Acts 21:40

Acts 21:40 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
• New International Version (NIV)After receiving the commander’s permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. When they were all silent, he said to them in Aramaic:
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language, saying:
• New King James Version (NKJV)So when he had given him permission, Paul stood on the stairs and motioned with his hand to the people. And when there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

Context of Acts 21:40

38Aren’t you the Egyptian who started a revolution not long ago and led four thousand terrorists into the desert?” 39Paul answered, “I’m a Jew, a citizen from the well-known city of Tarsus in Cilicia. I’m asking you to let me talk to the people.” The officer gave Paul permission to speak. So Paul stood on the stairs of the barracks and motioned with his hand for the people to be quiet. When the mob was silent, Paul spoke to them in the Hebrew language.

Acts 21:40 word by word

ἐπιτρέψαντος δὲ αὐτοῦ ὁ Παῦλος ἑστὼς ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν κατέσεισεν τῇ χειρὶ τῷ λαῷ, πολλῆς δὲ σιγῆς γενομένης προσεφώνησεν τῇ Ἑβραΐδι διαλέκτῳ λέγων·¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• when he had givenἐπιτρέπωepitrepō · to permitG2010
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Paulὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
• stoodἵστημιhistēmi · to standG2476
• onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the stairsἀναβαθμόςanabathmos · stairsG304
• and beckonedκατασείωkataseiō · to signalG2678
• with the handχείρcheir · handG5495
• unto the peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• when there was madeγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• a greatπολύςpolus polos · muchG4183
• silenceσιγήsigē · silenceG4602
• he spake untoπροσφωνέωprosphōneō · to call to/summonG4377
• in the HebrewἙβραΐςHebrais · HebrewG1446
• tongueδιάλεκτοςdialektos · languageG1258
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004

Cross-references for Acts 21:40

• Acts 21:35When Paul came to the stairs of the barracks, the crowd was so violent that the soldiers had to carry him.
• 2 Kings 9:13Then each one of them immediately took off his coat and laid it on the stairs below him. They blew a ram’s horn and said, “Jehu is king!”
• Acts 12:17Peter motioned with his hand to quiet them down and told them how the Lord had taken him out of prison. He added, “Tell James and the other believers about this.” Then he left and went somewhere else.
• Acts 13:16Then Paul stood up, motioned with his hand, and said, “Men of Israel and converts to Judaism, listen to me.
• Acts 19:33Some people concluded that Alexander was the cause, so the Jews pushed him to the front. Alexander motioned with his hand to quiet the people because he wanted to defend himself in front of them.
• Acts 22:2When the mob heard him speak to them in Hebrew, they became even more quiet. Then Paul continued,
• Acts 6:1At that time, as the number of disciples grew, Greek-speaking Jews complained about the Hebrew-speaking Jews. The Greek-speaking Jews claimed that the widows among them were neglected every day when food and other assistance was distributed.
• Acts 26:14All of us fell to the ground, and I heard a voice asking me in Hebrew, ‘Saul, Saul! Why are you persecuting me? It’s hard for ⌞a mortal like⌟ you to resist God.’
• Luke 23:38A written notice was placed above him. It said, “This is the king of the Jews.”
• John 5:2Near Sheep Gate in Jerusalem was a pool called Bethesda in Hebrew. It had five porches.
• John 19:13When Pilate heard what they said, he took Jesus outside and sat on the judge’s seat in a place called Stone Pavement. (In Hebrew it is called Gabbatha.)
• Revelation 9:11The king who ruled them was the angel from the bottomless pit. In Hebrew he is called Abaddon, and in Greek he is called Apollyon.
• Revelation 16:16The spirits gathered the kings at the place which is called Armageddon in Hebrew.

Commentaries on Acts 21:40

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 40Paul stood on the stairs - Where he was out of the reach of the mob, and was surrounded by the Roman soldiers. Beckoned with the hand - Waving the hand, which was the sign that he was about to address the people. So Virgil says of Turnus, when he wished, by single combat between himself and Aeneas, to put an end to the war: - Significatque manu, et magno simul incipit ore: Parcite jam, Rutuli; et vos tela inhibete, Latini. He beckoned with his hand, and…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 40Licence - Liberty; permission. On the stairs - See the notes on Acts 21:35. Beckoned with the hand - Waving the hand as a sign that he was about to address them, and to produce silence and attention. See Acts 12:17. In the Hebrew tongue - The language which was spoken by the Jews, which was then a mixture of the Chaldee and Syriac, called Syro-Chaldaic. This language he doubtless used on this occasion in preference to the Greek, because it was understood…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 27-40Verses 27-40 In the temple, where Paul should have been protected as in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely charged him with ill doctrine and ill practice against the Mosaic ceremonies. It is no new thing for those who mean honestly and act regularly, to have things laid to their charge which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the wise and good to have that charged against them by malicious people, with which they…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 37-40The commander had mistaken Paul for an Egyptian false messiah who had planned to seize power from the Romans around AD 54 (roughly three years earlier; see Josephus, War 2.13.5). Paul corrected the mistake, gained permission to speak to the people, and addressed the crowd in Aramaic, the common language of Judea. He gave a strong statement of his faith in Jesus as the Messiah (Acts 22:1–21).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 37-4037-40. Art not thou that Egyptian, &c.--The form of the question implies that the answer is to be in the negative, and is matter of some surprise: "Thou art not then?" &c.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 21:40

• Claudius Lysius
• Hebrew
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Prisoners

In the dictionaries

• Paul
• Paul, Saul
• Appeal
• Claudius
• Discover
• James
• John
• Ready
• Unlade
• Acts of the Apostles

Commentaries on Acts 21

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings