Acts 28:3

Acts 28:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.
• New International Version (NIV)Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.
• English Standard Version (ESV)When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Context of Acts 28:3

1Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 2The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us. As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. 4The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” 5But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.

Acts 28:3 word by word

συστρέψαντος δὲ τοῦ Παύλου φρυγάνων τι πλῆθος καὶ ἐπιθέντος ἐπὶ τὴν πυρὰν ἔχιδνα ἀπὸ τῆς θέρμης ἐξελθοῦσα καθῆψεν τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• when Paulὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• when PaulΠαῦλοςPaulos · PaulG3972
• had gatheredσυστρέφωsustrephō · to gatherG4962
• a bundleπλῆθοςplēthos · multitudeG4128
• of sticksφρύγανονphruganon · brushwoodG5434
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• laidἐπιτίθημιepitithēmi · to put/lay onG2007
• onἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the fireπυράpura · fireG4443
• there cameἐξέρχομαιexerchomai · to go outG1831
• a viperἔχιδναechidna · snakeG2191
• out ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the heatθέρμηthermē · heatG2329
• and fastened onκαθάπτωkathaptō · to attachG2510
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• handχείρcheir · handG5495

Cross-references for Acts 28:3

• Job 20:16They will suck the poison of cobras. The viper will kill them.
• Isaiah 30:6This message came to me concerning the animals in the Negev: The caravan moves slowly across the terrible desert to Egypt— donkeys weighed down with riches and camels loaded with treasure— all to pay for Egypt’s protection. They travel through the wilderness, a place of lionesses and lions, a place where vipers and poisonous snakes live. All this, and Egypt will give you nothing in return.
• Isaiah 41:24But no! You are less than nothing and can do nothing at all. Those who choose you pollute themselves.
• Isaiah 59:5They hatch deadly snakes and weave spiders’ webs. Whoever eats their eggs will die; whoever cracks them will hatch a viper.
• Matthew 3:7But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. “You brood of snakes!” he exclaimed. “Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?
• Matthew 12:34You brood of snakes! How could evil men like you speak what is good and right? For whatever is in your heart determines what you say.
• Matthew 23:33Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?
• Acts 28:4The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”
• Amos 5:19In that day you will be like a man who runs from a lion— only to meet a bear. Escaping from the bear, he leans his hand against a wall in his house— and he’s bitten by a snake.
• 2 Corinthians 6:9We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed.
• 2 Corinthians 11:23Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.

Commentaries on Acts 28:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3There came a viper out of the heat - We may naturally suppose that there had been fuel laid before on the fire, and that the viper was in this fuel, and that it had been revived by the heat; and, when St. Paul laid his bundle on the fire, the viper was then in a state to lay hold on his hand.Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3Had gathered a bundle of sticks - For the purpose of making a fire. There came a viper - A poisonous serpent. See the notes on Matthew 3:7. The viper was doubtless in the bundle of sticks or limbs of trees which Paul had gathered, but was concealed, and was torpid. But when the bundle was laid on the fire, the viper became warmed by the heat, and came out and fastened on the hand of Paul. And fastened on his hand - ͂ kathēpsenThis word properly means to…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. 33. when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks--"a quantity of dry sticks." The vigorous activity of Paul's character is observable in this comparatively trifling action [Webster and Wilkinson]. and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat--Having laid itself up among the sticks on the approach of the cold winter season, it had suddenly recovered from its torpor by the heat. and fastened--its fangs. on his hand--Vipers dart at their enemies…Read the comment

Topics related to Acts 28:3

• Barbarian
• Melita (Malta)
• Minister, Christian
• Paul
• Viper

In the dictionaries

• Paul
• Paul, Saul
• Attain
• Compass
• Concern
• Confidence
• Constrain
• Escape
• Foreship
• James

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