Acts 28:5

Acts 28:5 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
• New International Version (NIV)But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
• English Standard Version (ESV)He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.

Context of Acts 28:5

3But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. 4When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. 6Now they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god. 7Now in the neighboring parts of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed us and entertained us warmly for three days.

Acts 28:5 word by word

Ὁ μὲν οὖν τὸ θηρίον εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἔπαθεν οὐδὲν κακόν.Read the interlinear

• Howeverοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• Paul shookἀποτινάσσωapotinassō · to shake offG660
• the creatureθηρίονthērion · wild animalG2342
• into the fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
• and sufferedπάσχωpaschō pathō penthō · to sufferG3958
• noοὐδείςoudeis · noneG3762
• harmκακόςkakos · evil/harm: harmG2556

Cross-references for Acts 28:5

• Numbers 21:6Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
• Psalms 91:13You will walk upon the lion and cobra, You will trample the young lion and the serpent.
• Mark 16:18they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
• Luke 10:19Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
• John 3:14And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
• Romans 16:20The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.
• Revelation 9:3Then out of the smoke came locusts upon the earth, and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Commentaries on Acts 28:5

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 5Shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm - This is a presumptive evidence that the viper did not bite St. Paul: it fastened on his hand, but had no power to injure him.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 5And he shook off … - In this was remarkably fulfilled the promise of the Saviour Mark 16:18; “They shall take up serpents,” etc.Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-6The people of Malta believed that justice was a personal power or a god who punished criminals. When nothing bad happened to Paul, they changed their minds. They saw that he was not harmed by the snake. So they thought he had power over snakes and said that he must be a god (compare 14:11–12). But this was not true. Paul did not have special power in himself. Instead, his survival showed that God was protecting him (compare Mark 16:17–18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-64-6. No doubt this man is a murderer--His chains, which they would see, might strengthen the impression. whom ... vengeance suffereth not to live--They believed in a Supreme, Resistless, Avenging Eye and Hand, however vague their notions of where it resided.Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 28:5

• Melita (Malta)
• Minister, Christian
• Miracles
• Paul
• Serpent

In the dictionaries

• Attain
• Compass
• Concern
• Confidence
• Constrain
• Escape
• Foreship
• James
• Kindness
• Melita

Commentaries on Acts 28

• 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