Acts 14:19
But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
{ "themes": [ "Fickle crowds, hostile hearts", "Suffering for the gospel", "Resilience in persecution", "Persistent, organized opposition" ] }
Just moments after the people of Lystra tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, hostile Jews arrived from other cities, stirring up the crowd against the apostles. This fickleness led the very people who had just celebrated them to violently stone Paul, dragging his seemingly lifeless body outside the city walls.
One moment they're ready to offer sacrifices, the next they're picking up stones. How can people change their minds so drastically, and what fuels such a volatile shift?
This passage reveals the astonishing fickleness of a crowd swayed by emotion and rhetoric. Just as the people of Lystra were eager to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods after witnessing a miraculous healing, they quickly turned violent. This rapid change mirrors the crowd in Jerusalem, who shouted 'Hosanna!' for Jesus one day and 'Crucify him!' the next.
What Causes Such Volatility?
Paul is stoned and left for dead. It's a brutal moment. But what does this experience reveal about God's plan and Paul's own understanding of his calling?
This event is a stark reminder that following Jesus often means facing intense opposition. The stoning of Paul is not an isolated incident but a severe manifestation of the persecution he and other apostles faced.
A Shared Suffering
Understand the original words
peisantes · Greek Verb
To convince or win over through argument or influence; often used in the New Testament to describe the reception of the Gospel message or the spreading of anti-Christian sentiment.
elithasantes · Greek Verb
A method of execution or mob violence involving hurling stones at a person; it was the prescribed penalty for blasphemy under Mosaic Law and was used against early Christians for their witness.
The dramatic shift from the Lystran crowd wanting to worship Paul as a god to stoning him highlights the volatile nature of crowds swayed by religious and political opposition, a stark contrast to the enduring truth of the Gospel.
c. AD 47-48
First Missionary Journey
Paul and Barnabas embark on their first major missionary journey, spreading the Gospel to cities in Asia Minor like Lystra and Derbe.
c. AD 48
Miracle in Lystra
Paul heals a man crippled from birth in Lystra. The amazed crowd, misunderstanding their mission, try to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods.
c. AD 48
Arrival of Hostile Jews
Jews from Antioch and Iconium, hostile to the apostles' message, arrive in Lystra and begin to stir up the populace against Paul and Barnabas.
c. AD 48— this verse
Stoning of Paul
The crowd, incited by the visiting Jews, turns violently against Paul, stoning him and dragging him out of the city, believing him to be dead.
This passage directly echoes the stoning described in Acts, as Paul himself recounts, 'Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned.' This verse confirms the severe persecution Paul endured.
Matthew 27:20-23Similar to how hostile Jews stirred up the crowd against Paul in Lystra, here they persuaded the crowds to reject Jesus and demand His crucifixion. This highlights the dangerous manipulation of public opinion by those who oppose God's messengers.
Acts 7:58-59Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was stoned to death, a scene Paul himself witnessed and even consented to (Acts 8:1). This reference provides a somber parallel, showing Paul now suffering the very form of persecution he once allowed against another believer.
Acts 14:11-18This immediately preceding passage shows the Lystrans attempting to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, only to have the apostles vehemently refuse. The swift and violent reversal of the crowd's attitude, from adoration to attempted murder, illustrates the extreme fickleness described in Acts 14:19.
cambridgeActs 14:19: "And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."
19–28 . Change of feeling in the multitude. Paul is stoned. The Apostles visit Derbe, and then return, by the route by which they came, to Antioch in Syria 19 . certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium ] Their anger, like that of “the circumcision” in Jerusalem, was roused against the Apostles, whom they knew to be born…
pulpitActs 14:19: "And there came thither certain Jews from Antioch and Iconium, who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead."
Verse 19. - But there came Jews thither for and there came thither certain Jews, A.V.; and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned for who persuaded the people, and having stoned, A.V.; and dragged for drew, A.V.; that he was dead for he had been dead, A.V. But there came Jews, etc. Observe the persistent enmity…
{ "themes": [ "Fickle crowds, hostile hearts", "Suffering for the gospel", "Resilience in persecution", "Persistent, organized opposition" ] }
Just moments after the people of Lystra tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, hostile Jews arrived from other cities, stirring up the crowd against the apostles. This fickleness led the very people who had just celebrated them to violently stone Paul, dragging his seemingly lifeless body outside the city walls.
Just moments after the people of Lystra tried to worship Paul and Barnabas as gods, hostile Jews arrived from other cities, stirring up the crowd against the apostles. This fickleness led the very people who had just celebrated them to violently stone Paul, dragging his seemingly lifeless body outside the city walls.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Acts 14:19 is available in the Sola app.
c. AD 48
Paul's Recovery and Departure
Paul miraculously revives and, along with Barnabas, enters the city, only to leave the next day for Derbe. They later return to Lystra to strengthen the disciples.
c. AD 49
Return to Antioch
Paul and Barnabas complete their journey, returning to Antioch in Syria to report on their mission and the reception of the Gospel among the Gentiles.
"But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead." — { "themes": [ "Fickle crowds, hostile hearts", "Suffering for the gospel", "Resilience in persecution", "Persistent, organized opposition" ] }
