What does "Chains" mean in the Bible?
A distinction must be made between fetters, which were for the feet, and chains, which were for any part of the body. Chains appears in 10 verses across 7 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Chains?
CHAINS . A distinction must be made between fetters, which were for the feet, and chains, which were for any part of the body. Chains were worn for ornament, dignity, or restraint. They were made of gold for the first two purposes, and of iron for the last. In the ancient Orient both sexes wore them ostentatiously. They were put on Joseph and Daniel as a symbol of sovereignty. Gen 41:42; Dan 6:29. So to-day kings wear the chain of the order of the Golden Fleece. Chains were put by the Midianites upon their camels. Jud 8:21. They were also worn by women as a fastening between the anklets. Isa 3:19. The chains used on prisoners, Jud 16:21;2 Sam 3:34; 2 Kgs 25:7; Jer 39:7; Jer 52:11, were fetters. Handcuffs were also used. The Roman practice was to bind the prisoner's hand to the hand of a soldier, or to a soldier by either hand. Acts 12:6-7; Job 21:33; Acts 28:16, Ruth 4:20; 2 Tim 1:16. The "chains" which bound the madman of Gadara, Mark 5:3-4, were probably not of iron, but were ropes. The iron "fetters" he shivered. "Chain" is used in Lam 3:7 in a metaphorical sense to denote tribulation.
Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
What is the Greek word for Chains?
Greek · G254
ἅλυσις
halusis
chain
TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.
Where does Chains appear in the Bible?
Chains is referenced in 10 verses across 7 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 2 Timothy 1:16
- Acts 12:6
- Acts 12:7
- Acts 21:33
- Ephesians 6:20
- Jeremiah 39:7
- Lamentations 3:7
- Luke 8:29
- Mark 5:3
- Mark 5:4
What else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Chains.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Chains?
Chains appears in 10 verses across 7 books, most often in Acts, which accounts for 3 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Chains?
Acts, Mark, 2 Timothy, Ephesians, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Luke.
Where can I read every verse about Chains?
This page lists 10 of them. Protos carries all 10, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
