Acts 18 16

Acts 18:16 kjv

And he drave them from the judgment seat.

Acts 18:16 nkjv

And he drove them from the judgment seat.

Acts 18:16 niv

So he drove them off.

Acts 18:16 esv

And he drove them from the tribunal.

Acts 18:16 nlt

And he threw them out of the courtroom.

Acts 18 verses

Acts 18 16 Meaning

This verse describes a decisive action by Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia. After hearing the accusations brought against the apostle Paul by the Jewish leaders, Gallio swiftly dismissed the case, thereby "driving them" – the Jewish accusers – away from his tribunal, known as the judgment seat. This act signified Gallio's refusal to adjudicate disputes concerning Jewish law or theological matters, viewing them as internal religious issues outside the jurisdiction of Roman civil authority.

Acts 18 16 Context

Acts chapter 18 details Paul's ministry in Corinth, a significant Roman provincial capital known for its commerce and diverse population. Paul arrives in Corinth after leaving Athens, where he experiences some success but also considerable resistance. In Corinth, he meets Aquila and Priscilla, fellow tentmakers, who become vital ministry partners. Paul initially preaches in the synagogue but, facing persistent opposition and blasphemy from the Jews, turns his ministry focus to the Gentiles (Acts 18:5-6). It is in this environment of burgeoning success among Gentiles, combined with intense Jewish antagonism, that the incident with Gallio occurs. The Jewish leaders, frustrated by Paul's continued work and converts, seized Paul and brought him before Gallio's tribunal (Acts 18:12), hoping to have him legally condemned for violating Roman law. Gallio's judgment in verse 16 is a pivotal moment, officially declaring Paul's activities outside the scope of Roman criminal prosecution, thus affording early Christianity a brief, yet critical, period of legal toleration within the Roman Empire by treating it as a sect of Judaism rather than a new, illegal religion.

Acts 18 16 Word analysis

• And (Καὶ - Kai): A common conjunction, here indicating the immediate progression of events following Gallio's verbal dismissal. It marks a swift and decisive action.
• he (ἀπῆλα – apēla): Refers to Gallio, the Roman proconsul. His agency in this verse highlights the exercise of Roman authority. The direct personal pronoun indicates his active and authoritative role in terminating the legal proceeding.
• drove (ἀπήλασεν - apēlasen): From the verb apelaunō (ἀπελαύνω), meaning to drive away, to push off, to send packing. This is a strong verb. It conveys more than just "dismissed" or "sent away"; it implies a forceful, authoritative removal from the court. Gallio did not merely suggest they leave; he made them leave. This action underscores his exasperation with the frivolous charge and his determination to end the matter swiftly and definitively.
• them (αὐτοὺς - autous): Refers to the Jewish accusers who brought Paul before Gallio. They are collectively the subject of Gallio's decisive expulsion.
• from the judgment seat (ἀπὸ τοῦ βήματος - apo tou bēmatos):
  • from (ἀπὸ - apo): Denotes separation or departure from a place.
  • the judgment seat (βήματος - bēmatos): A crucial term. Bēma (plural bēmata) literally means "a step" or "a raised platform." In ancient Greek and Roman contexts, it designated the tribunal or judicial seat from which magistrates or judges administered justice. It was a place of formal legal authority. Gallio driving them from this place signifies not only their physical removal but also the termination of their legal claim and any official standing. Their case was closed; they no longer had any business or standing before the proconsular authority.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "And he drove them": This phrase emphasizes Gallio's immediate and forceful reaction. His patience had clearly run out with what he perceived as a purely internal religious squabble, rather than a genuine violation of Roman law. The agency attributed to "he" (Gallio) signifies the full weight of Roman legal authority dismissing the accusation.
• "from the judgment seat": This defines the locale and nature of the dismissal. It underscores that the case was formally rejected at the highest legal platform in the province. This official dismissal provided Paul and, by extension, the burgeoning Christian movement in Achaia, temporary legal protection from being prosecuted under Roman law for their evangelistic activities.

Acts 18 16 Bonus section

The specific proconsul, Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus, was known for his mild and agreeable disposition, and was the elder brother of Seneca the Younger, the famous Stoic philosopher and tutor of Nero. Gallio's decision to dismiss the case was not an act of disinterest in justice but a clear-headed application of Roman law, recognizing that "words and names and your own law" were not crimes against the emperor or Roman citizens. This ruling protected Paul from the charges but did not prevent later physical violence; immediately following this dismissal, Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, was beaten by the crowd in front of the very bēma, an act Gallio reportedly "cared for none of these things" (Acts 18:17), meaning he again saw it as a internal Jewish matter of public unrest, not a Roman crime, unless it escalated severely. This further cemented his impartiality concerning internal religious quarrels among the Jewish community. The precise dating of Gallio's proconsulship to AD 51-52 from an inscription discovered in Delphi provides a fixed point in correlating Paul's missionary journeys with secular history, aiding biblical chronology.

Acts 18 16 Commentary

Acts 18:16 presents the definitive outcome of Paul's appearance before Gallio in Corinth. Gallio's action of driving the Jewish accusers from the bēma was more than a simple dismissal; it was an emphatic rejection of their attempts to use the Roman legal system to persecute Paul for what Gallio rightly identified as purely theological disputes, rather than civil offenses. This demonstrated Gallio's astute legal understanding and impartial application of Roman law, which distinguished between matters of religion (especially an accepted religion like Judaism, under which early Christianity was often categorized) and violations of public order or imperial decree.

This seemingly minor event held significant implications for early Christianity. Gallio's judgment set a legal precedent within the province of Achaia (and possibly influenced other Roman provinces) that evangelism within the bounds of a perceived "licit religion" (like Judaism) was not a prosecutable offense under Roman law. This provided a crucial period of unofficial protection for Christians, allowing the gospel to spread without immediate imperial suppression based on false legal accusations. It underscored God's sovereign hand working through human authorities to protect His servants and advance His kingdom, demonstrating that not all earthly rulers would necessarily act against His purposes, sometimes even inadvertently protecting them.

For practical application, this account can encourage believers to trust in divine providence even when facing opposition from earthly powers. It also highlights the principle that genuine legal disputes differ from attempts to weaponize secular systems for religious grievances.