Acts 15:39

Acts 15:39 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;
• English Standard Version (ESV)And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
• New Living Translation (NLT)Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.

Context of Acts 15:39

37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Acts 15:39 word by word

Ἐγένετο δὲ παροξυσμός, ὥστε ἀποχωρισθῆναι αὐτοὺς ἀπ᾽ ἀλλήλων, τόν τε Βαρναβᾶν παραλαβόντα τὸν Μᾶρκον ἐκπλεῦσαι εἰς Κύπρον.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• the contentionπαροξυσμόςparoxusmos · stirring upG3948
• wasγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• thatὥστεhōste · soG5620
• they departed asunderἀποχωρίζωapochōrizō · to separate fromG673
• oneαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the otherἀλλήλωνallēlōn · one anotherG240
• and soτεte · and/bothG5037
• Barnabasὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• BarnabasΒαρνάβαςBarnabas · BarnabasG921
• tookπαραλαμβάνωparalambanō · to takeG3880
• MarkΜάρκοςMarkos · MarkG3138
• and sailedἐκπλέωekpleō · to sail out/awayG1602
• untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• CyprusΚύπροςKupros · CyprusG2954

Cross-references for Acts 15:39

• Acts 15:2This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
• Acts 6:1In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.
• Psalms 106:33for they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.
• Psalms 119:96To all perfection I see a limit, but your commands are boundless.
• Ecclesiastes 7:20Indeed, there is no one on earth who is righteous, no one who does what is right and never sins.
• Romans 7:18For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.
• James 3:2We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.
• Acts 4:36Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”),
• Acts 11:20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
• Acts 13:4The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
• Acts 27:4From there we put out to sea again and passed to the lee of Cyprus because the winds were against us.

Commentaries on Acts 15:39

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 39The contention was so sharp between them - For all this sentence, there is only in the Greek text ; there was therefore a paroxysm, an incitement, a stirring up, from , compounded of , intensive, and , to whet, or sharpen: there was a sharp contention. But does this imply anger or ill-will on either side? Certainly not. Here, these two apostles differed, and were strenuous, each in support of the part he had adopted. "Paul," as an ancient Greek…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 39And the contention was so sharp - The word used here ́ paroxusmosis that from which our word “paroxysm” is derived. It may denote “any excitement of mind,” and is used in a good sense in Hebrews 10:24. It here means, however, “a violent altercation” that resulted in their separation for a time, and in their engaging in different spheres of labor. And sailed into Cyprus - This was the native place of Barnabas. See the notes on Acts 4:36.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 36-41Verses 36-41 Here we have a private quarrel between two ministers, no less than Paul and Barnabas, yet made to end well. Barnabas wished his nephew John Mark to go with them. We should suspect ourselves of being partial, and guard against this in putting our relations forward. Paul did not think him worthy of the honour, nor fit for the service, who had departed from them without their knowledge, or without their consent: see ch. 13:13. Neither would…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-41The discordant separation of Paul and Barnabas is indicated by a very strong word in Greek (Their disagreement was so sharp). They were two dedicated men who disagreed about giving John Mark, Barnabas’s cousin, a second chance to join their missionary journey (Colossians 4:10). John Mark had left them in Pamphylia (see Acts 13:13). Eventually, Paul and John Mark made peace (2 Timothy 4:11).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3939. And the contention was so sharp between them--such was the "irritation," or "exacerbation." that they departed asunder one from the other--Said they not truly to the Lystrians that they were "men of like passions with them"; (Ac 14:15). But who was to blame? (1) That John Mark had either tired of the work or shrunk from the dangers and fatigues that yet lay before them, was undeniable; and Paul concluded that what he had done he might, and probably…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 15:39

• Barnabas
• Cyprus
• Mark
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Strife

In the dictionaries

• Barnabas
• Cyprus
• Abstain
• Cause
• Choice
• Consider
• Conversion
• Council
• Declare
• Dissension

Commentaries on Acts 15

• 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