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

10When the argument became so great the commanding officer feared that they would tear Paul to pieces, he ordered the detachment to go down, take him away from them by force, and bring him into the barracks. 11The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, “Have courage, for just as you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome.” When morning came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they had killed Paul. 13There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. 14They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have 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 23:21So do not let them persuade you to do this, because more than forty of them are lying in ambush for him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink anything until they have killed him, and now they are ready, waiting for you to agree to their request.”
• Acts 25:3Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way.
• Psalms 2:1Why do the nations rebel? Why are the countries devising plots that will fail?
• Psalms 64:2Hide me from the plots of evil men, from the crowd of evildoers.
• Isaiah 8:9You will be broken, O nations; you will be shattered! Pay attention, all you distant lands of the earth! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered! Get ready for battle, and you will be shattered!
• Jeremiah 11:19Before this I had been like a docile lamb ready to be led to the slaughter. I did not know they were making plans to kill me. I did not know they were saying, “Let’s destroy the tree along with its fruit! Let’s remove Jeremiah from the world of the living so people will not even be reminded of him any more.”
• Matthew 26:4They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
• 1 Kings 19:2Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah with this warning, “May the gods judge me severely if by this time tomorrow I do not take your life as you did theirs!”
• 2 Kings 6:31Then he said, “May God judge me severely if Elisha son of Shaphat still has his head by the end of the day!”
• Matthew 27:25In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
• Mark 6:23He swore to her, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom.”
• Leviticus 27:29Any human being who is permanently dedicated must not be ransomed; such a person must be put to death.
• Joshua 6:26At that time Joshua made this solemn declaration: “The man who attempts to rebuild this city of Jericho will stand condemned before the Lord. He will lose his firstborn son when he lays its foundations and his youngest son when he erects its gates!”
• Joshua 7:1But the Israelites disobeyed the command about the city’s riches. Achan son of Carmi, son of Zabdi, son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, stole some of the riches. The Lord was furious with the Israelites.
• Nehemiah 10:29hereby participate with their colleagues the town leaders and enter into a curse and an oath to adhere to the law of God which was given through Moses the servant of God, and to obey carefully all the commandments of the lord our Lord, along with his ordinances and his statutes.
• Matthew 26:74At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment 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