They brought them to the magistrates and said, “These men are Jews and are throwing our city into turmoil
Parallel translations
- WEB When they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, are agitating our city,
- KJV And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city,
- NKJV And they brought them to the magistrates, and said, “These men, being Jews, exceedingly trouble our city;
- NASB and when they had brought them to the chief magistrates, they said, “These men, Jews as they are, are causing our city trouble,
- NLT “The whole city is in an uproar because of these Jews!” they shouted to the city officials.
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
They accused Paul and Silas of being Jews who were stirring up trouble in the city.
Overview
The real grievance was lost profit, but the charge was dressed up as a threat to public order, with an appeal to anti-Jewish prejudice. False accusation cloaking selfish motives recurs throughout the persecution of God's people. The pattern recalls the unjust trial of Jesus Himself, whose servants are called to share in His sufferings.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Jas 4:4You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God.
- Rom 12:2Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.
- John 15:18–20If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.
- Acts 28:22But we consider your views worth hearing, because we know that people everywhere are speaking against this sect.”
- 1 Kgs 18:17–18When Ahab saw Elijah, he said to him, “Is that you, O troubler of Israel?”
- Acts 18:2There he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to visit them,
- Ezra 4:12–15Let it be known to the king that the Jews who came from you to us have returned to Jerusalem. And they are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city, restoring its walls, and repairing its foundations.
- Matt 2:3When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.
- Acts 19:34But when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
- Esth 3:8–9Then Haman informed King Xerxes, “There is a certain people scattered and dispersed among the peoples of every province of your kingdom. Their laws are different from everyone else’s, and they do not obey the king’s laws. So it is not in the king’s best interest to tolerate them.
- Acts 17:6–8But when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have now come here,
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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 16:20 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.