Angel of the Lord is a phrase which appears frequently in the Septuagint, and many times refers to a manifestation of the Lord himself. In the book of Acts, however, it refers to an angel whom the Lord has sent (see 8.26; 12.7, 11; and “angel of God” 10.3; 27.23). The rendering of opened is frequently “caused the prison gates to open.” In many languages, however, one must speak of “doors” rather than “gates.”

The term led can be rendered “led by the hand” or “caused to go out.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on The Acts of the Apostles. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1972. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .