Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version More than forty men were involved in this plot. New Living Translation There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy. English Standard Version There were more than forty who made this conspiracy. Berean Standard Bible More than forty of them were involved in this plot. Berean Literal Bible Now there were more than forty having made this conspiracy, King James Bible And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. New King James Version Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy. New American Standard Bible There were more than forty who formed this plot. NASB 1995 There were more than forty who formed this plot. NASB 1977 And there were more than forty who formed this plot. Legacy Standard Bible And there were more than forty who formed this scheme. Amplified Bible There were more than forty [men] who formed this plot [and swore this oath]. Christian Standard Bible There were more than forty who had formed this plot. Holman Christian Standard Bible There were more than 40 who had formed this plot. American Standard Version And they were more than forty that made this conspiracy. English Revised Version And they were more than forty which made this conspiracy. GOD'S WORD® Translation More than forty men took part in this plot. Good News Translation There were more than forty who planned this together. International Standard Version More than 40 men formed this conspiracy. Majority Standard Bible More than forty of them were involved in this plot. NET Bible There were more than forty of them who formed this conspiracy. New Heart English Bible There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. Webster's Bible Translation And they were more than forty who had made this conspiracy. Weymouth New Testament There were more than forty of them who bound themselves by this oath. World English Bible There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionand they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath, Berean Literal Bible Now there were more than forty having made this conspiracy, Young's Literal Translation and they were more than forty who made this conspiracy by oath, Smith's Literal Translation And there were more than forty having made this conspiracy. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleAnd they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy. Catholic Public Domain Version Now there were more than forty men who had taken this oath together. New American Bible There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. New Revised Standard Version There were more than forty who joined in this conspiracy. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleAnd those who had sworn to this conspiracy were more than forty persons. Aramaic Bible in Plain English But those who established this covenant with an oath were more than forty men. NT Translations Anderson New TestamentAnd there were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. Godbey New Testament And there were more than forty having made this plot: Haweis New Testament Now there were more than forty who had on oath formed this conspiracy. Mace New Testament the conspirators, who were above forty in number, Weymouth New Testament There were more than forty of them who bound themselves by this oath. Worrell New Testament And there were more than forty, who made this conspiracy; Worsley New Testament And they were more than forty that had made this oath: Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context The Plot to Kill Paul12When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. 13 More than forty of them were involved in this plot. 14They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.… Cross References Acts 9:23-24 After many days had passed, the Jews conspired to kill him, / but Saul learned of their plot. Day and night they watched the city gates in order to kill him. Acts 25:3 to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way. Acts 21:30-31 The whole city was stirred up, and the people rushed together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and at once the gates were shut. / While they were trying to kill him, the commander of the Roman regiment received a report that all Jerusalem was in turmoil. Acts 22:22 The crowd listened to Paul until he made this statement. Then they lifted up their voices and shouted, “Rid the earth of him! He is not fit to live!” Acts 24:1-9 Five days later the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, who presented to the governor their case against Paul. / When Paul had been called in, Tertullus opened the prosecution: “Because of you, we have enjoyed a lasting peace, and your foresight has brought improvements to this nation. / In every way and everywhere, most excellent Felix, we acknowledge this with all gratitude. ... Acts 26:9-11 So then, I too was convinced that I ought to do all I could to oppose the name of Jesus of Nazareth. / And that is what I did in Jerusalem. With authority from the chief priests I put many of the saints in prison, and when they were condemned to death, I cast my vote against them. / I frequently had them punished in the synagogues, and I tried to make them blaspheme. In my raging fury against them, I even went to foreign cities to persecute them. Acts 14:5-6 But when the Gentiles and Jews, together with their rulers, set out to mistreat and stone them, / they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region, Acts 20:3 where he stayed three months. And when the Jews formed a plot against him as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. Acts 6:11-14 Then they prompted some men to say, “We heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God.” / So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin, / where they presented false witnesses who said, “This man never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. ... Acts 7:57-58 At this they covered their ears, cried out in a loud voice, and rushed together at him. / They dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile the witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a young man named Saul. Acts 13:50 The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district. Acts 17:5 The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas, hoping to bring them out to the people. Acts 18:12 While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat. Matthew 26:3-4 At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, / and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him. Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. Treasury of Scripture And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. which. 2 Samuel 15:12,31 And Absalom sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counseller, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom… John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. Jump to Previous Bound Conspiracy Formed Forty Involved Joined Oath Plot Themselves TogetherJump to Next Bound Conspiracy Formed Forty Involved Joined Oath Plot Themselves TogetherActs 23 1. As Paul pleads his cause,2. Ananias commands them to strike him. 7. Dissension among his accusers. 11. God encourages him. 14. The Jews' vow to kill Paul, 20. is declared unto the chief captain. 27. He sends him to Felix the governor. More than forty of them This phrase indicates a significant number of conspirators, suggesting a well-organized and serious threat. In the context of first-century Judea, a group of over forty individuals would represent a substantial faction, likely composed of zealots or those fervently opposed to Roman rule and any perceived collaborators. The number forty is often symbolic in the Bible, representing periods of testing or judgment, such as the forty days of rain during the flood (Genesis 7:12) or the forty years the Israelites wandered in the desert (Numbers 14:33). were involved in this plot Persons / Places / Events 1. The ConspiratorsA group of more than forty Jewish men who took an oath to neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. This highlights the intense opposition Paul faced from some Jewish factions. 2. Paul the Apostle The target of the conspiracy, Paul was a former Pharisee and a zealous missionary for Christ, spreading the Gospel to the Gentiles and Jews alike. 3. Jerusalem The city where this conspiracy took place, a central location for Jewish religious life and a place of significant tension between early Christians and Jewish authorities. 4. The Sanhedrin The Jewish ruling council, some of whose members were likely sympathetic to the conspirators' cause against Paul. 5. Roman Authorities Although not directly mentioned in this verse, they play a crucial role in the subsequent account, as they are responsible for Paul's protection and eventual transfer to Caesarea. Teaching Points The Reality of OppositionAs followers of Christ, we should expect opposition and be prepared to face it with faith and courage. Paul's experience reminds us that the Gospel often challenges the status quo and can provoke strong reactions. God's Sovereignty in Protection Despite human conspiracies, God's plans prevail. Paul's life was preserved because God had a purpose for him. We can trust in God's protection and purpose for our lives. The Power of Commitment The conspirators' oath shows the power of commitment, albeit for a wrong cause. As Christians, we should be equally committed to righteous causes, dedicating ourselves fully to God's work. The Importance of Community Paul was not alone; he had a community of believers and even Roman authorities who played a role in his protection. We need to build and rely on our Christian community for support and encouragement.Verse 13. - Made for had made, A.V. Conspiracy; συνωμοσία, in Latin conjuratio. It only occurs here in the New Testament, but is used occasionally by Diodorus Siculus and other Greek writers. The kindred word συνωμότης is found in the LXX. of Genesis 14:13, rendered "confederate," A.V. Parallel Commentaries ... Greek More thanπλείους (pleious) Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural - Comparative Strong's 4119: Or neuter pleion, or pleon comparative of polus; more in quantity, number, or quality; also the major portion. forty [of them] τεσσεράκοντα (tesserakonta) Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural Strong's 5062: Forty. The decade of tessares; forty. were ἦσαν (ēsan) Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. involved ποιησάμενοι (poiēsamenoi) Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do. in this ταύτην (tautēn) Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Feminine Singular Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it. plot. συνωμοσίαν (synōmosian) Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular Strong's 4945: A conspiracy, plot. From a compound of sun and omnuo; a swearing together, i.e. a plot. Links Acts 23:13 NIVActs 23:13 NLT Acts 23:13 ESV Acts 23:13 NASB Acts 23:13 KJV Acts 23:13 BibleApps.com Acts 23:13 Biblia Paralela Acts 23:13 Chinese Bible Acts 23:13 French Bible Acts 23:13 Catholic Bible NT Apostles: Acts 23:13 There were more than forty people who (Acts of the Apostles Ac) |