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).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And Joseph's lord will take him and put him into the house of the fortress, the place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he shall be there in the house of the fortress. And Jehovah will be with Joseph, and will extend to him kindness, and will give his grace in the eyes of the chief of the house of the fortress. read more. And the chief of the house of the fortress will give into Joseph's hand all the prisoners that were in the house of the fortress; and all which was done there he was doing. The chief of the house of the fortress saw not all the things in his hand, because Jehovah was with him: and what he did Jehovah prospering.
And they placed him in watch, to declare distinctly to them by the mouth of Jehovah.
And they will put him in watch, for it was not specified what shall be done to him.
And Philisteim will seize him, and they will bore out his eyes, and will bring him down to Gaza and bind him with fetters of brass, and he will be grinding in the house of bonds.
And it will be when their heart will be joyful, and they will say, Call to Samson, and he shall play to us. And they will call to Samson from the house of bonds and he will play before them, and they will set him between the pillars.
And say, Thus said the king, Put this in the house of shutting up, and cause him to eat the bread of oppression and the waters of oppression till my coming in peace.
For Jehovah heard to the needy, and he despised not his hound.
The mourning of the bound shall come before thee; according to the greatness of thine arm let the sons of death remain
Bring forth my soul out of prison to praise thy name: the just shall surround upon me; for thou wilt benefit to me.
To open the eyes of the blind, to bring forth the bound out of prison, those sitting in darkness out of the house of the prison.
And then the strength of the king of Babel pressed upon Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the enclosure of the prison which was in the house of the king of Judah.
And John having heard in prison the works of Christ, having sent two of his disciples,
Naked, and ye put around me: I was sick, and ye reviewed me: I was in prison, and ye came to me.
I was a stranger and ye brought me not in; naked, and ye put not around me; sick, and in prison, and ye took not a view of me.
And they put hands upon them, and set in guard for the morrow: for it was already evening.
And put their hands upon the sent, and set them in the public keeping.
Saying, That we truly found the prison shut with all security, and the watch standing without before the doors: and having opened, we found none within.
And Saul abused the church, going into houses, and drawing out men and women, delivered to prison.
And having seized, he put him in prison, having delivered to four quaternions of soldiers to watch him; wishing after the pascha to bring him to the people. Truly therefore was Peter kept in prison: and prayer was made continually by the church to God for him.
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,
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And they will take him and will throw him into the pit; and the pit empty; water not in it
And Joseph's lord will take him and put him into the house of the fortress, the place where the king's prisoners were bound; and he shall be there in the house of the fortress.
The chief of the house of the fortress saw not all the things in his hand, because Jehovah was with him: and what he did Jehovah prospering.
And he will give them in guard in the house of the chief of the cooks, to the house of the fortress, the place where Joseph was bound there.
And they will dream a dream, they two, a man his dream in one night, a man according to the interpretation of his dream; the cup-bearer and the baker which were to the king of Egypt, who were bound in the house of the fortress.
And it will be in the middle of the night, and Jehovah struck every firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh sitting upon his throne, to the first-born of the captive which is in the house of the pit; and every first-born of the cattle.
And Philisteim will seize him, and they will bore out his eyes, and will bring him down to Gaza and bind him with fetters of brass, and he will be grinding in the house of bonds.
And it will be when their heart will be joyful, and they will say, Call to Samson, and he shall play to us. And they will call to Samson from the house of bonds and he will play before them, and they will set him between the pillars.
And Asa will be indignant to the seer, and he will give him to the house of the stocks, for he was in anger with him for this And Asa will oppress from the people in that time.
And all not to be doing the laws of thy God, and the laws of the king, judgment to be done speedily upon him, if whether to death or to rooting him out, or to impose fines and for bonds.
And Pashur will strike Jeremiah the prophet and give him upon the stocks which were in the gate of Benjamin the highest, which were in the house of Jehovah.
Jehovah gave thee priest instead of Jehoida the priest to be overseers of the house of Jehovah, and for every man raving and prophesying, and give him to the stocks and to the prison.
And Jeremiah came and went forth in the midst of the people and they gave him not to the house of the prison.
And the chiefs will be angry against Jeremiah and they struck him, and gave him to the house of bonds the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they made it for a house of prison.
And the chiefs will be angry against Jeremiah and they struck him, and gave him to the house of bonds the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they made it for a house of prison.
And the chiefs will be angry against Jeremiah and they struck him, and gave him to the house of bonds the house of Jonathan the scribe: for they made it for a house of prison. For Jeremiah came to the house of the pit, and to the vaults, and Jeremiah sat there many days.
For Jeremiah came to the house of the pit, and to the vaults, and Jeremiah sat there many days.
And Jeremiah will say to king Zedekiah, What did I sin against thee, and against thy servants, and against this people that thou gavest me to the house of the prison?
And the king's servant went forth from the house of the king, and he will speak to the king, saying,
And it will be in the thirty and seventh year to the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty and fifth to the month, Evil Merodach, king of Babel, in the year of his reigning lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him forth from the house of the prison,
Also thou by the blood of thy covenant I sent forth thy bound ones from the pit no water in it
For Herod, having seized John, bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias, his brother Philip's wife:
And having sent, he beheaded John in the prison.
And they put hands upon them, and set in guard for the morrow: for it was already evening.
And put their hands upon the sent, and set them in the public keeping.
Who, having received such an order, cast them into the inner prison, and placed their feet firmly in wood.
Who, having received such an order, cast them into the inner prison, and placed their feet firmly in wood.
And Paul remained two whole years in his own wages, and received all going to him,
In blows, in imprisonments, in disorders, in fatigues, in watchings, in fastings;
In which also having gone, he proclaimed 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
They humbled his feet with the fetter: his soul came into iron:
And then the strength of the king of Babel pressed upon Jerusalem: and Jeremiah the prophet was shut up in the enclosure of the prison which was in the house of the king of Judah. For Zedekiah king of Judah shut him up, saying, Wherefore prophesiest thou, saying, Thus said Jehovah, Behold me giving this city into the hand of the king of Babel, and he took it read more. And Zedekiah king of Judah shall not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, for giving, he shall be given into the hand of the king of Babel, and speaking to him, his mouth with his mouth, and his eyes shall see his eyes: And he shall call Zedekiah to go to Babel, and he shall be there till my reviewing him, says Jehovah: if ye shall war with the Chaldeans, ye shall not prosper. And Jeremiah will say, The word of Jehovah was to me, saying, Behold, Hanameel son of Shallum thine uncle, coming to thee, saying, Buy to thee my field which is in Anathoth: for to thee the judgment of redemption to-day. And Hanameel mine uncle's son will come to me according to the word of Jehovah, to the enclosure of the prison, and he will say to me, Buy now, my field, which is in Anathoth, in the land of Benjamin: for to thee judgment of possession, and to thee the redemption; buy to thee, and I shall know that this is the word of Jehovah. And I shall buy the field of Hanameel son of mine uncle, which is in Anathoth; and I shall weigh to him seven shekels and ten of silver. And I shall write in a book, and seal and affirm witnesses, and weigh the silver in the balances. And I will take the book of the purchase, being sealed, the command and laws, and being unrolled: . And I shall give the writing of the purchase to Baruch, son of Neriah, son of Maaseiah, before the eyes of Hanamed mine uncle, and before the eyes of the witnesses, writing in the book of the purchase before the eves of all the Jews sitting in the enclosure of the prison.
And it will be in the thirty and seventh year to the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, in the twenty and fifth to the month, Evil Merodach, king of Babel, in the year of his reigning lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah and brought him forth from the house of the prison,
And many blows having been put upon them, they cast into prison, having commanded the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such an order, cast them into the inner prison, and placed their feet firmly in wood. read more. And at midnight Paul and Silas praying, praised God: and the imprisoned heard them. And suddenly was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and the bonds of all were let loose. And the jailor being awakened, and having seen the doors of the prison opened, having drawn a sword, was about to kill himself, supposing the imprisoned to have fled.
In which also having gone, he proclaimed to the spirits in prison;
Also the angels not having kept their beginning, but having left their own habitation, he has kept in perpetual chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
And when the thousand years should be finished, Satan shall be loosed from 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.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And he will give them in guard in the house of the chief of the cooks, to the house of the fortress, the place where Joseph was bound there.
And they placed him in watch, to declare distinctly to them by the mouth of Jehovah.
And they will put him in watch, for it was not specified what shall be done to him.
And say, Thus said the king, Put this in the house of shutting up, and cause him to eat the bread of oppression and the waters of oppression till my coming in peace.
And they will say, We shall not drink wine: for Jonadab, son of Rechab our father, commanded to us, saying, Ye shall not drink wine, ye and your sons even to forever. And ye shall not build a house, and ye shall not sow seed, and ye shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be, to you: for in tents shall ye dwell all your days, so that ye shall live many days upon the face of the earth where ye are strangers there. read more. And we will hear to the voice of Jonadab son of Rechab our father, for all which he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, we, our wives, our sons, and our daughters; Not to build houses for our dwelling; and vineyard and field and seed shall not be to us. And we will dwell in tents, and we will hear and we will do according to all which Jonadab our father commanded us. And it will be in the coming up of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babel, to the land, and we shall say, Come, and we will go to Jerusalem from the face of the army of the Chaldean, and from the face of the army of Aram, and we will dwell in Jerusalem.
Who, having received such an order, cast them into the inner prison, and placed their feet firmly in wood.
And there being much dissension, the captain of a thousand, having dreaded lest Paul be torn asunder by them, commanded the army, having gone down, to snatch him from the midst of them, and bring into the camp.