Acts 6:10

Acts 6:10 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.
• New International Version (NIV)But they could not stand up against the wisdom the Spirit gave him as he spoke.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
• New Living Translation (NLT)None of them could stand against the wisdom and the Spirit with which Stephen spoke.

Context of Acts 6:10

8And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people. 9Then there arose some from what is called the Synagogue of the Freedmen (Cyrenians, Alexandrians, and those from Cilicia and Asia), disputing with Stephen. And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke. 11Then they secretly induced men to say, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.” 12And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.

Acts 6:10 word by word

καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυον ἀντιστῆναι τῇ σοφίᾳ καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ᾧ ἐλάλει.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• they wereἰσχύωischuō · be strongG2480
• notοὐou · noG3756
• to resistἀνθίστημιanthistēmi · to opposeG436
• the wisdomὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the wisdomσοφίαsophia · wisdomG4678
• the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• by whichὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• he spakeλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980

Cross-references for Acts 6:10

• Acts 5:39but if it is of God, you cannot overthrow it—lest you even be found to fight against God.”
• Acts 7:51“You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! You always resist the Holy Spirit; as your fathers did, so do you.
• Exodus 4:12Now therefore, go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say.”
• Isaiah 54:17No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the Lord.
• Jeremiah 1:18For behold, I have made you this day A fortified city and an iron pillar, And bronze walls against the whole land— Against the kings of Judah, Against its princes, Against its priests, And against the people of the land.
• Jeremiah 15:20And I will make you to this people a fortified bronze wall; And they will fight against you, But they shall not prevail against you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” says the Lord.
• Ezekiel 3:27But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ He who hears, let him hear; and he who refuses, let him refuse; for they are a rebellious house.
• Matthew 10:19But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak;
• Luke 12:11“Now when they bring you to the synagogues and magistrates and authorities, do not worry about how or what you should answer, or what you should say.
• Luke 21:15for I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.
• John 7:46The officers answered, “No man ever spoke like this Man!”
• Job 32:8But there is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.
• Micah 3:8But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, And of justice and might, To declare to Jacob his transgression And to Israel his sin.
• Luke 1:17He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
• 1 Corinthians 2:4And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,

Commentaries on Acts 6:10

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 10They there not able to resist the wisdom, etc. - He was wise, well exercised and experienced, in Divine things; and, as appears by his defense, in the following chapter, well versed in the Jewish history. The spirit by which he spake was the Holy Spirit, and its power was irresistible. They were obliged either to yield to its teachings, or were confounded by its truth. Several MSS. add to this verse, because he reproved them with boldness, they could not…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 10To resist - That is, they were not able to “answer” his arguments. The wisdom - This properly refers to his knowledge of the Scriptures; his skill in what “the Jews” esteemed to be wisdom - acquaintance with their sacred writings, opinions, etc. And the spirit - This has been commonly understood of the Holy Spirit, by which he was aided; but it rather means the “energy, power,” or “ardor” of Stephen. He “evinced” a spirit of zeal and sincerity which they…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-15Verses 8-15 When they could not answer Stephen's arguments as a disputant, they prosecuted him as a criminal, and brought false witnesses against him. And it is next to a miracle of providence, that no greater number of religious persons have been murdered in the world, by the way of perjury and pretence of law, when so many thousands hate them, who make no conscience of false oaths. Wisdom and holiness make a man's face to shine, yet will not secure men…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8-15The Jewish leaders did to Stephen as they had done to Jesus (compare Matthew 26:3–4, 59–66): They found someone to lie about him, they accused him of blasphemy (saying offensive things about God), they started a riot, they arrested him, and they made false charges against him.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-109-10. synagogue of the Libertines--Jewish freedmen; manumitted Roman captives, or the children of such, expelled from Rome (as appears from Josephus and Tacitus), and now residing at Jerusalem. Cyrenians--Jews of Cyrene, in Libya, on the coast of Africa. them of Cilicia--amongst whom may have been Saul of Tarsus (Ac 7:58; 21:39). and of Asia--(See on Ac 16:6).Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 6:10

• Government
• Greece
• Intolerance, Religious
• Jerusalem
• Persecution
• Power
• Stephen
• Wisdom
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Catch
• Deacon
• Honest
• Ministration
• Stephen
• Acts of the Apostles
• Church Government
• Ministry
• Papyrus
• Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament

Commentaries on Acts 6

• 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
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• 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