Acts 21:40

And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
given	ἐπιτρέψαντος epitrepsantos	G2010	to turn over (transfer) · verb — aorist active participle, genitive singular masculine
him	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
licence	ἐπιτρέπω epitrépō	G2010	to turn over (transfer)
Paul	Παῦλος Paulos	G3972	(little · noun — nominative singular masculine, a proper name
stood	ἑστὼς hestōs	G2476	to stand (transitively or intransitively) · verb — perfect active participle, nominative singular masculine
on	ἐπὶ epi	G1909	properly · preposition
stairs	ἀναβαθμῶν anabathmōn	G304	a stairway · noun — genitive plural masculine
beckoned	κατέσεισεν kateseisen	G2678	to sway downward · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
hand	χειρὶ cheiri	G5495	the hand (literally or figuratively (power) · noun — dative singular feminine
people	λαῷ, laō	G2992	a people (in general · noun — dative singular masculine
And	δὲ de	G1161	but · conjunction
made	γενομένης genomenēs	G1096	to cause to be ("gen"-erate) · verb — second aorist middle deponent participle, genitive singular feminine
great	πολλῆς pollēs	G4183	(singular) much (in any respect) or (plural) many · adjective — genitive singular feminine
silence	σιγῆς sigēs	G4602	silence · noun — genitive singular feminine
unto	προσεφώνησεν prosephōnēsen	G4377	to sound towards · verb — aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular
Hebrew	Ἑβραΐδι Hebraidi	G1446	the Hebraistic (Hebrew) or Jewish (Chaldee) language · adjective — dative singular feminine, a title
tongue	διαλέκτῳ dialektō	G1258	a (mode of) discourse · noun — dative singular feminine
saying	λέγων·¶ legōn	G3004	properly · verb — present active participle, nominative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Acts 12:17 But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he sai…
John 5:2 Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.
Acts 22:2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)
Acts 26:14 And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest tho…
Acts 19:33 And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his de…
Acts 21:35 And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.
2 Kings 9:13 Then they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is kin…
Luke 23:38 And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 21:27–end

We have here Paul brought into a captivity which we are not likely to see the end of; for after this he is either hurried from one bar to another, or lies neglected, first in one prison and then in another, and can neither be tried nor bailed. When we see the beginning of a trouble, we know not either how long it will last or how it will issue. I. We have here Paul seized, and laid hold on. 1. He was seized in the temple, when he was there attending the days of his purifying, and the solemn services of those days, Act 21:27. Formerly he had been well known in the temple, but now he had been so long in his travels abroad that he had become a stranger there; so that it was not till the seven d…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 21:40

stood on the stairs--"What nobler spectacle than that of Paul at this moment! There he stood, bound with two chains, ready to make his defense to the people. The Roman commander sits by, to enforce order by his presence. An enraged populace look up to him from below. Yet in the midst of so many dangers, how self-possessed is he, how tranquil!" [CHRYSOSTOM (or in his name) in HACKETT]. a great silence--the people awed at the permission given him by the commandant, and seeing him sitting as a listener. in the Hebrew tongue--the Syro-Chaldaic, the vernacular tongue of the Palestine Jews since the captivity. Next: Acts Chapter 22

Adam Clarke on Acts 21:40

Paul stood on the stairs - Where he was out of the reach of the mob, and was surrounded by the Roman soldiers. Beckoned with the hand - Waving the hand, which was the sign that he was about to address the people. So Virgil says of Turnus, when he wished, by single combat between himself and Aeneas, to put an end to the war: - Significatque manu, et magno simul incipit ore: Parcite jam, Rutuli; et vos tela inhibete, Latini. He beckoned with his hand, and cried out with a loud voice, Desist, ye Rutulians; and, ye Latins, cease from throwing your javelins. He spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue - What was called then the Hebrew, viz. the Chaldaeo-Syriac; very well expressed by the Codex Bezae…

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Dictionary and topics

Antonia — A fortress in Jerusalem, at the north-west corner of the temple area. It is called “the castle” (Acts 21:34, 37). From the stairs of this castle Paul delivered his famous speech to the multitude in…
Claudius — Lame. (1.) The fourth Roman emperor. He succeeded Caligula (A.D. 41). Though in general he treated the Jews, especially those in Asia and Egypt, with great indulgence, yet about the middle of his…
John — (1.) One who, with Annas and Caiaphas, sat in judgment on the apostles Peter and John (Acts 4:6). He was of the kindred of the high priest; otherwise unknown. (2.) The Hebrew name of Mark (q.v.). He…
Paul — =Saul (q.v.) was born about the same time as our Lord. His circumcision-name was Saul, and probably the name Paul was also given to him in infancy “for use in the Gentile world,” as “Saul” would be…
Claudius Lysius · A Roman military officer — A Roman military officer
Hebrew · 5:2;19:20; — 5:2;19:20;
Prisoners · Paul — Paul

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Acts 21:40

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 21:27–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 21:40

Adam Clarke on Acts 21:40

Dictionary and topics

Acts 21:40

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Acts 21:27–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 21:40

Adam Clarke on Acts 21:40

Dictionary and topics

John Gill on Acts 21:40

John Calvin on Acts 21:31–end

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Acts 21:37-40