But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
Parallel translations
- WEB However he shook off the creature into the fire, and wasn’t harmed.
- KJV And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.
- BSB But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.
- NASB However, Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.
- NLT But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed.
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 simply shakes the snake into the fire and suffers no harm.
Overview
Unhurt by the deadly viper, Paul calmly casts it off, displaying God's preserving power over His servant. The miraculous protection fulfills the spirit of Christ's promise in Mark 16 and recalls God's sovereignty over creation. It vindicates Paul before the watching islanders and opens the door for the ministry that follows on Malta.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Luke 10:19Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you.
- Mark 16:18they will take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it will in no way hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
- Ps 91:13You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
- Num 21:6–9Yahweh sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died.
- Rev 9:3–4Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
- John 3:14–15As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
- Rom 16:20And the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
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 28:5 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.