Acts 12 · a question people ask
The chapter doesn't say. It tells of James in one verse (12:2), and of Peter's seizing, his night in the prison and his coming out at length (12:3-17). It gives no reason why the one was killed and the other brought out, and these notes don't give one.
“He killed James, the brother of John, with the sword.”
From Favor's study of Acts 12
Peter "didn’t know" that what the angel did "was real", and thought he saw a vision (12:9); then he said, "Now I truly know" (12:11). In the Greek, know is one verb in both verses, and Strong's gives truly as from the word behind real.
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Last reviewed October 7, 2026. Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Every answer cites the verses it rests on. What we believe · All Bible questions