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 prison, the place that the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison. And Yahweh was with Joseph, and showed loyal love to him, and gave him favor in the eyes of the chief of the prison. read more. And the chief of the prison put all the prisoners that [were] in the prison into the hand of Joseph. And everything that was done there, he [was] the one who did [it]. The chief of the prison {did not worry about} anything in his hand, since Yahweh [was] with him. And whatever he did Yahweh made [it] successful.
Then they put him in custody {so that} [the matter] might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.
And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him.
And [the] Philistines seized him, gouged his eyes, and brought him to Gaza. They tied him up with bronze shackles, and he became a grinder {in the prison}.
After awhile, when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson and let him entertain us." And they called Samson {from the prison}, and {he entertained them}. And they made him stand between the pillars.
and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this [fellow in] the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '"
because Yahweh hears [the] needy and does not despise his [own who are] prisoners.
Let the groaning of the prisoner come before you. According to the greatness of your {power}, spare [the] children [appointed to] death.
Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name. [The] righteous will encircle me, because you will deal bountifully with me.
to open [the] blind eyes, to bring [the] prisoner out from [the] dungeon, those who sit [in] darkness from [the] house of imprisonment.
Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon [was] laying siege to Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard that [was in] the palace of the king of Judah,
Now [when] John heard in prison the deeds of Christ, he sent [word] by his disciples
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you cared for me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
I was a stranger and you did not welcome me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not care for me.'
And they laid hands on them and put [them] in custody until the next day, because it was already evening.
And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison.
saying, "We found the prison locked with all security and the guards standing at the doors, but [when we] opened [them], we found no one inside!"
But Saul was attempting to destroy the church. Entering {house after house}, he dragged off both men and women [and] delivered [them] to prison.
[After he] had arrested {him}, he also put [him] in prison, handing [him] over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending to bring him {out for public trial} after the Passover. Thus Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer was fervently being made to God by the church for him.
Having received such an order, {he} put them in 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 threw him into the pit (the pit [was] empty; there was no water in it).
And Joseph's master took him and put him into prison, the place that the king's prisoners were confined. And he was there in prison.
The chief of the prison {did not worry about} anything in his hand, since Yahweh [was] with him. And whatever he did Yahweh made [it] successful.
And he put them in custody in the house of the chief of the guard, into the prison where Joseph was confined.
And the two of them, the cupbearer and the baker of the king of Egypt, who [were] confined in the prison, dreamed a dream, each his own dream, with its own interpretation.
{And} in the middle of the night, Yahweh struck all of the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh sitting on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who [was] in the prison house and every firstborn of an animal.
And [the] Philistines seized him, gouged his eyes, and brought him to Gaza. They tied him up with bronze shackles, and he became a grinder {in the prison}.
After awhile, when their hearts were merry, they said, "Call Samson and let him entertain us." And they called Samson {from the prison}, and {he entertained them}. And they made him stand between the pillars.
Then Asa was angry with the seer and put him in {the prison}, for he was enraged with him concerning this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
All who do not obey the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed on him with diligence, whether for death or for banishment or for confiscation of goods and for imprisonment."
Then Pashhur struck Jeremiah the prophet and put him in the stocks that [were] in the upper Gate of Benjamin, which [was] by the temple of Yahweh.
"Yahweh made you priest instead of Jehoiada the priest, so that there are overseers [in] the house of Yahweh over any mad man [who] exhibits the behavior of a prophet, and you must put him into the stocks and into the neck iron,
Now Jeremiah [was] coming and going out in the midst of the people and they had not put him [in] the house of imprisonment.
And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him [in] {prison}, [in] the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the {prison}.
And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him [in] {prison}, [in] the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the {prison}.
And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him [in] {prison}, [in] the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the {prison}. So Jeremiah came to the {dungeon}, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.
So Jeremiah came to the {dungeon}, even to the vaulted cells, and Jeremiah stayed there many days.
Then Jeremiah said to King Zedekiah, "What did I do wrong to you, or to your servants, or to this people, that you have put me in {prison}?
{And then} in [the] thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in [the] twelfth month, on [the] twenty-fifth [day] of the month, Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and brought him out from {prison}.
[As for] you also, because of the blood of your covenant, I will release your prisoners from {the waterless pit}.
For Herod, [after] arresting John, bound him and put [him] in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip,
And he sent [orders] [and] had John beheaded in the prison,
And they laid hands on them and put [them] in custody until the next day, because it was already evening.
And they laid hands on the apostles and put them in the public prison.
Having received such an order, {he} put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
Having received such an order, {he} put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
So he stayed two whole years in his own rented house, and welcomed all who came to him,
in beatings, in prisons, in disturbances, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in going hungry,
in which also he went [and] 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.
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Now at that time the army of the king of Babylon [was] laying siege to Jerusalem and Jeremiah the prophet was confined in the courtyard of the guard that [was in] the palace of the king of Judah, where Zedekiah, the king of Judah, had confined him, {saying}, "Why [are] you prophesying, {saying}, 'Thus says Yahweh, "Look, I [am] going to give this city into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he will capture it, read more. and Zedekiah, the king of Judah, will not escape from the hand of the Chaldeans, but surely he will be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and {he will speak face to face with him} and {he will see him eye to eye}, and [to] Babylon he will bring Zedekiah, and there he will be until my attending to him," {declares} Yahweh. "If you fight against the Chaldeans, you will not be successful" '?" And Jeremiah said, "The word of Yahweh came to me, {saying}, 'Look, Hanamel, the son of Shallum, your uncle, [is] going to come to you, {saying}, "Buy for yourself my field that [is] at Anathoth, for {you have} the right of redemption to buy [it]." ' Then Hanamel, the son of my uncle, came to me, to the courtyard of the guard {according to} the word of Yahweh, and he said to me, 'Please buy my field that [is] at Anathoth, that [is] in the land of Benjamin, for to you [is] the claim of possession, and to you the redemption; buy [it] for yourself.' Then I knew that this [was] the word of Yahweh. And I bought the field from Hanamel, the son of my uncle, that [was] at Anathoth. And I weighed out to him the money, seventeen silver shekels. And I signed on the letter and sealed [it], and I called witnesses as witness, and I weighed out the money on a set of scales. Then I took the deed of the purchase, the sealed [copy containing] the commandments and the rules, together with the [one] that was open. And I gave the deed of the purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, {in the presence of} Hanamel, [the son of] my uncle, and {in the presence of} the witnesses who signed the deed of the purchase, {in the presence of} the Judeans who were sitting in the courtyard of the guard.
{And then} in [the] thirty-seventh year of the exile of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, in [the] twelfth month, on [the] twenty-fifth [day] of the month, Evil-merodach, the king of Babylon, in the [first] year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, the king of Judah, and brought him out from {prison}.
And [after they] had inflicted many blows on them, they threw [them] into prison, giving orders to the jailer to guard them securely. Having received such an order, {he} put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. read more. Now about midnight, Paul and Silas were praying [and] singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened and all the bonds were unfastened. And [after] the jailer was awake and saw the doors of the prison open, he drew [his] sword [and] was about to kill himself, [because he] thought the prisoners had escaped.
in which also he went [and] proclaimed to the spirits in prison,
And [the] angels who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling place, he has kept in eternal bonds under deep gloom for the judgment of the great day,
And when the thousand years are completed, Satan will be released 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.
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And he put them in custody in the house of the chief of the guard, into the prison where Joseph was confined.
Then they put him in custody {so that} [the matter] might be made clear to them in accordance with the mouth of Yahweh.
And they put him under watch because it was not made clear what should be done to him.
and say, 'Thus says the king: "Put this [fellow in] the house of imprisonment and feed him reduced rations of food and water until I come in peace." '"
But they answered, "We will not drink wine, for Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, commanded us, {saying}, 'You shall not drink wine, you or your children, {forever}. And you shall not build a house, and you shall not sow seed, and you shall not plant a vineyard, and it shall not be for you, but in tents you shall live all your days, so that you may live many days on the surface of the land where you [are] dwelling as aliens.' read more. And we obeyed the voice of Jonadab, the son of Rechab, our ancestor, in all that he commanded us, not to drink wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters, and not to build houses [for] our living, and there is not vineyard, or field, or seed for us. But we have lived in tents, and we have obeyed, and we have done all that Jehonadab, our ancestor, commanded us. {But then} at the coming up against the land of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, then we said, 'Come and let us go [to] Jerusalem {before} the army of the Chaldeans, and {before} the army of the Arameans.' That is why we are living in Jerusalem."
Having received such an order, {he} put them in the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks.
And [when] the dispute became severe, the military tribune, fearing lest Paul be torn apart by them, ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from their midst, and bring [him] into the barracks.