Acts28

After a shipwreck, Paul and his companions landed on Melita, where Paul miraculously survived a viper's bite and healed many islanders. Continuing their journey, they arrived in Rome, where Paul met with Jewish leaders, explaining his appeal and testifying concerning Jesus. Despite some Jewish unbelief, Paul declared God's salvation would now go to the Gentiles. For two years, Paul freely preached the Kingdom of God in Rome, unhindered.

Paul Shipwrecked on Malta

1
After our escape, we learned that the island was called Malta. ​
2
Its people showed extraordinary kindness — it was cold and it had started to rain, so they lit a bonfire and welcomed us all. ​
3
Sha’ul had gathered a bundle of sticks and was adding them to the fire, when a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. ​
4
The islanders saw the creature hanging from Sha’ul’s hand and said to one another, “This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.” ​
5
But he shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no harm.
6
They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing that nothing amiss was happening to him, they reversed their opinion and said he was a god. ​
7
Nearby were lands belonging to the governor of the island, whose name was Publius. He received us in a friendly manner and put us up for three days. ​
8
Now it so happened that Publius’ father was lying in bed, sick with fever attacks and dysentery. Sha’ul went in to him, prayed, placed his hands on him and healed him. ​
9
After this happened, the rest of those on the island who had ailments came and were healed.
10
They heaped honors on us; and when the time came for us to sail, they provided the supplies we needed.

Journey to Rome

11
After three months, we sailed away on a ship from Alexandria called “Twin Gods,” which had passed the winter at the island. ​
12
We landed at Syracuse and stayed three days.
13
From there, we arrived at Rhegium by tacking; but after one day, a south wind sprang up; so we made it to Puteoli the second day.
14
There we found brothers who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we went on toward Rome. ​
15
The brothers there had heard about us and came as far as Appian Market and Three Inns to meet us. When Sha’ul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. ​
16
And when we arrived at Rome, the officer allowed Sha’ul to stay by himself, though guarded by a soldier. ​

Paul Meets with Roman Jewish Leaders

17
After three days Sha’ul called a meeting of the local Jewish leaders. When they had gathered, he said to them: “Brothers, although I have done nothing against either our people or the traditions of our fathers, I was made a prisoner in Yerushalayim and handed over to the Romans. ​
18
They examined me and were ready to release me, because I had done nothing to justify a death sentence.
19
But when the Judeans objected, I was forced to appeal to the Emperor — not that I had any charge to make against my own people.
20
This is why I have asked to see you and speak with you, for it is because of the hope of Isra’el that I have this chain around me.” ​
21
They said to him, “We have not received any letters about you from Y’hudah, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you.
22
But we do think it would be appropriate to hear your views from you, yourself; for all we know about this sect is that people everywhere speak against it.” ​
23
So they arranged a day with him and came to his quarters in large numbers. From morning until evening he explained the matter to them, giving a thorough witness about the Kingdom of God and making use of both the Torah of Moshe and the Prophets to persuade them about Yeshua. ​
24
Some were convinced by what he said,
25
while others refused to believe. So they left, disagreeing among themselves, after Sha’ul had made one final statement: “The Ruach HaKodesh spoke well in saying to your fathers through Yesha‘yahu the prophet, ​
26
‘Go to this people and say, “You will keep on hearing but never understand, and you will keep on seeing but never perceive,
27
because the heart of this people has grown thick — with their ears they barely hear, and their eyes they have closed, for fear that they should see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their heart, and do t’shuvah, so that I could heal them.”’
28
Therefore, let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Goyim, and they will listen!” ​
29
Not present in the manuscripts this translation follows.

The Gospel Unhindered in Rome

30
Sha’ul remained two whole years in a place he rented for himself; and he continued receiving all who came to see him, ​
31
openly and without hindrance proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. ​

Study Notes for Acts 28

Verse 1

Melita is modern Malta, an island south of Sicily. This section details the events of the three months Paul and his companions spent there waiting for winter to pass.

Verse 2

The term 'barbarous people' (Gk. *barbaroi*) does not imply savagery, but simply refers to people who did not speak Greek or Latin, showing Luke’s accurate use of Roman terminology.

Verse 3

This incident recalls the promise of protection given by Christ (Mark 16:18). The viper incident served as immediate confirmation of Paul’s divine authority to the inhabitants of the island.

Verse 4

The islanders immediately assumed Paul was guilty of a capital crime. They believed the goddess Dike (Vengeance or Justice) had preserved him from the sea only to ensure he suffered a more painful, certain death.

Verse 6

Their reaction shifted rapidly from viewing Paul as a wicked murderer to viewing him as a god, illustrating the superstition and fickle nature of pagan religious belief.

Verse 7

Publius is identified as the 'chief man' (Gk. *protos*) of the island. Inscriptions found on Malta confirm that this was the official title of the Roman governor or magistrate there, demonstrating Luke’s historical accuracy.

Verse 8

Paul’s ministry on Malta mirrors that of Jesus and the apostles: preaching accompanied by signs. He first prayed, then used the physical sign of laying on hands to effect the healing.

Verse 11

The ship had the figurehead of Castor and Pollux (the Dioscuri), twin gods revered by sailors as protectors. Luke notes this common detail of first-century maritime life.

Verse 14

The presence of 'brethren' (believers) in Puteoli, a major port, illustrates the widespread, organic growth of Christianity throughout the empire even before Paul reached Rome.

Verse 15

Appii forum and The three taverns were two well-known post-stops on the Appian Way. The Roman Christians traveled a great distance (40-50 miles) to welcome Paul, which greatly encouraged him.

Verse 16

Paul was placed under 'house arrest' (*custodia libera*), a privileged status likely due to the lack of serious charges against him and his Roman citizenship. This allowed him freedom to receive visitors and minister.

Verse 17

Paul follows his usual custom of first addressing the Jewish community, ensuring they heard the gospel directly from him and understood the nature of his arrest.

Verse 20

Paul clarifies that his imprisonment is not for political crimes but for believing in the 'hope of Israel'—the fulfillment of the messianic promises and the resurrection of the dead, realized in Jesus.

Verse 22

The Jewish leaders refer to Christianity as 'this sect' (Gk. *hairesis*). Their statement confirms that Christianity was widely known, and widely maligned, throughout the diaspora.

Verse 23

Paul’s persistent method was to demonstrate from the Mosaic Law and the Prophets that Jesus was the promised Messiah who inaugurated the Kingdom of God. This debate lasted all day.

Verse 25

When the Jews disagreed, Paul used the prophecy of Isaiah 6:9-10, echoing Jesus’s own use of the passage (Matt 13:14) to explain why some hearts remained willfully hardened to the message.

Verse 28

This statement is a climactic summary of the theological turning point in Acts. Paul formally declares the redirection of the gospel from the largely resistant Jewish nation to the receptive Gentile world.

Verse 30

Paul’s two years in Rome covered the period before the presumed trial before Caesar (likely postponed or delayed). During this time, he wrote important letters, including Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon.

Verse 31

The final verse emphasizes the core themes of Acts: the proclamation of the Kingdom of God and the teaching of Jesus Christ, done 'with all confidence, no man forbidding him.' The book ends on a note of triumph—the gospel has reached the capital of the world and is advancing unhindered.

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