Reference: Prison
Easton
The first occasion on which we read of a prison is in the history of Joseph in Egypt. Then Potiphar, "Joseph's master, took him, and put him into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound" (Ge 39:20-23). The Heb word here used (sohar) means properly a round tower or fortress. It seems to have been a part of Potiphar's house, a place in which state prisoners were kept.
The Mosaic law made no provision for imprisonment as a punishment. In the wilderness two persons were "put in ward" (Le 24:12; Nu 15:34), but it was only till the mind of God concerning them should be ascertained. Prisons and prisoners are mentioned in the book of Psalms (Ps 69:33; 79:11; 142:7). Samson was confined in a Philistine prison (Jg 16:21,25). In the subsequent history of Israel frequent references are made to prisons (1Ki 22:27; 2Ki 17:4; 25:27,29; 2Ch 16:10; Isa 42:7; Jer 32:2). Prisons seem to have been common in New Testament times (Mt 11:2; 25:36,43). The apostles were put into the "common prison" at the instance of the Jewish council (Ac 5:18,23; 8:3); and at Philippi Paul and Silas were thrust into the "inner prison" (Ac 16:24; comp. Ac 4:3; 12:4-5).
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And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound. And he was there in the prison. But LORD was with Joseph, and showed kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. read more. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph's hand all the prisoners who were in the prison. And whatever they did there, he was the doer of it. The keeper of the prison did not look to anything that was under his hand, because LORD was with him, and that which he did, LORD made it prosper.
And they put him in ward, that it might be declared to them at the mouth of LORD.
And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grinding in the prison-house.
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport to us. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pilla
and say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I come in peace.
For LORD hears the needy, and does not despise his prisoners.
Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee. According to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those who are appointed to death,
Bring my soul out of prison that I may give thanks to thy name. The righteous shall encompass me around, for thou will deal bountifully with me.
to open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, and those who sit in darkness out of the prison-house.
Now at that time the king of Babylon's army was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah's house.
Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, having sent two of his disciples,
naked, and ye clothed me. I was feeble, and ye came to help me. I was in prison, and ye came to me.
I was a stranger, and ye did not take me in, naked, and ye did not clothe me, weak, and in prison, and ye did not come to help me.
And they threw hands on them, and put them in custody for the morrow, for it was now evening.
And they threw their hands on the apostles, and put them in the public prison.
saying, We found the prison indeed shut in all security, and the guards standing before the doors, but after opening, we found no man inside.
But Saul was ravaging the church, entering from house to house. Dragging both men and women, he gave them over to prison.
whom, having also arrested, he put in prison, having delivered to four quaternions of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him forth to the people. Indeed therefore Peter was kept in the prison, but fervent prayer was being made by the church to God for him.
who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Hastings
Imprisonment, in the modern sense of strict confinement under guard, had no recognized place as a punishment for criminals under the older Hebrew legislation (see Crimes and Punishments,
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and they took him, and cast him into the pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.
And Joseph's master took him, and put him into the prison, the place where the king's prisoners were bound. And he was there in the prison.
The keeper of the prison did not look to anything that was under his hand, because LORD was with him, and that which he did, LORD made it prosper.
And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
And they dreamed a dream both of them, each man his dream, in one night, each man according to the interpretation of his dream, the butler and the baker of the king of Egypt, who were bound in the prison.
And it came to pass at midnight, that LORD smote all the first-born in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the first-born of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the first-born of cattl
And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes. And they brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass, and he did grinding in the prison-house.
And it came to pass, when their hearts were merry, that they said, Call for Samson, that he may make sport to us. And they called for Samson out of the prison-house, and he made sport before them. And they set him between the pilla
Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in the prison-house. For he was in a rage with him because of this thing. And Asa oppressed some of the people at the same time.
And whoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed upon him with all diligence, whether it be to death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.
Then Pashhur smote Jeremiah the prophet, and put him in the stocks that were in the upper gate of Benjamin, which was in the house of LORD.
LORD has made thee priest in the stead of Jehoiada the priest, that there may be officers in the house of LORD, for every man who is mad, and makes himself a prophet, that thou should put him in the stocks and in shackles.
Now Jeremiah came in and went out among the people, for they had not put him into prison.
And the rulers were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.
And the rulers were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison.
And the rulers were angry with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for they had made that the prison. When Jeremiah came into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,
When Jeremiah came into the dungeon-house, and into the cells, and Jeremiah had remained there many days,
Moreover Jeremiah said to king Zedekiah, How have I sinned against thee, or against thy servants, or against this people, that ye have put me in prison?
And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted u
As for thee also, because of the blood of thy covenant I have set free thy prisoners from the pit in which is no water.
For Herod having arrested John, bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife.
And having sent, he beheaded John in the prison.
And they threw hands on them, and put them in custody for the morrow, for it was now evening.
And they threw their hands on the apostles, and put them in the public prison.
who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.
who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired lodging. And he received all who came in to him,
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hungerings,
in which also, having gone, he preached to the spirits in prison
Morish
In Egypt, in Babylon, among the Romans, and doubtless in most other nations, these were used as places in which to secure prisoners. Joseph was cast into prison, and his feet were hurt with fetters (Ps 105:18), though it does not appear that there was any trial as to the crime of which he was accused. God interfered on his behalf, and made the keeper or jailor favourable to him, and he committed all the prisoners into Joseph's care. This was the royal prison, but the condition of the place is not known: he called it 'the dungeon.'
Jeremiah was confined in 'the court of the prison,' a place to which the Jews could come and where they could converse with him. Jer 32:2-12. Jehoiachin was in prison in Babylon. Jer 52:31. The prison at Jerusalem, under the Romans, is more fully described. Peter was bound by two chains, and lay asleep between two soldiers. It was under military rule, and the soldiers were responsible for the safety of the prisoners. The angel conducted Peter through the first and second guard to the outer iron gate that led into the city. This shows what is meant by the 'inner prison' mentioned elsewhere. Acts 12. At Philippi there was a jailor who was responsible for the safety of the prisoners. He, supposing some had escaped, was about to destroy himself, when Paul stopped him. Ac 16:23-27.
Fallen angels are said to be kept in 'everlasting chains,' Jude 1:6; and there are spirits which are kept in prison. 1Pe 3:19. The abyss in which Satan is to be shut up for the thousand years is also called a prison, which may refer to the same place. Re 20:7.
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Now at that time the king of Babylon's army was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the court of the guard, which was in the king of Judah's house. For Zedekiah king of Judah had shut him up, saying, Why do thou prophesy, and say, Thus says LORD: Behold, I will give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall take it. read more. And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape out of the hand of the Chaldeans, but shall surely be delivered into the hand of the king of Babylon, and shall speak with him mouth to mouth, and his eyes shall behold his eyes. And he shall bring Zedekiah to Babylon, and there he shall be until I visit him, says LORD. Though ye fight with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper? And Jeremiah said, The word of LORD came to me, saying, Behold, Hanamel the son of Shallum thine uncle shall come to thee, saying, Buy thee my field that is in Anathoth. For the right of redemption is thine to buy it. So Hanamel my uncle's son came to me in the court of the guard according to the word of LORD, and said to me, Buy my field, I pray thee, that is in Anathoth, which is in the land of Benjamin. For the right of inheritance is thine, And I bought the field that was in Anathoth of Hanamel my uncle's son, and weighed him the money, even seventeen shekels of silver. And I signed the deed, and sealed it, and called witnesses, and weighed him the money in the balances. So I took the deed of the purchase, both that which was sealed, [according to] the law and custom, and that which was open, and I delivered the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the presence of Hanamel my uncle's [son], and in the presence of the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, before all the Jews w
And it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty-fifth day of the month, that Evil-merodach king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted u
And having laid many blows upon them, they cast them into prison, having ordered the jailor to guard them securely, who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. read more. Now toward midnight Paul and Silas, while praying, were singing praises to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly a great earthquake occurred, so as for the foundations of the prison to shake. And immediately all the doors were opened, and the bonds of all the men were unfastened. And the jailor, who became awake and who saw the prison doors opened, having drawn out a sword was going to kill himself, supposing the prisoners to have fled.
in which also, having gone, he preached to the spirits in prison
And the heavenly agents who did not keep their own principality, but left their own habitation, he has kept reserved in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be loosed out of his prison.
Smith
[For imprisonment as a punishment, see PUNISHMENTS] It is plain that in Egypt special places were used as prisons, and that they were under the custody of a military officer.
See Punishments
During the wandering in the desert we read on two occasions of confinement "in ward" --
but as imprisonment was not directed by the law, so we hear of none till the time of the kings, when the prison appears as an appendage to the palace, or a special part of it.
Private houses were sometimes used as places of confinement. By the Romans the tower of Antoni, was used as a prison at Jerusalem,
and at Caesarea the praetorium of Herod. The royal prisons In those days were doubtless managed after the Roman fashion, and chains, fetters and stocks were used as means of confinement. See
One of the readiest places for confinement was a dry or partially-dry wall or pit.
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And he put them in ward in the house of the captain of the guard, into the prison, the place where Joseph was bound.
And they put him in ward, that it might be declared to them at the mouth of LORD.
And they put him in ward, because it had not been declared what should be done to him.
and say, Thus says the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction until I come in peace.
But they said, We will drink no wine. For Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, commanded us, saying, Ye shall drink no wine, neither ye, nor your sons, forever. Neither shall ye build house, nor sow seed, nor plant vineyard, nor have any, but all your days ye shall dwell in tents, that ye may live many days in the land in which ye sojourn. read more. And we have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he charged us, to drink no wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, nor to build houses for us to dwell in. Neither have we vineyard, nor field, nor seed, but we have dwelt in tents, and have obeyed, and done according to all that Jonadab our father commanded us. But it came to pass, when Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon came up into the land, that we said, Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans, and for fear of the army of the Syrians. So we dwell at Jerusalem
who, having received such an order, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks.
And a great conflict having developed, the chief captain, having been alarmed lest Paul might be torn apart by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him away from the midst of them, and bring him into the fort.