Topical Bible: Prisons: Persons Confined in Often Bound With Fetters

◄ Prisons: Persons Confined in Often Bound With Fetters ►

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Topical Encyclopedia

In biblical times, prisons were places of confinement where individuals were often bound with fetters, a practice that is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures. The concept of imprisonment in the Bible is closely associated with punishment, restraint, and sometimes divine testing or deliverance.

Old Testament Context

Prisons in the Old Testament were not as formalized as modern institutions but were often makeshift places of detention. Individuals were sometimes confined in pits or dungeons. For instance, Joseph was cast into a pit by his brothers before being sold into slavery (Genesis 37:24). Later, in Egypt, he was imprisoned after being falsely accused by Potiphar's wife (Genesis 39:20). During his imprisonment, Joseph was bound with fetters, as noted in Psalm 105:18: "They bruised his feet with shackles and placed his neck in irons."

The use of fetters is also evident in the account of Samson, who, after being captured by the Philistines, was bound with bronze shackles and forced to grind grain in prison (Judges 16:21). This illustrates the use of physical restraints to incapacitate and humiliate prisoners.

New Testament Context

In the New Testament, prisons were more structured, often consisting of cells and guards. The apostles frequently encountered imprisonment as a result of their preaching. The Apostle Peter was imprisoned by King Herod, who intended to bring him to trial after the Passover. Peter was bound with two chains and guarded by soldiers, but an angel of the Lord miraculously freed him (Acts 12:6-7).

The Apostle Paul also experienced imprisonment multiple times. In Philippi, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison, where their feet were fastened in stocks (Acts 16:24). Despite their circumstances, they prayed and sang hymns, leading to a miraculous earthquake that opened the prison doors and unfastened their chains (Acts 16:25-26).

Symbolism and Spiritual Implications

Prisons in the Bible often symbolize spiritual bondage and the need for divine intervention. The physical act of being bound with fetters can represent the spiritual chains of sin and oppression. However, the Bible also emphasizes God's power to deliver and redeem those who are imprisoned, both physically and spiritually.

The prophetic writings speak of liberation from captivity as a sign of God's salvation. Isaiah 61:1, a passage Jesus read in the synagogue, declares: "The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners."

Conclusion

Throughout the Bible, prisons and the binding of individuals with fetters serve as a backdrop for God's redemptive work. Whether through miraculous deliverance or as a metaphor for spiritual freedom, the Scriptures consistently point to God's sovereignty and mercy in the lives of those who are confined.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Genesis 42:19
If you be true men, let one of your brothers be bound in the house of your prison: go you, carry corn for the famine of your houses:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Ezekiel 19:9
And they put him in ward in chains, and brought him to the king of Babylon: they brought him into holds, that his voice should no more be heard on the mountains of Israel.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Mark 6:17
For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold on John, and bound him in prison for Herodias' sake, his brother Philip's wife: for he had married her.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Gospel Cordial
... There are many persons who are doubting and despairing, spiritually ... permitted, used
to go to the prisons where the Christians were confined during the ...
//christianbookshelf.org/spurgeon/sermons on proverbs/the gospel cordial.htm

This HomilyWas Delivered in the Old Church of Antioch
... the prison, that being so forcibly confined, he, through ... By those very same persons
through whom the Lord ... stoned, and constant inmates of the prisons, did not ...
/.../chrysostom/on the priesthood/homily i this homily was.htm

Memoir of John Bunyan
... anguish, 'Thy fierce wrath goeth over me.' Bound in affliction ... Having so often sold
thyself to me to work ... from a neighbouring minister, and from pious persons. ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/memoir of john bunyan.htm