Acts 28:4 kjv
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.
Acts 28:4 nkjv
So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live."
Acts 28:4 niv
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live."
Acts 28:4 esv
When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."
Acts 28:4 nlt
The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, "A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live."
Acts 28 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Acts 28:3 | "Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire..." | Sets the stage for the barbarians' observation |
| Romans 1:20 | "For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly perceived..." | Shows how people perceive God's power |
| Job 1:19 | "Then a great wind swept across the desert and struck the four corners of the house..." | Depicts a catastrophic event leading to misinterpretation |
| Exodus 22:18 | "Do not allow a sorceress to live." | Reflects ancient beliefs about perceived wrongdoing and divine retribution |
| Deuteronomy 18:10 | "Let no one be found among you... who practices divination or tells fortunes..." | Shows cultural prohibitions against perceived unnatural practices |
| 1 Samuel 28:3 | "Now Samuel was dead... and Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land." | Illustrates societal fear and rejection of perceived sorcery |
| Isaiah 47:13 | "All the counsel you get will fail—those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons predict what will befall you." | Critiques reliance on divination and astrology |
| John 9:1-2 | "As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, 'Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents?'..." | Similar misapplication of suffering to perceived sin |
| Matthew 5:16 | "...so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." | Contrasts misjudgment with a proper view of God's work |
| 1 Corinthians 1:20 | "Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the great debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?" | Highlights God's wisdom in contrast to human understanding |
| Romans 11:33 | "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" | Underscores the incomprehensibility of God's ways |
| Acts 17:22-23 | "So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: 'Men of Athens, I observe that you are excessively devoted to deities...'" | Paul encountering differing belief systems and explaining the true God |
| 1 Corinthians 1:23 | "...but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles..." | The perceived "foolishness" of the cross contrasts with the islanders' understanding of divine power |
| Luke 6:37 | "Do not judge, and you will not be judged..." | Admonition against premature or unfair judgment |
| 2 Corinthians 12:10 | "That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." | Paul's own experience of enduring hardship which was seen as weakness by some |
| Galatians 6:14 | "May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." | Paul's focus on suffering as a testament to his faith |
| Philippians 3:10 | "...and I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death—" | Paul's embracing of suffering for Christ |
| 1 Peter 4:12 | "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something new is happening to you." | The commonality of trials and persecutions for believers |
| Proverbs 14:4 | "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but abundant are the crops produced by the strength of an ox." | Illustrates that the absence of an explanation does not negate reality |
| Acts 28:6 | "But when the animal had no harmful effect, they changed their minds and thought he was a god." | The subsequent reversal of their judgment highlights their superficiality |
Acts 28 verses
Acts 28 4 Meaning
The verse describes the islanders' realization that Paul is a murderer, interpreting his survival from the shipwreck, where the sea had raged, as divine judgment against him. This understanding, however, was based on their local, limited perspective and superstition.
Acts 28 4 Context
Following a violent shipwreck, Paul and the other survivors landed on the island of Malta. As Paul gathered wood to build a fire to warm them, a viper, energized by the heat, attached itself to his hand. The Maltese islanders witnessed this event. Their immediate interpretation, however, was not of a providential escape from the sea followed by a near-miss with a dangerous creature, but rather a belief that Paul was a murderer, and despite surviving the wreck, divine justice, in the form of the snake, had finally caught up with him. This reveals a prevalent mindset on the island that attributed dire misfortunes directly to divine punishment for perceived sins.
Acts 28 4 Word Analysis
- autóV (houtos): This Greek pronoun means "this" or "he." It refers specifically to Paul.
- epí (epi): A preposition indicating "on" or "upon." Here, it specifies where the viper attached itself to Paul's hand.
- tĥV (tes): The feminine genitive article, modifying "cheiroV" (cheiros).
- cheiroV (cheiros): The Greek word for "hand."
- tîS (tis): An indefinite pronoun, meaning "a" or "some" but here indicating an unspecified creature: "a viper."
- bax (bax): This is likely a misspelling or misinterpretation. The actual Greek word for "viper" is ecidna (ekidna - 1415). It refers to a poisonous snake, often a viper. The inclusion of "bax" suggests a misunderstanding of the original Greek or a corruption in the text being analyzed.
- ek ths (ek tes): A common Greek phrase meaning "out of the" or "from the."
- yûj (psus): This word does not appear in standard Greek texts for Acts 28:4. The intended word here is likely pyroß (pyros), meaning "fire," or pyr (pyr) referring to the "heat" from the fire. It seems to be connected to the cause of the viper's action. Scholars often explain that the viper, disoriented or angered by the fire's warmth or smoke, was attracted to Paul's hand.
- ajdianthn (adiathn): This word is problematic and not standard Greek. It appears to be a garbled attempt to represent something like anišrou (aniseiros), meaning "rough" or "wild," or perhaps kaikon (kaikon) relating to a viper, or even an attempt at "harmless" (apobleton - apobleton). The intended meaning relates to the nature of the snake's action or the creature itself, which the islanders perceive as more than a natural occurrence.
- ka¡ (kai): A conjunction meaning "and" or "but." It links the previous action (gathering wood) to the current event.
- apO (apo): A preposition meaning "from," indicating origin.
- tw (tw(j): A contracted form of the genitive article, usually "tou" (of).
- peyeimatoß (peyeimatos): This word appears to be a phonetic or transliterative corruption of pneuma (pneuma) in the genitive case, pneumatos, meaning "breath," "spirit," or "wind." The context suggests it relates to the heat from the fire, perhaps from the "breath" of the fire, or "spirit" of the heat. More commonly, scholars attribute the viper's action to the heat from the fire.
- eipwˆ (eipw): This is the aorist participle of the verb "eipon" (eipon) meaning "to speak" or "say."
- ejn autoiß (en autois): This is a transliteration for en autois, meaning "among them" or "to them."
- prVß (pros): A preposition, here meaning "towards" or "against."
- ejkeïnOv (ekeinon): The demonstrative pronoun "ekeinos," meaning "that one" or "he." It refers back to Paul.
- deiˆa (deia): This is a corrupted or incomplete word. It seems to be attempting to convey a divine element. Scholars generally understand the islanders' thought to be that Paul is some kind of evildoer being judged by the gods. The phrase that follows in English translations usually involves terms related to justice or wrongdoing, and possibly a reference to "divinity" or "guilt." If interpreted as "dia deon" (dia deon - "through obligation") or something similar, it would fit the punitive reasoning. However, the most common understanding from reliable texts is that they see him as guilty of something punished by the gods. The intended word may be related to $EON ($EOS) meaning "god" or $EA ($EA) meaning "law/custom," or perhaps even referring to a concept of being "god-punished."
Words-group by Words-group Analysis
- "a viper... from the fire": This phrase (based on likely correctings) describes the creature's origin from the fire. The islanders see the source of its activation (the fire) and its venomous nature as intrinsically linked to Paul's supposed guilt. They connect the creature to the source of warmth they had gathered, not as a natural hazard, but as an instrument of judgment.
- "when they saw the living creature hanging on his hand": The visual aspect is key to their interpretation. The physical attachment of the venomous creature becomes immediate, visible evidence to them of a divine reckoning.
- "they said to one another": This indicates a communal interpretation and discussion among the islanders, reinforcing their shared belief system.
- "he must be a murderer": This is the direct conclusion drawn from their flawed premise. The intensity of the event (shipwreck and the snake) is not seen as mere coincidence or natural phenomena, but as a direct consequence of grave sin.
- "even though he escaped from the sea, justice does not let him live": This captures the core of their understanding: no escape from retribution. "Justice" here is personified as an active force, the deity or deities punishing him.
Acts 28 4 Bonus Section
The islanders' interpretation is a striking example of the "sin of the sufferers" fallacy. They equate suffering or apparent misfortune with personal guilt. This contrasts sharply with biblical themes where suffering is often used for refining faith (1 Peter 1:6-7), demonstrating God's power (2 Corinthians 12:9-10), or is simply part of a fallen world, not always a direct judgment. Paul's own experiences detailed throughout the New Testament, particularly his suffering for the Gospel, would be inexplicable to these islanders if they were to comprehend his true calling. Their worldview reflects a limited understanding of divine sovereignty and justice, mistaking the manifestation of events for their ultimate cause or purpose. The failure to distinguish between natural perils and supernatural punishment is a common thread in many ancient cultures.
Acts 28 4 Commentary
The Maltese islanders held a worldview deeply rooted in animism and a transactional understanding of their gods. For them, any misfortune, especially a dramatic one like being bitten by a venomous snake after surviving a shipwreck, was not random chance but direct divine retribution for sin. They saw Paul's survival of the sea's fury and then being attacked by the viper as undeniable proof that he was a wicked man, likely a murderer, against whom divine justice was inexorably at work. This interpretation is common in cultures where supernatural causation is readily attributed to observable events, often reflecting a need to make sense of a chaotic world through clear cause-and-effect, albeit a misapplied one. Their view underscores a common human tendency to judge based on immediate appearances and ingrained cultural beliefs, failing to recognize the broader workings of God or the resilience of individuals called by Him. Their subsequent change of mind, as detailed in the next verse, highlights the superficiality of their initial judgment.