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And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,
Acts 6:12 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and came against him and seized him, and brought him in to the council,
  • BSB So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,
  • NKJV And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes; and they came upon him, seized him, and brought him to the council.
  • NASB And they stirred up the people, the elders, and the scribes, and they came up to him and dragged him away, and brought him before the Council.
  • NLT This roused the people, the elders, and the teachers of religious law. So they arrested Stephen and brought him before the high council.

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 stir up the people and leaders and drag Stephen before the council. Public agitation is used to legitimize an unjust trial.

Overview

By rousing the crowd and authorities, the opponents turn a private dispute into a formal charge. Seizing Stephen and bringing him to the Sanhedrin mirrors the proceedings against Jesus. The mounting pressure shows how opposition to the gospel hardens into organized injustice.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Prov 15:18A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.
  • Acts 14:2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles, and made their minds evil affected against the brethren.
  • Matt 26:57And they that had laid hold on Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
  • Acts 17:13But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people.
  • Acts 5:27And when they had brought them, they set them before the council: and the high priest asked them,
  • Acts 16:19–21And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas, and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers,
  • Acts 13:50But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts.
  • Acts 21:27And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
  • Matt 5:22But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
  • Acts 5:18And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison.
  • Acts 4:1–3And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them,
  • Acts 17:5–6But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people.
  • Acts 18:12And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

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 6:12YouTube · 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 6:12 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.