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Acts 28

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Paul Shipwrecked on Malta 1–10

1
And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita. ​
2
And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. ​
3
And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. ​
4
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. ​
5
And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
6
Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god. ​
7
In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously. ​
8
And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: to whom Paul entered in, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him. ​
9
So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:
10
Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Journey to Rome 11–16

11
And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux. ​
12
And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.
13
And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:
14
Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome. ​
15
And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage. ​
16
And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him. ​

Paul Meets with Roman Jewish Leaders 17–29

17
And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. ​
18
Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.
19
But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.
20
For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain. ​
21
And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.
22
But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against. ​
23
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening. ​
24
And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.
25
And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, ​
26
Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:
27
For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
28
Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it. ​
29
And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

The Gospel Unhindered in Rome 30–31

30
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, ​
31
Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Acts 28

Verse 1

Melita — The island is named in Scripture only here (Melite). Luke gives the name once ‘they were escaped’ (diasozo), the verb of 27:44, ‘they escaped all safe to land’. Paul had told the ship’s company beforehand that ‘there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship’ (27:22).

Verse 2

no little kindness — The ‘barbarous people’ are barbarians (barbaros) in the Greek sense of those who speak another tongue (1 Cor 14:11; Rom 1:14). Their ‘kindness’ is philanthropia, found in the NT only here and in Titus 3:4, ‘the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man’. They kindled a fire and took in all who came.

Verse 3

a viper — Echidna, the snake of ‘O generation of vipers’ (Matt 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7). Christ had promised, ‘They shall take up serpents… it shall not hurt them’ (Mark 16:18), and ‘power to tread on serpents and scorpions’ (Luke 10:19). The viper fastens on Paul’s hand as he lays sticks on the fire.

Verse 4

vengeance suffereth not to live — ‘Vengeance’ is dike, justice or the penalty that follows wrong, here spoken of as an agent that has followed him out of the sea. Elsewhere the NT renders it ‘judgment’ (Acts 25:15), ‘punished’ (2 Thess 1:9) and ‘vengeance’ (Jude 7). Their verdict, ‘a murderer’, rests on the sign alone.

Verse 6

said that he was a god — ‘Swollen’ (pimpremi) and ‘changed their minds’ (metaballo) each occur only here in the NT. At Lystra the crowd also said, ‘The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men’, and Paul answered, ‘We also are men of like passions with you’ (Acts 14:11–15). Here no reply is recorded.

Verse 7

the chief man — Protos, first, the word Luke uses of ‘the chief of the Jews’ in v.17. Publius is named only here and in v.8. He ‘received us, and lodged us three days courteously’ (philophronos, friendly, a word found only here), after the islanders’ welcome in v.2.

Verse 8

laid his hands on him — The sick man had ‘a fever’ (puretos) and ‘a bloody flux’ (dusenterion, dysentery; the word occurs only here). Paul ‘prayed’, then laid on hands, as Christ foretold of believers: ‘they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover’ (Mark 16:18). Luke places the prayer first.

Verse 11

Castor and Pollux — Dioskouroi, twin gods of Greek belief and named only here in Scripture; the ship’s ‘sign’ (parasemos) was its emblem. ‘Wintered’ is paracheimazo, the verb of 27:12, where the plan was to reach Phenice ‘and there to winter’. After three months the party sails in a ship of Alexandria, like the one of 27:6.

Verse 14

we found brethren — The place is Puteoli (v.13). Believers are already there, and the party ‘were desired’ (parakaleo, urged) to stay seven days. Paul had spent seven days with disciples at Tyre (Acts 21:4). Only after the week does the journey go on, ‘and so we went toward Rome’.

Verse 15

Appii forum — ‘Appii forum’ and ‘The three taverns’ are named only here in the NT. The brethren from Rome ‘came to meet us’ (apantesis), the noun of Matt 25:6 and 1 Thess 4:17 for going out to meet one who is coming. Paul ‘thanked God, and took courage’ (tharsos, a word found only here).

Verse 16

the captain of the guard — Stratopedarches, a title the NT has only here; the prisoners (desmios) are handed to him. Paul is ‘suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him’, and v.20 speaks of ‘this chain’ (halusis). He is free to receive visitors, as vv.17 and 30 show.

Verse 17

delivered prisoner from Jerusalem — ‘Delivered’ is paradidomi, the verb of Agabus’s prophecy that the Jews ‘shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles’ (Acts 21:11). Paul calls ‘the chief of the Jews’ (protos, as in v.7) and says he did nothing against ‘the people, or customs of our fathers’, as in 24:14, ‘believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets’.

Verse 20

the hope of Israel — Paul states the same ground earlier: ‘of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question’ (Acts 23:6) and ‘the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers’ (26:6–7). ‘Am bound with’ is perikeimai, to lie around, so the ‘chain’ (halusis, as in Eph 6:20, ‘an ambassador in bonds’) encircles him.

Verse 22

this sect — Hairesis, a party or school: the word for ‘the sect of the Sadducees’ (Acts 5:17) and ‘of the Pharisees’ (15:5). Tertullus applied it to ‘the sect of the Nazarenes’ (24:5), and Paul replied, ‘after the way which they call heresy’ (24:14). ‘Spoken against’ is antilego, Simeon’s word for Christ: ‘a sign which shall be spoken against’ (Luke 2:34).

Verse 23

expounded and testified — ‘Expounded’ (ektithemi) is to set out and lay open; ‘testified’ (diamarturomai) is to bear solemn witness. The subject is ‘the kingdom of God’ and Jesus, proved ‘out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets’, as Christ did when ‘beginning at Moses and all the prophets’ (Luke 24:27). The day runs ‘from morning till evening’.

Verse 25

Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias — Esaias is the Greek form of Isaiah. Paul gives Isa 6:9–10, quoted in vv.26–27, as the Holy Ghost’s word ‘unto our fathers’. Christ quotes the same text of his hearers: ‘By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand’ (Matt 13:14). ‘Agreed not’ (asumphonos) occurs only here.

Verse 28

the salvation of God — Soterion, God’s saving gift, the word Simeon uses, ‘mine eyes have seen thy salvation’ (Luke 2:30), and Luke 3:6, ‘all flesh shall see the salvation of God’. The turn is announced before: ‘lo, we turn to the Gentiles’ (Acts 13:46); ‘I will go unto the Gentiles’ (18:6). ‘They will hear it’ answers the hearing of Isa 6 in v.27.

Verse 30

two whole years — Dietia, a span of two years, found in Acts only here and at 24:27, where Felix ‘left Paul bound’ for the same length. The ‘hired house’ (misthoma) is a word used only here. Paul ‘received all that came in unto him’, the open door already seen in v.23.

Verse 31

no man forbidding him — Akolutos, ‘unhindered’, ending the book and found only here in the NT. ‘Preaching’ and ‘teaching’ recall 5:42, ‘they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ’ (a different Greek verb for ‘preach’). ‘Confidence’ is parrhesia, the boldness asked for in 4:29; the ‘kingdom of God’ is the subject of v.23.