Acts 23 13

Acts 23:13 kjv

And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy.

Acts 23:13 nkjv

Now there were more than forty who had formed this conspiracy.

Acts 23:13 niv

More than forty men were involved in this plot.

Acts 23:13 esv

There were more than forty who made this conspiracy.

Acts 23:13 nlt

There were more than forty of them in the conspiracy.

Acts 23 verses

Acts 23 13 Meaning

Acts 23:13 details a desperate and extreme plot by over forty Jewish men who conspired to assassinate the apostle Paul. They bound themselves by a severe oath, vowing to neither eat nor drink until they had accomplished Paul's murder. This "binding themselves by an oath" signifies an anathema or curse they invoked upon themselves, indicating a profound and fanatical commitment to their murderous goal, believing God would judge them if they failed. It reveals the intense hatred and zeal held against Paul, illustrating the dangerous environment he navigated for the sake of the Gospel.

Acts 23 13 Context

Acts 23:13 immediately follows a tumultuous day for Paul. After being seized in Jerusalem and rescued by Roman soldiers from a mob, he was brought before the Jewish Sanhedrin (Acts 23:1). There, his declaration of being a Pharisee and belief in the resurrection cleverly divided the Sadducees and Pharisees, leading to a massive uproar. The Roman commander Lysias intervened again to save Paul from being torn apart. Verse 13 is set against this backdrop of escalating Jewish hostility towards Paul, directly arising from the failure of legal condemnation. The desperation evident in the oath reflects their inability to achieve their desired outcome through official channels, leading them to resort to extralegal and violent means. Historically, such zealous, often religiously motivated, conspiracies were not uncommon in first-century Judea, a volatile region under Roman occupation where Messianic and nationalist fervor was strong, sometimes spilling into violence against perceived enemies or collaborators.

Acts 23 13 Word analysis

• And there were more than forty men:
  • Significance: Indicates a substantial, organized group, not a lone assailant. Their number suggests a planned operation and considerable influence among the Jewish populace or access to resources. The specific number highlights the depth of their commitment and coordination.
• who had made this conspiracy:
  • Original Greek: sunōmosia (συνωμοσία) - meaning "a swearing together," "a plot," "a conspiracy," or "an oath-bound agreement."
  • Significance: This word emphasizes the secretive, premeditated, and deeply unified nature of their murderous intent. It highlights that they had come to a formal agreement, likely sworn and binding among themselves, to carry out the act.
• bound themselves by an oath:
  • Original Greek: anathematizō (ἀναθεματίζω) - derived from anathema, meaning "a thing devoted (to God), usually to destruction," hence "a curse" or "excommunication."
  • Significance: This is not just a casual promise; it's an execratory oath, a self-curse. They were calling down divine judgment upon themselves if they failed to fulfill their deadly purpose. This indicates extreme religious zeal and fanaticism, demonstrating their absolute, unwavering commitment, believing their act to be righteous service to God. It reflects the intense emotional and spiritual fervency of their hatred for Paul and his message.
• not to eat or drink:
  • Significance: This constitutes a hunger strike or fast, a spiritual discipline perverted for a violent aim. Fasting was a common practice for expressing deep resolve, repentance, or seeking divine favor. Here, it signifies the ultimate measure of their fanaticism and the extent of their desperation to eliminate Paul, indicating they were willing to suffer personally to achieve their goal.
• until they had killed Paul:
  • Significance: This specifies their ultimate, singular, and deadly objective. It reveals the clear, unambiguous target of their combined hatred and underscores the severity of their sworn vow. It shows their fixed determination and that their oath had a very clear termination condition—Paul's death.

• Words-group analysis:
  • more than forty men who had made this conspiracy, bound themselves by an oath: This phrase reveals the formal and serious nature of their deadly plot. It signifies that this was not a spontaneous outburst but a deliberate, organized effort by a considerable number of individuals, fortified by a solemn, binding vow, indicative of deep-seated religious and political animosity towards Paul.
  • not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul: This vividly portrays the fanatical intensity of their commitment. It shows they were prepared for self-deprivation and extreme measures to achieve their murderous objective, reflecting a twisted understanding of religious devotion applied to a vengeful end. It elevates their scheme beyond a mere criminal act to one rooted in an obsessive, perverted spiritual conviction.

Acts 23 13 Bonus section

The concept of an "anathema" in a Jewish context carried immense weight. While in later Christian contexts it might refer to excommunication, in a Jewish context and particularly in an oath like this, it would mean being accursed or devoted to destruction if the oath were not kept. The very severe nature of this oath suggests these men were zealots, potentially influenced by fervent nationalism or a deep commitment to a particular interpretation of Mosaic Law that saw Paul's ministry as a dangerous deviation. Their readiness for self-imposed suffering (fasting unto death) further underscores their extreme motivation. Ironically, such desperate, misguided zeal often reveals the impotence of human effort against the divine will, as this particular plot was thwarted, not by direct intervention from Paul or the Romans, but by the casual revelation of the plot to Paul's nephew (Acts 23:16), leading to its discovery and prevention.

Acts 23 13 Commentary

Acts 23:13 highlights the perilous reality of Paul's mission and the depths of opposition he faced. The "more than forty men" signify a significant, organized threat, demonstrating the intense hatred felt by certain Jewish factions against Paul, who they viewed as a blasphemer or apostate for his preaching of Christ and rejection of rigid legalism. Their binding oath, an anathema, was an ultimate religious commitment, an appeal to God to punish them if they failed to execute their vengeance. This wasn't merely a political assassination plot but one fueled by zealous religious conviction, believing they were doing God a service. However, their desperate act underscores the failure of their prior, more "legal" attempts to condemn Paul. Ultimately, despite their fanatical vow and coordinated effort, divine providence intervened, demonstrating God's sovereign protection over His servant and nullifying even the most deeply sworn human plans. This plot, like many others against Paul, would ultimately fail, proving that God's will for Paul's ministry would prevail over all human machinations.