Today we return to the theme of freedom, rescue and deliverance.
On Boxing day I had three dreams which all had the theme of ‘being locked-down’, being trapped in or imprisoned in someway. The same day there was a headline about Prince Andrew being excluded from the Royal Family which brought to mind the phrase locked-out. With that in mind I did a little bit of research on prisons with the help of AI. Here’s the result of that:
The 1970s: Prison Security
Google AI
The modern, more restrictive meaning of the word emerged in the United States prison system around 1973.
The Shift: It described an emergency procedure where inmates were confined to their cells for an extended period to regain control after a riot, a stabbing, or a security breach.
The Visual: It invoked the sound of heavy metal bolts “locking down” an entire cell block at once.
The 1980s–2000s: Schools and Schools
By the late 20th century, the term moved from prisons into public schools and other government buildings. It was used to describe emergency protocols for active shooters or external threats where students and staff were required to stay in locked rooms.
Comparison to Quarantines
While the term “lockdown” is relatively new, the practice of mass confinement for health reasons is ancient. Historically, these were called quarantines or cordons sanitaires
In the Bible there are some different terms for prison or imprisonment.
The first search verse is in Jeremiah and the word for prison is literally the house of the imprisonment (kélé) This term is used only 10 times. In the same verse is the house of the fetters (ezur). This term is used only 3 times and is shown below by the words in bold.
‘As he came up to Lehi, the Philistines came shouting to meet him; and the Spirit of Yahweh rushed on him, and the ropes that were on his arms became like flax that has burned with fire, and his bindings melted from his hands’.
‘I myself found that more bitter than death is the woman who is a trap, whose heart is a snare, and whose hands are bonds. The one who pleases God escapes from her, but the sinner is caught by her.‘
And the officials were angry at Jeremiah and they struck him. And they put him in prison, in the house of Jonathan the secretary, for they had converted it to the prison.
In the list of verses within the search for imprisonment I find one that keeps coming back to my thinking:
This is what God, the Lord, says—
(Isaiah 42:5–9, CSB)
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people on it
and spirit to those who walk on it—
“I am the Lord. I have called you
for a righteous purpose,
and I will hold you by your hand.
I will watch over you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people
and a light to the nations,
in order to open blind eyes,
to bring out prisoners from the dungeon,
and those sitting in darkness from the prison house.
I am the Lord. That is my name,
and I will not give my glory to another
or my praise to idols.
The past events have indeed happened.
Now I declare new events;
I announce them to you before they occur.”
Another word for prison here is masger
The note says:
God had entered into a covenant with Abraham on behalf not only of future Israel, but also of the nations (Gn 12:1–3). But history shows Israel’s miserable failure. Again, God’s purposes were fulfilled in the good news of Jesus Christ whose death and resurrection brought hope (light) to the Gentiles. He was the one who established the new covenant anticipated by Jeremiah (Jr 31:31–34; Lk 22:20).
Longman, Tremper, III. 2017. “Isaiah.” In CSB Study Bible: Notes, edited by Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax, 1102. Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
The reference in Jeremiah speaks of having a new heart and that the new covenant will be written on the hearts. The next verse in Luke says:
This covenant is the new covenant in my blood which is poured out for you.
In further research I asked Google Gemini:
Is there a biblical name for God which means sets free from prison?
The reply was:
While there is no single biblical name for God that literally translates to “Sets Free from Prison” as a proper name (like Elohim or Yahweh), there are specific Hebrew titles and descriptive names used in the Bible that convey this exact meaning.
1. Yahweh Mephalti (The Lord My Deliverer)
Found in Psalm 18:2, this name comes from the Hebrew root palat, which means to escape, rescue, or deliver. It is used to describe God as the one who breaks people out of dangerous or restrictive situations.
- Significance: It emphasizes God as a “rescuer” who actively steps in to bring someone out of captivity or a “tight place.”
2. Matir Asurim (He Who Sets the Bound Free)
This is a specific title used in Psalm 146:7, which literally says: “The Lord sets the prisoners free” (יְהוָה מַתִּיר אֲסוּרִים).
- The Breakdown: Matir means to loosen, untie, or release, and Asurim refers to those who are bound or in chains (prisoners).
- Modern Use: In Jewish tradition, this is part of the Birkot ha-Shachar (Morning Blessings), where God is thanked daily for “releasing the bound”—both physically and spiritually.
3. Moshia (The Savior/Deliverer)
Derived from the root yasha (the same root as the name Yeshua or Jesus), this refers to God as the on who brings “salvation” or “wide-open spaces.” In a biblical context, salvation often meant being physically released from a narrow or confined place, such as a prison or slavery.
Notable Scriptures on God “Setting Prisoners Free”
If you are looking for the biblical basis for this character of God, these verses are the primary sources:
- Isaiah 61:1: “He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.” (This is the verse Jesus quoted to define his mission in Luke 4:18).
- Psalm 68:6: “God settles the solitary in a home; he leads out the prisoners to prosperity…”
- Psalm 107:14: “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and burst their bonds apart.”
Looking at Psalm 18.2 a thought about the trumpet came to me. See my article on blowing my own trumpet especially towards the end of that post.
And finally some more verses about being freed that relate to this document (words in bold are not necessarily the same in Hebrew as the ones discussed earlier).
Is this not the fast I choose: to release the bonds of injustice, to untie the ropes of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and tear every yoke to pieces?
The king sent and he freed him; the ruler of the peoples sent and let him loose.
…who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food for the hungry. Yahweh sets prisoners free;
See also enlarge your heart