And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.
The jailer woke up and saw all the prison doors wide open. He immediately grabbed his sword and was about to end his own life, thinking all the prisoners had escaped.
Sometimes our worst fears aren't even real, but the panic feels just as intense.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas were wrongfully imprisoned in Philippi after being accused of promoting an alternative religion that disrupted local customs. That night, an earthquake divinely shook the prison, opening the doors and freeing the prisoners' chains, which led the jailer to wake in panic. In Roman society, a prison guard who allowed escapes faced execution as punishment, explaining the jailer's immediate desperation to end his own life.
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