16 ). “Prsens 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.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Gird thyself. Greek. perizonnumi. Occurs elsewhere, Luk 12:35, Luk 12:37; Luk 17:8. Eph 6:14. Rev 1:13; Rev 15:6. Texts read zonnumi, as in Joh 21:18.
unto = to.
garment. Greek. himation, the outer garment.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Act 12:8. , said) It was not the angel himself who clothed Peter; for there was no need. Decorum was observed.-, 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, () whither thou wouldest; but when thou shalt be old,-another shall grid thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
angel
(See Scofield “Heb 1:4”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Reciprocal: Isa 51:14 – captive Mar 6:9 – sandals Act 8:26 – The angel Act 27:23 – there
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
8
Act 12:8. Peter had taken off his sandals and outer garment when he was preparing for sleep. The angel meant for him to resume them, tightening his belt about him.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Act 12:8. Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. The angel gives these various directions1st, to indicate the reality of the appearance; 2d, to show there was no need for haste. The prisoner was to arise at once; he would find the iron fetters which bound him to the two sleeping soldiers already snapped by the Divine touch. He was to tighten the girdle which confined his tunic, to strap on the light sandals he had laid aside before he slept. Tarry not to bind on your sandals was a usual saying among the Greeks when they urged one to hasten. He was to throw round him his heavy cloak as a protection against the sharp air of the early spring morning.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
See notes one verse 7
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
Verse 8
Gird thyself. The garments then worn were confined by a girdle which was laid aside or loosened when the person slept.–Cast thy garment; an outer garment.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
The angel coached Peter as a parent to get dressed and to follow him out of the prison. Peter was so groggy that he did not know that he was really being set free. He thought he might be having another vision (Act 10:10, cf. Act 9:10).