Acts 4:3They laid hands on them, and put them in custody until the next day, for it was now evening.
The setting
Jerusalem jail, evening ~30 AD. Peter and John are locked up overnight because Jewish law forbade trials after sunset, in modern-day Jerusalem, Israel.
The emotion here: soberly recording the first major arrest of apostles
The original word
phylakē (φυλακήν) — prison, place of guarding, often underground dungeons
Why it matters
Jewish courts couldn't convene after sunset, so evening arrests meant automatic overnight imprisonment
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 4:3
The timing wasn't coincidence - arresting at evening guaranteed they'd spend the night in fear
Common misconceptionPeople think this was impulsive anger, but it was calculated - they arrested at evening specifically to maximize psychological pressure through a night in prison.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 4:3
Bible Genome reading
Acts 4:3 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 4:3 comes from the book of Acts, written during the early_church period. These words are attributed to Luke. The dominant emotion in this verse is anxious, with a comfort power of 15% and a tone that is reflective. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include persecution, imprisonment. Notable phrases: laid hands on them; put them in custody.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same anxious
“And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.”
— 2 Corinthians 11:14
“Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”
— 2 Timothy 3:12
“The evil spirit answered, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?"”
— Acts 19:15
“I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?'”
— Acts 22:7
“When we had all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice saying to me in the Hebrew language, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? It is har…”
— Acts 26:14
Your reflection
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