Acts 5:18and laid hands on the apostles, and put them in public custody.
The setting
Jerusalem, ~32 AD. Dawn. The Sadducees have had enough. The apostles are teaching daily in Solomon's Portico, and thousands are believing. Temple guards march through the crowds...
The emotion here: recording the escalating conflict with growing concern
The original word
epiballo (ἐπιβάλλω) — to lay hands on with force, arrest violently
Why it matters
Public custody meant the apostles were chained in the temple's underground prison with common criminals
Read with care
What most readers miss in Acts 5:18
This arrest was PUBLIC — meant to humiliate and intimidate the growing church
Common misconceptionPeople think this was the first persecution, but Acts 4 shows the authorities had already arrested Peter and John. This was escalation, not beginning.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Acts 5:18
Bible Genome reading
Acts 5:18 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Acts 5:18 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 20% and a tone that is urgent. It belongs to the narrative genre of biblical literature. Key themes include persecution, arrest. Notable phrases: laid hands on; public 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
What does Acts 5:18 mean to you, today?
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