Acts 23:14
New International Version
They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have taken a solemn oath not to eat anything until we have killed Paul.

New Living Translation
They went to the leading priests and elders and told them, “We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

English Standard Version
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food till we have killed Paul.

Berean Standard Bible
They 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.

Berean Literal Bible
who, having come to the chief priests and the elders, said, "We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we should kill Paul.

King James Bible
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

New King James Version
They came to the chief priests and elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great oath that we will eat nothing until we have killed Paul.

New American Standard Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have put ourselves under an oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

NASB 1995
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

NASB 1977
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

Legacy Standard Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

Amplified Bible
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath not to taste anything [neither food nor drink] until we have killed Paul.

Christian Standard Bible
These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
These men went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves under a solemn curse that we won’t eat anything until we have killed Paul.

American Standard Version
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

Contemporary English Version
Then some of them went to the chief priests and the nation's leaders and said, "We have promised God that we would not eat a thing until we have killed Paul.

English Revised Version
And they came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They went to the chief priests and leaders [of the people] and said, "We've asked God to curse us if we taste any food before we've killed Paul.

Good News Translation
Then they went to the chief priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn vow together not to eat a thing until we have killed Paul.

International Standard Version
They went to the high priests and elders and said, "We have taken a solemn oath not to taste any food before we have killed Paul.

Majority Standard Bible
They 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.

NET Bible
They went to the chief priests and the elders and said, "We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath not to partake of anything until we have killed Paul.

New Heart English Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great curse, to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

Webster's Bible Translation
And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

Weymouth New Testament
They went to the High Priests and Elders and said to them, "We have bound ourselves under a heavy curse to take no food till we have killed Paul.

World English Bible
They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
who having come near to the chief priests and to the elders said, “With a curse we accursed ourselves—to taste nothing until we have killed Paul;

Berean Literal Bible
who, having come to the chief priests and the elders, said, "We have bound ourselves with an oath to eat nothing until we should kill Paul.

Young's Literal Translation
who having come near to the chief priests and to the elders said, 'With an anathema we did anathematize ourselves -- to taste nothing till we have killed Paul;

Smith's Literal Translation
Who having come to the chief priests and elders, said, By an anathema, we anathematized ourselves, to taste of nothing till we kill Paul.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Who came to the chief priests and the ancients, and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And they approached the leaders of the priests, and the elders, and they said: “We have sworn ourselves by an oath, so that we will taste nothing, until we have killed Paul.

New American Bible
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.

New Revised Standard Version
They went to the chief priests and elders and said, “We have strictly bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Paul.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And they went to the priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under an oath, not to taste anything till we have killed Paul.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they came to The Priests and to the Elders and were saying, “We have put a curse upon ourselves that we shall not taste anything until we shall kill Paulus.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And they went to the chief priests and elders, and said: We have surely bound ourselves under a curse, that we will taste nothing till we have killed Paul.

Godbey New Testament
who, having come to the chief priests and elders, said, We have anathematized ourselves with an anathema, to taste nothing until we may kill Paul.

Haweis New Testament
So they came to the high-priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves by the direst imprecation, to taste nothing till we have killed Paul.

Mace New Testament
went to the chief priests and senators, and said, "we have bound our selves by oath not to eat till we have slain Paul.

Weymouth New Testament
They went to the High Priests and Elders and said to them, "We have bound ourselves under a heavy curse to take no food till we have killed Paul.

Worrell New Testament
who, indeed, going to the high priests and elders, said, "We bound ourselves under a curse to taste of nothing until we kill Paul.

Worsley New Testament
who came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, "We have bound ourselves by a curse to eat nothing till we have killed Paul.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Plot to Kill Paul
13More 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. 15Now then, you and the Sanhedrin petition the commander to bring him down to you on the pretext of examining his case more carefully. We are ready to kill him on the way.”…

Cross References
Matthew 27:1-2
When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. / They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.

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.

Luke 22:2
and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people.

John 11:53
So from that day on they plotted to kill Him.

John 18:3
So Judas brought a band of soldiers and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees. They arrived at the garden carrying lanterns, torches, and weapons.

Acts 9:23
After many days had passed, the Jews conspired 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.

Romans 10:2
For I testify about them that they are zealous for God, but not on the basis of knowledge.

2 Corinthians 11:26
In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,

Galatians 1:13-14
For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it. / I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries and was extremely zealous for the traditions of my fathers.

Genesis 37:18-20
Now Joseph’s brothers saw him in the distance, and before he arrived, they plotted to kill him. / “Here comes that dreamer!” they said to one another. / “Come now, let us kill him and throw him into one of the pits. We can say that a vicious animal has devoured him. Then we shall see what becomes of his dreams!”

1 Samuel 19:1
Then Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all his servants to kill David. But Jonathan delighted greatly in David,

1 Kings 21:9-10
In the letters she wrote: “Proclaim a fast and give Naboth a seat of honor among the people. / But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them testify, ‘You have cursed both God and the king!’ Then take him out and stone him to death.”

Esther 3:6
And when he learned the identity of Mordecai’s people, he scorned the notion of laying hands on Mordecai alone. Instead, he sought to destroy all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, throughout the kingdom of Xerxes.

Psalm 2:1-3
Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? / The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together, against the LORD and against His Anointed One: / “Let us break Their chains and cast away Their cords.”


Treasury of Scripture

And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will eat nothing until we have slain Paul.

Psalm 52:1,2
To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually…

Isaiah 3:9
The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.

Jeremiah 6:15
Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush: therefore they shall fall among them that fall: at the time that I visit them they shall be cast down, saith the LORD.

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Anathema Bound Chief Curse Death Eat Elders Food Great Heavy High Kill Killed Oath Ourselves Paul Priests Rulers Slain Solemn Strictly Taste
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Anathema Bound Chief Curse Death Eat Elders Food Great Heavy High Kill Killed Oath Ourselves Paul Priests Rulers Slain Solemn Strictly Taste
Acts 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.














They went to the chief priests and elders
This phrase indicates the involvement of the religious leadership in Jerusalem. The "chief priests" were part of the Sanhedrin, the ruling council of the Jews, and were responsible for maintaining religious order. The "elders" were respected leaders within the community. Historically, this reflects the tension between the early Christian movement and Jewish authorities. The Greek term for "chief priests" (ἀρχιερεῖς, archiereis) underscores their high status and authority. This approach to the religious leaders shows the conspirators' desire for legitimacy and support from the highest levels of Jewish authority.

and said
The act of speaking here is significant. In the ancient world, verbal agreements and declarations held great weight. The conspirators' decision to communicate their plan to the religious leaders suggests a formal and serious intent. The Greek verb "said" (εἶπαν, eipan) implies a declaration, indicating the gravity of their conspiracy.

We have bound ourselves with a solemn oath
The phrase "bound ourselves" (ἀνεθεματίσαμεν, anethematismen) is derived from the Greek root meaning to place under a curse or to devote to destruction. This reflects the seriousness of their commitment. In Jewish culture, oaths were sacred and binding, often invoking God's name as a witness. The "solemn oath" indicates a vow of utmost seriousness, suggesting that the conspirators were willing to face severe consequences if they failed to fulfill their vow.

not to eat anything
Fasting was a common practice in Jewish tradition, often associated with mourning, repentance, or earnest prayer. Here, the fast is used as a form of self-imposed discipline to underscore their determination. The Greek phrase (μὴ γεύσασθαι, mē geusasthai) literally means "not to taste," emphasizing the total abstention from food. This extreme measure highlights the depth of their animosity towards Paul and their commitment to their cause.

until we have killed Paul
The conspirators' ultimate goal is the death of Paul, reflecting the intense opposition he faced from certain Jewish factions. The Greek verb "killed" (ἀνέλωμεν, anelōmen) implies a deliberate and premeditated act of murder. Historically, this animosity can be understood in the context of Paul's missionary work, which was seen as a threat to traditional Jewish beliefs and practices. The conspirators' willingness to take such drastic measures underscores the profound impact of Paul's ministry and the divisive nature of his message.

(14) They came to the chief priests and elders.--It will be remembered that the high priest Ananias had already shown the rough brutality of his nature in his treatment of St. Paul, and was now, we can scarcely doubt, impelled by the spirit of revenge. It lies on the surface that those to whom the conspirators went were the Sadducean party in the Council, not the more moderate and cautious Pharisees.

We have bound ourselves under a great curse.--The Greek follows the Hebrew idiom in expressing intensity by the reduplication of the leading word. laterally, We have anathematised ourselves with an anathema.

Verse 14. - The elders for elders, A.V.; to taste for that we will eat, A.V.; killed for slain, A.V. The chief priests, etc. Meaning, no doubt, those who were of the party of the Sadducees, to which the chief priests mainly belonged at this time. A great curse. There is nothing in the phraseology of this verse, as compared with that of ver. 12, to warrant the introduction of the word "great." It is simply, "We have anathematized ourselves with an anathema."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
They
οἵτινες (hoitines)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3748: Whosoever, whichsoever, whatsoever.

went
προσελθόντες (proselthontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4334: From pros and erchomai; to approach, i.e. come near, visit, or worship, assent to.

to the
τοῖς (tois)
Article - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

chief priests
ἀρχιερεῦσιν (archiereusin)
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 749: High priest, chief priest. From arche and hiereus; the high-priest; by extension a chief priest.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

elders
πρεσβυτέροις (presbyterois)
Adjective - Dative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4245: Comparative of presbus; older; as noun, a senior; specially, an Israelite Sanhedrist or Christian 'presbyter'.

[and] said,
εἶπαν (eipan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

“We have bound
ἀνεθεματίσαμεν (anethematisamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 332: To curse, invoke curses, devote to destruction. From anathema; to declare or vow under penalty of execration.

ourselves
ἑαυτοὺς (heautous)
Reflexive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

with a solemn oath
Ἀναθέματι (Anathemati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 331: A votive offering, a thing devoted to God; a curse, the thing cursed. From anatithemai; a ban or excommunicated.

[not] to eat
γεύσασθαι (geusasthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's 1089: (a) I taste, (b) I experience. A primary verb; to taste; by implication, to eat; figuratively, to experience.

[anything]
μηδενὸς (mēdenos)
Adjective - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3367: No one, none, nothing.

until
ἕως (heōs)
Preposition
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

we have killed
ἀποκτείνωμεν (apokteinōmen)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 615: To put to death, kill; fig: I abolish. From apo and kteino; to kill outright; figuratively, to destroy.

Paul.
Παῦλον (Paulon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3972: Paul, Paulus. Of Latin origin; Paulus, the name of a Roman and of an apostle.


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