Acts 23:12

Acts 23:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
• New International Version (NIV)The next morning some Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When it was day, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by an oath neither to eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And when it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under an oath, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul.

Context of Acts 23:12

10The quarrel was becoming violent, and the officer was afraid that they would tear Paul to pieces. So the officer ordered his soldiers to drag Paul back to the barracks. 11The Lord stood near Paul the next night and said to him, “Don’t lose your courage! You’ve told the truth about me in Jerusalem. Now you must tell the truth about me in Rome.” In the morning the Jews formed a conspiracy. They asked God to curse them if they ate or drank anything before they had killed Paul. 13More than forty men took part in this plot. 14They went to the chief priests and leaders ⌞of the people⌟ and said, “We’ve asked God to curse us if we taste any food before we’ve killed Paul.

Acts 23:12 word by word

Γενομένης δὲ ἡμέρας ποιήσαντες συστροφὴν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι ἀνεθεμάτισαν ἑαυτοὺς λέγοντες μήτε φαγεῖν μήτε πιεῖν ἕως οὗ ἀποκτείνωσιν τὸν Παῦλον.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andδέde · thenG1161
• when it wasγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• certainτιςtis · oneG5100
• of the JewsἸουδαῖοςIoudaios · JewG2453
• bandedποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• togetherσυστροφήsustrophē · commotion/plotG4963
• and boundἀναθεματίζωanathematizō · to take an oathG332
• themselvesἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
• saying thatλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• they wouldφαγεῖνphagō · to eatG5315
• neitherμήτεmēte · neitherG3383
• drinkπίνωpinō piō poō · to drinkG4095
• tillἕωςheōs · untilG2193
• ·ὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• they had killedἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
• PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972

Cross-references for Acts 23:12

• Acts 23:21Don’t let them persuade you to do this. More than forty of them are planning to ambush him. They have asked God to curse them if they eat or drink anything before they have murdered him. They are ready now and are expecting you to promise ⌞that you will bring Paul⌟.”
• Acts 25:3Festus to do them the favor of having Paul brought to Jerusalem. The Jews had a plan to ambush and kill Paul as he traveled to Jerusalem.
• Psalms 2:1Why do the nations gather together? Why do their people devise useless plots?
• Psalms 64:2Hide me from the secret plots of criminals, from the mob of troublemakers.
• Isaiah 8:9Be broken, you people. Be terrified. Listen, all you distant parts of the earth. Prepare for battle, but be terrified. Prepare for battle, but be terrified.
• Jeremiah 11:19I was like a trusting lamb brought to the slaughter. I didn’t know that they were plotting against me. They were saying, “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit. Let’s cut Jeremiah off from this world of the living so that we won’t be reminded of him anymore.”
• Matthew 26:4They made plans to arrest Jesus in an underhanded way and to kill him.
• 1 Kings 19:2Then Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah. She said, “May the gods strike me dead if by this time tomorrow I don’t take your life the way you took the lives of Baal’s prophets.”
• 2 Kings 6:31He said, “May God strike me dead if the head of Elisha, son of Shaphat, stays on his ⌞body⌟ today.”
• Matthew 27:25All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
• Mark 6:23He swore an oath to her: “I’ll give you anything you ask for, up to half of my kingdom.”
• Leviticus 27:29People dedicated this way cannot be bought back. They must be put to death.
• Joshua 6:26At that time Joshua pronounced this curse: “The Lord will curse whoever comes to rebuild the city of Jericho. It will cost him his firstborn son to lay the foundation. It will cost him his youngest son to set up the city doors.”
• Joshua 7:1The people of Israel proved to be disloyal about the things claimed by the Lord. Achan, son of Carmi, grandson of Zabdi, great-grandson of Zerah, and a member of the tribe of Judah, took something that had been claimed by the Lord. So the Lord became angry with the people of Israel.
• Nehemiah 10:29They joined their relatives, the nobles, in binding themselves with a curse and an oath to follow God’s teachings given by Moses, God’s servant. They also bound themselves to follow all the commandments, rules, and regulations of the Lord our Lord.
• Matthew 26:74Then Peter began to curse and swear with an oath, “I don’t know the man!” Just then a rooster crowed.

Commentaries on Acts 23:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12That they would neither eat nor drink, etc. - These forty Jews were no doubt of the class of the sicarii mentioned before, (similar to those afterwards called assassins), a class of fierce zealots, who took justice into their own hand; and who thought they had a right to despatch all those who, according to their views, were not orthodox in their religious principles. If these were, in their bad way, conscientious men, must they not all perish through…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12Certain of the Jews - Some of the Jews. They were more than forty in number, Acts 23:13. Banded together - Made an agreement or compact. They conspired to kill him. And bound themselves under a curse - See the margin. The Greek is, “they anathematized themselves”; that is, they bound themselves by a solemn oath. They invoked a curse on themselves, or devoted themselves to destruction, if they did not do it. Lightfoot remarks, however, that they could be…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-24Verses 12-24 False religious principles, adopted by carnal men, urge on to such wickedness, as human nature would hardly be supposed capable of. Yet the Lord readily disappoints the best concerted schemes of iniquity. Paul knew that the Divine providence acts by reasonable and prudent means; and that, if he neglected to use the means in his power, he could not expect God's providence to work on his behalf. He who will not help himself according to his…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-15The plan to kill Paul was desperate. More than 40 men took an oath (a strong promise) not to eat or drink until they had killed him (compare 1 Samuel 14:24–46; Matthew 14:6–11; see also Deuteronomy 23:21–23; Matthew 5:33–37; James 5:12).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1412-14. bound themselves under a curse ... that they would neither eat ... fill they had killed Paul--Compare 2Sa 3:35; 1Sa 14:24.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 23:12

• Claudius Lysius
• Conspiracy
• Malice
• Minister, Christian
• Oath
• Paul
• Revenge
• Vows

In the dictionaries

• Paul
• Paul, Saul
• Anathema
• Band
• Conspiracy
• Cry
• James
• Tiller
• Acts of the Apostles
• Felix; Antonius

Commentaries on Acts 23

• 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