Then went the captain with the officers, and brought them without violence: for they feared the people, lest they should have been stoned.
So the captain and his officers went and brought the apostles back, but they didn't use force or get rough with them. They were actually scared of what the crowd might do, like, the people could've straight up turned on them and stoned them if they handled this wrong.
Even the authorities had to move carefully because they knew the people were on the apostles' side.
📚 Historical Context
In the book of Acts, the apostles were actively preaching the gospel and performing miracles, which drew the attention and opposition of the Jewish religious leaders in Jerusalem. The captain of the temple guard and his officers were sent to arrest the apostles again after their miraculous release from prison, but they approached without force because they feared a violent backlash from the supportive crowds. This reflects the growing influence of the early church amid political and religious tensions in first-century Judea.
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