Acts 14:18

And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.

And {G2532} with these {G5023} sayings {G3004} scarce {G3433} restrained they {G2664} the people {G3793}, that they had {G2380} not {G3361} done sacrifice {G2380} unto them {G846}.

Even saying this barely kept the crowds from sacrificing to them.

Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them.

And with these sayings scarce restrained they the multitudes from doing sacrifice unto them.

Acts 14:18 vividly illustrates the profound challenge Paul and Barnabas faced in Lystra as they desperately tried to prevent the local inhabitants from offering pagan sacrifices to them, a testament to the deep-seated idolatry of the time.

Historical and Cultural Context

This verse is the culmination of a dramatic scene in Lystra. After Paul miraculously healed a man who had been lame from birth (Acts 14:8-10), the pagan people of Lystra, witnessing such an extraordinary power, immediately assumed Paul and Barnabas were gods. They identified Barnabas as Zeus (the chief god) and Paul as Hermes (the messenger god, due to his eloquence), and prepared to offer animal sacrifices at the city gates. This reaction highlights the pervasive polytheism and superstition in the Greco-Roman world, where divine visitations in human form were a common belief. Paul and Barnabas’s immediate and forceful response, including tearing their clothes (Acts 14:14), was a powerful gesture of distress and rejection of such blasphemous honor.

Key Themes and Messages

  • Rejection of Idolatry: The core message of this incident is the absolute incompatibility of true worship with any form of idolatry. Paul and Barnabas vehemently refused to accept divine honors, firmly redirecting the people away from worshipping created beings (themselves) to the one true Creator God. This aligns with the biblical warning against worshipping the creature rather than the Creator.
  • Humility in Ministry: Paul and Barnabas demonstrated exemplary humility. Despite being the instruments of a profound miracle, they immediately deflected all praise and glory away from themselves, insisting that they were merely men and that the power belonged to God alone. This serves as a critical example for all believers in ministry, emphasizing that God's servants are channels, not sources, of divine power.
  • Difficulty of Evangelism: The phrase "scarce restrained they the people" underscores the immense difficulty the apostles faced in turning the Lystrans away from their ingrained pagan beliefs. Even after a clear demonstration of God's power and a direct proclamation of the Gospel, the people were stubbornly attached to their traditions, highlighting the persistent challenge of leading people to turn from idols to serve the living and true God.

Linguistic Insights

The KJV phrase "scarce restrained" translates the Greek word molis (μόλις), which means "with difficulty," "hardly," or "scarcely." This emphasizes the strenuous effort Paul and Barnabas had to exert to prevent the Lystrans from carrying out the sacrifice. It wasn't a simple dissuasion; it was an arduous struggle against deeply ingrained cultural and religious practices, illustrating the people's strong conviction that they were in the presence of gods.

Practical Application

Acts 14:18 provides profound lessons relevant for believers today:

  • Guard Against Misplaced Worship: This passage warns against the human tendency to idolize, whether it be celebrities, political leaders, or even spiritual figures. We must remember that all good gifts and abilities come from God, and worship is reserved for Him alone.
  • Cultivate Humility: When we are used by God or experience success in our endeavors, this verse calls us to immediately give glory back to God, resisting any temptation to accept undue praise or elevate ourselves. True spiritual leadership is characterized by humility.
  • Persevere in Witness: The apostles' persistent efforts to redirect worship to God, even in the face of strong resistance, encourages us to continue sharing the truth of the Gospel. It reminds us that turning hearts to the one true God can be a challenging, yet essential, endeavor.
Note: Commentary was generated by an advanced AI, utilizing a prompt that emphasized Biblical fidelity over bias. We've found these insights to be consistently reliable, yet we always encourage prayerful discernment through the Holy Spirit. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

  • Jeremiah 44:16

    [As for] the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the LORD, we will not hearken unto thee.

  • Jeremiah 44:17

    But we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, to burn incense unto the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her, as we have done, we, and our fathers, our kings, and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem: for [then] had we plenty of victuals, and were well, and saw no evil.

  • Genesis 19:9

    And they said, Stand back. And they said [again], This one [fellow] came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, [even] Lot, and came near to break the door.

  • John 6:15

    ¶ When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

  • Exodus 32:21

    ¶ And Moses said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them?

  • Exodus 32:23

    For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for [as for] this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him.

  • Genesis 11:6

    And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

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