New International Version
Acts 14:12
12Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker.
Acts 14:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.
- New Living Translation (NLT)They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.
Context of Acts 14:12
10and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk. 11When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. 13The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them. 14But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting:
Read all of Acts 14Acts 14:12 word by word
ἐκάλουν τε τὸν Βαρναβᾶν Δία, τὸν δὲ Παῦλον Ἑρμῆν, ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ ἡγούμενος τοῦ λόγου.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andτεte · and/bothG5037
- they calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
- ·μένmen · on the other handG3303
- Barnabasὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- BarnabasΒαρνάβαςBarnabas · BarnabasG921
- JupiterΖεύς, ΔίςZeus · ZeusG2203
- andδέde · thenG1161
- PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
- MercuriusἙρμῆςHermēs · HermesG2060
- becauseἐπειδήepeidē · sinceG1894
- heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the chiefἡγέομαιhēgeomai · to governG2233
- speakerλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
Cross-references for Acts 14:12
Commentaries on Acts 14:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12They called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius - The heathens supposed that Jupiter and Mercury were the gods who most frequently assumed the human form; and Jupiter was accustomed to take Mercury with him on such expeditions. Jupiter was the supreme god of the heathens; and Mercury was by them considered the god of eloquence. And the ancient fable, from which I have quoted so largely above, represents Jupiter and Mercury coming to this very region…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And they called Barnabas, Jupiter - Jupiter was the most powerful of all the gods of the ancients. He was represented as the son of Saturn and Ops, and was educated in a cave on Mount Ida, in the island of Crete. The worship of Jupiter was almost universal. He was the Aremon of Africa, the Belus of Babylon, the Osiris of Egypt. His common appellation was, The Father of gods and men. He was usually represented as sitting upon a golden or an ivory throne…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-18Verses 8-18 All things are possible to those that believe. When we have faith, that most precious gift of God, we shall be delivered from the spiritual helplessness in which we were born, and from the dominion of sinful habits since formed; we shall be made able to stand upright and walk cheerfully in the ways of the Lord. When Christ, the Son of God, appeared in the likeness of men, and did many miracles, men were so far from doing sacrifice to him, that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11-13Zeus was the main god worshiped in Lystra, and the city had a temple for him. The people thought Barnabas was Zeus, likely because he seemed more impressive or powerful. They thought Paul was Hermes because he was the main speaker. The people of Lystra believed the gods were visiting them again. This idea comes from a well-known story by the poet Ovid. In that story, Zeus and Hermes visited the area but were not recognized, except by an old couple (see…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 11-1311-13. in the speech of Lycaonia--whether a corruption of the Greek tongue, which was well enough understood in this region, or the remains of some older tongue, is not known. The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men--the language of an unsophisticated people. But "that which was a superstition in Lycaonia, and for which the whole "creation" groaned, became a reality at Bethlehem" [Webster and Wilkinson].Read the comment
Topics related to Acts 14:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Acts 14
- 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
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