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Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks alike.
Acts 18:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
  • KJV And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
  • NKJV And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded both Jews and Greeks.
  • NASB And Paul was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.
  • NLT Each Sabbath found Paul at the synagogue, trying to convince the Jews and Greeks alike.

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

Paul reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, seeking to persuade both Jews and Greeks that Jesus is the Christ.

Overview

As was his pattern, Paul began with the synagogue, reasoning from the Scriptures to show that Jesus fulfills the promises to Israel. The presence of God-fearing Greeks shows the synagogue was already a bridge to the Gentiles. His persuasive, Scripture-based approach models thoughtful, patient evangelism grounded in God's Word.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 14

  • 2 Cor 5:11Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men. What we are is clear to God, and I hope it is clear to your conscience as well.
  • Acts 17:17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and God-fearing Gentiles, and in the marketplace with those he met each day.
  • Acts 28:23So they set a day to meet with Paul, and many people came to the place he was staying. He expounded to them from morning to evening, testifying about the kingdom of God and persuading them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
  • Acts 13:14And from Perga, they traveled inland to Pisidian Antioch, where they entered the synagogue on the Sabbath and sat down.
  • Luke 4:16Then Jesus came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. As was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath. And when He stood up to read,
  • Acts 17:1–3When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue.
  • Acts 19:8Then Paul went into the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
  • Luke 16:31Then Abraham said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’”
  • Acts 19:26And you can see and hear that not only in Ephesus, but in nearly the whole province of Asia, Paul has persuaded a great number of people to turn away. He says that man-made gods are no gods at all.
  • Acts 18:13“This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law,” they said.
  • Acts 26:28Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Can you persuade me in such a short time to become a Christian?”
  • 2 Chr 32:11Is not Hezekiah misleading you to give you over to death by famine and thirst when he says, ‘The LORD our God will deliver us from the hand of the king of Assyria?’
  • Acts 17:11Now the Bereans were more noble-minded than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if these teachings were true.
  • Gen 9:27May God expand the territory of Japheth; may he dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be his servant.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (5)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Acts videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Acts 18:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on ActsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 18:4 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.