Prisons and chains in the Bible

45 passages of the Berean Standard Bible, line by line, from Nave’s Topical Bible.

In the Old Testament

Joseph was put in the prison where the king's prisoners were heldGen 39:20
The verses
Gen 39:20So Joseph’s master took him and had him thrown into the prison where the king’s prisoners were confined. While Joseph was there in the prison,
The warden put all the prisoners under Joseph's careGen 39:22
The verses
Gen 39:22And the warden put all the prisoners under Joseph’s care, so that he was responsible for all that was done in the prison.
Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker were held in the same prisonGen 40:3
The verses
Gen 40:3and imprisoned them in the house of the captain of the guard, the same prison where Joseph was confined.
Joseph was brought from the dungeon, shaved, and changed his clothesGen 41:14
The verses
Gen 41:14So Pharaoh sent for Joseph, who was quickly brought out of the dungeon. After he had shaved and changed his clothes, he went in before Pharaoh.
Joseph held his brothers three days, then kept Simeon boundGen 42:17, Gen 42:24
The verses
Gen 42:17So Joseph imprisoned them for three days,
Gen 42:24And he turned away from them and wept. When he turned back and spoke to them, he took Simeon from them and had him bound before their eyes.
Ahab: put Micaiah in prison on bread and water1 Kgs 22:27
The verses
1 Kgs 22:27and tell them that this is what the king says: ‘Put this man in prison and feed him only bread and water until I return safely.’”
Asa, enraged, put Hanani the seer in prison2 Chr 16:7, 2 Chr 16:10
The verses
2 Chr 16:7At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa of Judah and told him, “Because you have relied on the king of Aram and not on the LORD your God, the army of the king of Aram has escaped from your hand.
2 Chr 16:10Asa was angry with the seer and became so enraged over this matter that he put the man in prison. And at the same time Asa oppressed some of the people.
The king of Assyria put King Hoshea in prison2 Kgs 17:4
The verses
2 Kgs 17:4But the king of Assyria discovered that Hoshea had conspired to send envoys to King So of Egypt, and that he had not paid tribute to the king of Assyria as in previous years. Therefore the king of Assyria arrested Hoshea and put him in prison.
Manasseh was taken to Babylon with a hook and bronze shackles2 Chr 33:10–11
The verses
2 Chr 33:10–11And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they did not listen. So the LORD brought against them the military commanders of the king of Assyria, who captured Manasseh, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
Zedekiah, blinded, was taken to Babylon in bronze shackles2 Kgs 25:7, Jer 52:11
The verses
2 Kgs 25:7And they slaughtered the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes. Then they put out his eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon.
Jer 52:11Then he put out Zedekiah’s eyes, bound him with bronze shackles, and took him to Babylon, where he kept him in custody until his dying day.
Jehoiachin was released after thirty-seven years and ate at the king's table2 Kgs 25:27–29
The verses
2 Kgs 25:27–29On the twenty-seventh day of the twelfth month of the thirty-seventh year of the exile of Judah’s King Jehoiachin, in the year Evil-merodach became king of Babylon, he released King Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. And he spoke kindly to Jehoiachin and set his throne above the thrones of the other kings who were with him in Babylon. So Jehoiachin changed out of his prison clothes, and he dined regularly at the king’s table for the rest of his life.

Jeremiah

Beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of BenjaminJer 20:2
The verses
Jer 20:2he had Jeremiah the prophet beaten and put in the stocks at the Upper Gate of Benjamin, which was by the house of the LORD.
Jailed in a dungeon cell in the house of Jonathan the scribeJer 37:15–16
The verses
Jer 37:15–16The officials were angry with Jeremiah, and they beat him and placed him in jail in the house of Jonathan the scribe, for it had been made into a prison. So Jeremiah went into a cell in the dungeon and remained there a long time.
Kept in the courtyard of the guard, with a loaf of bread dailyJer 32:2, Jer 37:21
The verses
Jer 32:2At that time the army of the king of Babylon was besieging Jerusalem, and Jeremiah the prophet was imprisoned in the courtyard of the guard, which was in the palace of the king of Judah.
Jer 37:21So King Zedekiah gave orders for Jeremiah to be placed in the courtyard of the guard and given a loaf of bread daily from the street of the bakers, until all the bread in the city was gone. So Jeremiah remained in the courtyard of the guard.
Lowered by ropes into a cistern with no water, only mudJer 38:6
The verses
Jer 38:6So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
Freed at Ramah from the chains on his wristsJer 40:1, Jer 40:4
The verses
Jer 40:1This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD after Nebuzaradan captain of the guard had released him at Ramah, having found him bound in chains among all the captives of Jerusalem and Judah who were being exiled to Babylon.
Jer 40:4But now, behold, I am freeing you today from the chains that were on your wrists. If it pleases you to come with me to Babylon, then come, and I will take care of you. But if it seems wrong to you to come with me to Babylon, go no farther. Look, the whole land is before you. Wherever it seems good and right to you, go there.”

In the New Testament

Herod bound John and put him in prisonMatt 14:3
The verses
Matt 14:3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
From prison John sent his disciples to JesusMatt 11:2
The verses
Matt 11:2Meanwhile John heard in prison about the works of Christ, and he sent his disciples
John was beheaded in the prisonMatt 14:10
The verses
Matt 14:10and sent to have John beheaded in the prison.
Barabbas was in prison for an insurrection and for murderLuke 23:19
The verses
Luke 23:19(Barabbas had been imprisoned for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)
Jesus: 'I was in prison and you visited Me'Matt 25:36
The verses
Matt 25:36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
Peter and John were held overnight because it was eveningActs 4:3
The verses
Acts 4:3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day.
The apostles were gone from the jail, still locked and guardedActs 5:18–19, Acts 5:23
The verses
Acts 5:18–19and arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out, saying,
Acts 5:23“We found the jail securely locked, with the guards posted at the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside.”
Under heavy guard, Peter slept chained between two soldiersActs 12:4, Acts 12:6
The verses
Acts 12:4He arrested him and put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out to the people after the Passover.
Acts 12:6On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison.
The chains fell off, and the iron gate opened by itselfActs 12:7, Acts 12:10
The verses
Acts 12:7Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists.
Acts 12:10They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city, which opened for them by itself. When they had gone outside and walked the length of one block, the angel suddenly left him.
In Philippi: the inner cell, feet fastened in the stocksActs 16:23–24
The verses
Acts 16:23–24And after striking them with many blows, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to guard them securely. On receiving this order, he placed them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.
At midnight an earthquake opened the doors, and all chains came looseActs 16:25–26
The verses
Acts 16:25–26About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. At once all the doors flew open and everyone’s chains came loose.
In Jerusalem Paul was bound with two chainsActs 21:33
The verses
Acts 21:33The commander came up and arrested Paul, ordering that he be bound with two chains. Then he asked who he was and what he had done.
Felix left Paul in prison for two yearsActs 24:27
The verses
Acts 24:27After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
In Rome Paul lived with a soldier guarding him, bound with a chainActs 28:16, Acts 28:20
The verses
Acts 28:16When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to stay by himself, with a soldier to guard him.
Acts 28:20So for this reason I have called to see you and speak with you. It is because of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
He stayed two full years in his own rented houseActs 28:30
The verses
Acts 28:30Paul stayed there two full years in his own rented house, welcoming all who came to visit him.
Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul's chains2 Tim 1:16
The verses
2 Tim 1:16May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.

Gold chains

Pharaoh placed a gold chain around Joseph's neckGen 41:42
The verses
Gen 41:42Then Pharaoh removed the signet ring from his finger, put it on Joseph’s finger, clothed him in garments of fine linen, and placed a gold chain around his neck.
Belshazzar had a gold chain placed around Daniel's neckDan 5:29
The verses
Dan 5:29Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.
Gideon took the chains from the necks of Midian's camelsJudg 8:26
The verses
Judg 8:26The weight of the gold earrings he had requested was 1,700 shekels, in addition to the crescent ornaments, the pendants, the purple garments of the kings of Midian, and the chains from the necks of their camels.
Solomon hung gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary1 Kgs 6:21
The verses
1 Kgs 6:21So Solomon overlaid the inside of the temple with pure gold, and he extended gold chains across the front of the inner sanctuary, which was overlaid with gold.

Sources

From Nave’s Topical Bible (Orville J. Nave, 1896; public domain): subjects chosen, lines shortened and put into modern words, lines of interpretation left out; each verse checked.

Berean Standard Bible · Public domain