Luke 3:20 records that Herod Antipas “added this to them all: he locked John up in prison”. Acts 26:10 sets Paul’s own voice against his earlier life: “I put many of the saints in prison, having received authority from the chief priests”. In both narratives the verb describes aggressive, deliberate confinement of God’s servants. Luke places the word at the outset of Gospel proclamation (John) and Paul situates it in his testimony just before recounting his conversion—bracketing Luke–Acts with the reality that faithful witness may be met with chains.

Theological Thread: Opposition to Prophetic Truth

Confinement of truth-bearers has a deep biblical pedigree. Joseph is “confined” by Potiphar (Genesis 39:20), Micaiah is shut up by Ahab (1 Kings 22:27), and Jeremiah experiences repeated imprisonment (Jeremiah 37:15-16). Each example underscores a principle: when rulers refuse God’s word they often silence the messenger rather than submit. Luke picks up that pattern with John the Baptist, and Paul confesses that he once served the same impulse. The verb therefore points not only to a physical act but to a spiritual posture—rejecting divine confrontation.

Luke–Acts Motif: From Prison to Proclamation

For Luke, prisons become stages for the gospel. John’s confinement propels Jesus’ public ministry (Luke 4:14). Paul’s admission of jailing believers highlights the grace that later sends him into his own imprisonments (Acts 16:23-34; 28:16-31). The “shutting in” of saints repeatedly becomes an opening for God’s word: “the word of God is not bound” (2 Timothy 2:9). Thus κατακλείω, though negative in human intent, sits within a redemptive reversal in Luke–Acts.

Historical Background: Herodian and Roman Custody

Herod’s prison was likely inside the desert fortress of Machaerus east of the Dead Sea. Conditions were harsh, cells hewn into rock, and executions swift, as John’s fate proves (Mark 6:27). In Jerusalem Paul acted under the Second Temple leadership; prisoners were held in the Antonia Fortress or temporary cells before transfer to Roman facilities. Confinement served to intimidate and to pre-empt insurrection, making the locking up of preachers a calculated political act.

Christ’s Identification with the Imprisoned

Jesus foretells judgment by referencing ministry to “the imprisoned” (Matthew 25:36). His words interpret the church’s suffering as participation in His own. The verb’s rare occurrence therefore nods to a larger biblical truth: Christ so unites Himself with His servants that to lock them away is to oppose Him (Acts 9:4).

Pastoral Reflections: Faith Tested Behind Bars

Believers today still face wrongful confinement. The biblical testimony encourages:

• Perseverance—John remained faithful to death; Paul wrote epistles from confinement that still free captives of sin (Philippians 1:12-14).
• Intercession—churches prayed earnestly for prisoners (Acts 12:5).
• Hope—walls cannot hinder the Spirit’s advance (Philippians 1:18).

Missionary Advance Through Confinement

When John is silenced, Jesus’ public ministry accelerates. When Paul once locked up others, his future imprisonments yield letters and witness before kings. κατακλείω thus becomes an ironic verb: attempts to cage the gospel spread it wider (Acts 28:30-31).

Conclusion

Strong’s Greek 2623 describes a physical act of shutting in, yet its two New Testament appearances shine a spotlight on God’s sovereign ability to transform human hostility into platforms for truth. Whether through the wrongful cell of John the Baptist or the confession of a once-persecuting apostle, Scripture consistently portrays imprisonment as incapable of restraining the word of God or the advance of His kingdom.