Acts 26:21
New International Version
That is why some Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.

New Living Translation
Some Jews arrested me in the Temple for preaching this, and they tried to kill me.

English Standard Version
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Berean Standard Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.

Berean Literal Bible
On account of these things the Jews, having seized me being in the temple, were attempting to kill me.

King James Bible
For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

New King James Version
For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

New American Standard Bible
For these reasons some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to murder me.

NASB 1995
“For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.

NASB 1977
“For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death.

Legacy Standard Bible
For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to put me to death.

Amplified Bible
Because of this some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.

Christian Standard Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and were trying to kill me.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple complex and were trying to kill me.

American Standard Version
For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me.

Contemporary English Version
That is why some men grabbed me in the temple and tried to kill me.

English Revised Version
For this cause the Jews seized me in the temple, and assayed to kill me.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
For this reason the Jews took me prisoner in the temple courtyard and tried to murder me.

Good News Translation
It was for this reason that these Jews seized me while I was in the Temple, and they tried to kill me.

International Standard Version
For this reason the Jewish leaders grabbed me in the Temple and kept trying to kill me.

Majority Standard Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me.

NET Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and were trying to kill me.

New Heart English Bible
For this reason Jews seized me when I was in the temple, and tried to kill me.

Webster's Bible Translation
For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

Weymouth New Testament
"It was on this account that the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me.

World English Bible
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
because of these things the Jews—having caught me in the temple—were endeavoring to kill [me].

Berean Literal Bible
On account of these things the Jews, having seized me being in the temple, were attempting to kill me.

Young's Literal Translation
because of these things the Jews -- having caught me in the temple -- were endeavouring to kill me.

Smith's Literal Translation
For these things, me the Jews, having seized in the temple, attempted to kill with their own hands.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For this cause the Jews, when I was in the temple, having apprehended me, went about to kill me.

Catholic Public Domain Version
It was for this reason that the Jews, having apprehended me when I was in the temple, attempted to kill me.

New American Bible
That is why the Jews seized me [when I was] in the temple and tried to kill me.

New Revised Standard Version
For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple and tried to kill me.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For these causes the Jews seized me in the temple, and wanted to kill me.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And because of these things, the Jews seized me in The Temple and wanted to kill me.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For these reasons the Jews seized me in the temple, and endeavored to kill me.

Godbey New Testament
On account of these things the Jews, taking me while in the temple, endeavored to kill me.

Haweis New Testament
Because of these things, the Jews seizing me in the temple, attempted to kill me on the spot.

Mace New Testament
for such a conduct the Jews seiz'd upon me in the temple, designing to assassinate me;

Weymouth New Testament
"It was on this account that the Jews seized me in the Temple and tried to kill me.

Worrell New Testament
On account of these things, Jews, seizing me in the temple, were attempting to kill me.

Worsley New Testament
For these things the Jews seized me in the temple, and attempted to kill me.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Paul's Testimony to Agrippa
20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance. 21For this reason the Jews seized me in the temple courts and tried to kill me. 22But I have had God’s help to this day, and I stand here to testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen:…

Cross References
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 22:22-23
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!” / As they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and tossing dust into the air,

Acts 23:12-15
When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. / More than forty of them were involved in this plot. / 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. ...

Acts 24:5-6
We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes, / and he even tried to desecrate the temple; so we seized him.

Acts 25:2-3
where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented their case against Paul. They urged Festus / to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

John 15:18-20
If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. / If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. / Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

John 16:2-3
They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. / They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.

2 Corinthians 11:23-26
Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death. / Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. / Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. ...

2 Timothy 3:11-12
my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. / Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Matthew 10:17-18
But beware of men, for they will hand you over to their councils and flog you in their synagogues. / On My account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles.

Matthew 23:34
Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town.

Luke 21:12
But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. On account of My name they will deliver you to the synagogues and prisons, and they will bring you before kings and governors.

1 Thessalonians 2:14-16
For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus. You suffered from your own countrymen the very things they suffered from the Jews, / who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, / hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.

Romans 15:31
Pray that I may be delivered from the unbelievers in Judea, and that my service in Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints there,

Jeremiah 11:19
For I was like a gentle lamb led to slaughter; I did not know that they had plotted against me: “Let us destroy the tree with its fruit; let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name may be remembered no more.”


Treasury of Scripture

For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.

the Jews.

Acts 21:30,31
And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut…

Acts 22:22
And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.

Acts 23:12-15
And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul…

Jump to Previous
Account Assayed Attempt Attempted Caught Cause Causes Courts Death Destroy Hands Jews Kill Lay Reason Seized Temple Tried
Jump to Next
Account Assayed Attempt Attempted Caught Cause Causes Courts Death Destroy Hands Jews Kill Lay Reason Seized Temple Tried
Acts 26
1. Paul, in the presence of Agrippa, declares his life from his childhood;
12. and how miraculously he was converted, and called to his apostleship.
24. Festus charges him with being insane, whereunto he answers modestly.
28. Agrippa is almost persuaded to be a Christian.
31. The whole company pronounces him innocent.














For this reason
This phrase indicates a cause or motivation behind the actions that follow. In the context of Acts 26, Paul is defending himself before King Agrippa, explaining why he has been persecuted. The "reason" refers to his preaching of the Gospel and his mission to the Gentiles, which was seen as controversial and threatening to Jewish leaders. The Greek word used here, "ἕνεκα" (heneka), implies a direct cause, emphasizing that Paul's mission and message were the catalysts for the ensuing conflict.

the Jews
This term refers to the Jewish religious leaders and authorities of the time, who were often in opposition to the early Christian movement. Historically, the Jewish leaders were protective of their religious traditions and saw the burgeoning Christian faith as a heretical threat. The Greek word "Ἰουδαῖοι" (Ioudaioi) is used, which can denote both the Jewish people as a whole and specifically the leaders or authorities, depending on the context. Here, it likely refers to the latter, those who had the power to arrest and prosecute.

seized me
The act of seizing indicates a forceful and aggressive action. The Greek word "συλλαμβάνω" (syllambanō) is used, which means to capture or arrest. This reflects the intensity of the opposition Paul faced. The historical context shows that the temple was a place of significant religious and social activity, and to be seized there would have been a public and humiliating event, underscoring the seriousness of the charges against him.

in the temple courts
The temple courts were the outer areas of the Temple in Jerusalem, accessible to both Jews and Gentiles. This location is significant because it was a central place of worship and teaching. The Greek term "ἱερόν" (hieron) refers to the sacred precincts of the temple. Paul's presence there, preaching a message that included the Gentiles, would have been seen as provocative, challenging the exclusivity of Jewish worship and tradition.

and tried to kill me
This phrase highlights the extreme hostility Paul faced. The Greek word "διαχειρίζομαι" (diacheirizomai) means to lay hands on with the intent to kill. This reflects the severity of the opposition and the perceived threat Paul posed to the Jewish religious establishment. Historically, this aligns with the accounts of early Christian persecution, where leaders like Paul were often seen as blasphemers or agitators deserving of death.

(21) For these causes . . .--Better, perhaps, on account of these things. With this brief touch, avoiding any elaborate vindication of his own character, St. Paul indicates the real cause of the hostility of the Jews. The one unpardonable sin, in their eyes, was that he taught the Gentiles that they might claim every gift and grace which had once been looked on as the privilege and prerogative of Israel. The historical precedence of the Jew remained (see Notes on Acts 13:46; Romans 3:1-2), but in all essential points they were placed on a footing of equality.

Verse 21. - This cause for these causes, A.V.; seized for caught, A.V.; essayed for went about, A.V. For this cause. Here again is a most telling statement. "I have spent my life in trying to persuade men to repent and turn to God, and for doing so the Jews seek to kill me. Can this be right? Will not you, O King Agrippa, protect me from such an unjust requital?" To kill me; διαχειρίσασθαι, here and in Acts 5:30 only in the New Testament; not in the LXX., but in Polybius, and in Hippocrates and Galen, of surgical operations.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For this reason
ἕνεκα (heneka)
Preposition
Strong's 1752: Or heneken hen'-ek-en or heineken hi'-nek-en; of uncertain affinity; on account of.

the Jews
Ἰουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2453: Jewish. From Iouda; Judaean, i.e. Belonging to Jehudah.

seized
συλλαβόμενοι (syllabomenoi)
Verb - Aorist Participle Middle - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4815: From sun and lambano; to clasp, i.e. Seize; specially, to conceive; by implication, to aid.

me
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

the
τῷ (tō)
Article - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

temple courts
ἱερῷ (hierō)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2411: Neuter of hieros; a sacred place, i.e. The entire precincts of the Temple.

[and] tried
ἐπειρῶντο (epeirōnto)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3987: Mid: I try, attempt, endeavor. From peira; to test, i.e. to attempt.

to kill [me].
διαχειρίσασθαι (diacheirisasthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's 1315: From dia and a derivative of cheir; to handle thoroughly, i.e. Lay violent hands upon.


Links
Acts 26:21 NIV
Acts 26:21 NLT
Acts 26:21 ESV
Acts 26:21 NASB
Acts 26:21 KJV

Acts 26:21 BibleApps.com
Acts 26:21 Biblia Paralela
Acts 26:21 Chinese Bible
Acts 26:21 French Bible
Acts 26:21 Catholic Bible

NT Apostles: Acts 26:21 For this reason the Jews seized me (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 26:20
Top of Page
Top of Page