Acts 12:5

Peter ... was kept. Implying at least several days’ imprisonment.

Without ceasing. Gr. ektenos, “earnestly,” the same word that is used in the description of Jesus’ prayer in Gethsemane (Luke 22:44). The word is translated “fervent” in 1 Peter 4:8, and implies intensity. From the general situation of the church it may be supposed that these prayers were offered by groups of Christians meeting in private homes (Acts 12:12), for the persecution by Agrippa would render open Christian services dangerous, as was often the case in the early days of Christianity.