Acts 23:3

Acts 23:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?
• New International Version (NIV)Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the law, yet you yourself violate the law by commanding that I be struck!”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Then Paul said to him, "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Are you sitting to judge me according to the law, and yet contrary to the law you order me to be struck?"
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”

Context of Acts 23:3

1Now looking intently at the Council, Paul said, “Brothers, I have lived my life with an entirely good conscience before God up to this day.” 2But the high priest Ananias commanded those standing beside him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law, order me to be struck?” 4But those present said, “Are you insulting God’s high priest?” 5And Paul said, “I was not aware, brothers, that he is high priest; for it is written: ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Acts 23:3 word by word

τότε ὁ Παῦλος πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπεν· τύπτειν σε μέλλει ὁ θεός, τοῖχε κεκονιαμένε· καὶ σὺ κάθῃ κρίνων με κατὰ τὸν νόμον, καὶ παρανομῶν κελεύεις με τύπτεσθαι;Read the interlinear

• Thenτότεtote · thenG5119
• PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
• saidλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• to him, “Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• isμέλλωmellō · to ensueG3195
• strikeτύπτωtuptō · to strikeG5180
• you whitewashedκονιάωkoniaō · to whitewashG2867
• wallτοῖχοςtoichos · wallG5109
• sitκάθημαιkathēmai · to sitG2521
• to tryκρίνωkrinō · to judgeG2919
• me accordingκατάkata · according toG2596
• to the Lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• and inπαρανομέωparanomeō · to break the lawG3891
• orderκελεύωkeleuō · to orderG2753

Cross-references for Acts 23:3

• Matthew 23:27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness.
• Leviticus 19:35‘You shall do no wrong in judgment, in measurement of weight, or volume.
• Psalms 58:1Do you indeed speak righteousness, you gods? Do you judge fairly, you sons of mankind?
• Psalms 82:1God takes His position in His assembly; He judges in the midst of the gods.
• Psalms 94:20Can a throne of destruction be allied with You, One which devises mischief by decree?
• Ecclesiastes 3:16Furthermore, I have seen under the sun that in the place of justice there is wickedness and in the place of righteousness there is wickedness.
• Amos 5:7For those who turn justice into wormwood, And throw righteousness to the earth.”
• Micah 3:8On the other hand, I am filled with power-- With the Spirit of the Lord-- And with justice and courage To make known to Jacob his rebellious act, And to Israel his sin.
• Deuteronomy 25:1“If there is a dispute between people and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they declare the righteous innocent and pronounce the wicked guilty,
• John 7:51“Our Law does not judge the person unless it first hears from him and knows what he is doing, does it?”
• John 18:24So Annas sent Him bound to Caiaphas the high priest.

Commentaries on Acts 23:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3God shall smite thee, thou whited wall - Thou hypocrite! who sittest on the seat of judgment, pretending to hear and seriously weigh the defense of an accused person, who must in justice and equity be presumed to be innocent till he is proved to be guilty; and, instead of acting according to the law, commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law, which always has the person of the prisoner under its protection; nor ever suffers any penalty to be…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3God shall smite thee - God shall punish thee. God is just; and he will not suffer such a manifest violation of all the laws of a fair trial to pass unavenged. This was a remarkably bold and fearless declaration. Paul was surrounded by enemies. They were seeking his life. He must have known that such declarations would only excite their wrath and make them more thirsty for his blood. That he could thus address the president of the council was not only…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3you whitewashed wall: Compare Ezekiel 13:10–17; Matthew 23:27.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3-43-4. God shall smite thee--as indeed He did; for he was killed by an assassin during the Jewish war [Josephus, Wars of the Jews, 2.17.9]. thou whited wall--that is, hypocrite (Mt 23:27). This epithet, however correctly describing the man, must not be defended as addressed to a judge, though the remonstrance which follows--"for sittest thou," &c.--ought to have put him to shame.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 23:3

• Ananias
• Anger
• Court
• Defense
• Paul
• Priest
• Reproof
• Rulers

In the dictionaries

• God
• Paul
• Paul, Saul
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Band
• Conspiracy
• Cry
• James
• Thorn in the flesh
• Tiller

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