Even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could hardly stop the crowds from sacrificing to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Even saying these things, they hardly stopped the multitudes from making a sacrifice to them.
- KJV And with these sayings scarce restrained they the people, that they had not done sacrifice unto them.
- NKJV And with these sayings they could scarcely restrain the multitudes from sacrificing to them.
- NASB And even by saying these things, only with difficulty did they restrain the crowds from offering sacrifices to them.
- NLT But even with these words, Paul and Barnabas could scarcely restrain the people from sacrificing to them.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Even with these words they barely restrained the crowd from sacrificing to them. Idolatry's pull is so strong that even clear truth struggles against it.
Overview
Luke notes the difficulty of turning the crowd from their intent, underscoring how deeply rooted false worship was. The verse soberly shows that gospel proclamation often meets resistant hearts, not instant transformation. The same crowd's mood will soon turn violently against Paul, exposing the fickleness of merely sign-driven enthusiasm.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Jer 44:16–17“As for the word you have spoken to us in the name of the LORD, we will not listen to you!
- Exod 32:21–23“What did this people do to you,” Moses asked Aaron, “that you have led them into so great a sin?”
- Gen 11:6And the LORD said, “If they have begun to do this as one people speaking the same language, then nothing they devise will be beyond them.
- John 6:15Then Jesus, realizing that they were about to come and make Him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by Himself.
- Gen 19:9“Get out of the way!” they replied. And they declared, “This one came here as a foreigner, and he is already acting like a judge! Now we will treat you worse than them.” And they pressed in on Lot and moved in to break down the door.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Acts is the risen Christ continuing his work by the Spirit through the church, as the apostles preach that there is salvation in no other name under heaven.
How Acts 14:18 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.