Acts - 18:13



13 saying, "This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law."

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Acts 18:13.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
saying, This man persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
saying, 'Against the law this one doth persuade men to worship God;'
Saying, This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.
"This man," they said, "is inducing people to offer unlawful worship to God."
Saying, This man is teaching the people to give worship to God in a way which is against the law.
charging him with persuading people to worship God in a way forbidden by the Law.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

Contrary to the law - Evidently intending contrary to all law - the laws of the Romans and of the Jews. It was permitted to the Jews to worship God according to their own views in Greece; but they could easily pretend that Paul had departed from that mode of worshipping God. It was easy for them to maintain that he taught contrary to the laws of the Romans and their acknowledged religion; and their design seems to have been to accuse him of teaching people to worship God in an unlawful and irregular way, a way unknown to any of the laws of the empire.

Persuaded men to worship God contrary to the law - This accusation was very insidious. The Jews had permission by the Romans to worship their own God in their own way: this the laws allowed. The Roman worship was also established by the law. The Jews probably intended to accuse Paul of acting contrary to both laws. "He is not a Jew, for he does not admit of circumcision; he is not a Gentile, for he preaches against the worship of the gods. He is setting up a worship of his own, in opposition to all laws, and persuading many people to join with him: he is therefore a most dangerous man, and should be put to death."

Saying, this fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law. Meaning either to the law of the Romans, which forbad the bringing in of any new gods, without the leave of the senate; See Gill on Acts 16:21; or rather to the law of Moses: the Arabic version reads, "our law"; though this was false, for Moses in his law wrote of Christ, and ordered the children of Israel to hearken to him.

contrary to the--Jewish
law--probably in not requiring the Gentiles to be circumcised.

*More commentary available at chapter level.


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