The verse highlights a striking unity: Gentiles and Jews, often divided, united in their opposition to Paul and Barnabas. This shared animosity, driven by their rulers, reveals how easily people can band together against those who challenge their established ways, even across significant cultural divides.
When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to preach the gospel.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In the city of Iconium, Paul and Barnabas had been preaching the gospel with success, leading many Jews and Gentiles to believe. This growing following stirred up opposition from unbelieving Jews who, along with their Gentile neighbors and local rulers, plotted to violently attack and stone the apostles. Forewarned of this dangerous plot, Paul and Barnabas wisely fled the city to escape the imminent persecution.
When enemies find common ground, it's usually to oppose something important. Notice who united against Paul and Barnabas.
In Iconium, a surprising alliance formed: both Gentiles and Jews, along with their rulers, joined forces against the apostles. This isn't just a historical detail; it highlights a recurring theme in the spread of the gospel – opposition often transcends existing divisions.
A Shared Enemy
Even though Gentiles and Jews often had significant disagreements and animosity, they found common cause in rejecting Paul and Barnabas' message. This reminds us that the core message of Christianity can provoke strong reactions, sometimes uniting disparate groups in their opposition.
The Role of Rulers
The involvement of 'rulers' on both sides is also significant. It suggests that this wasn't just a spontaneous mob action, but that leadership and authority were either actively participating or at least condoning the hostility. This indicates a more organized and potentially dangerous threat.
The opposition wasn't just verbal; it had a clear, dangerous trajectory. What was the intended outcome?
The assault described wasn't merely about verbal abuse. The text specifies a two-pronged attack: first, to 'mistreat them' (use them despitefully), and second, to 'stone them.'
Public Humiliation
'To use them despitefully' speaks of public shame, mockery, and contempt. The aim was to degrade Paul and Barnabas, stripping them of dignity and making them appear foolish or dangerous in the eyes of the people. This is often a precursor to more severe action, designed to erode public sympathy or support.
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Lethal Violence
The ultimate intention, 'to stone them,' points to the gravest threat – death. Stoning was a brutal form of execution in Jewish law, often associated with blasphemy. This reveals the depth of animosity and the perceived severity of the apostles' message by their accusers, who saw it as deserving of the ultimate penalty.
When faced with violent opposition, the apostles didn't stand their ground to be martyred. Why did they choose to flee?
The passage implies that Paul and Barnabas became aware of this impending violent assault and chose to escape. This action might seem surprising given their courage, but it aligns with Jesus' own teaching and a practical wisdom for ministry.
Following Jesus' Counsel
Jesus Himself instructed His disciples, 'If they persecute you in one town, flee to the next' (Matthew 10:23). This wasn't cowardice, but a strategic understanding that their mission was to preach the gospel, not to unnecessarily provoke martyrdom before their time was up.
Preserving the Mission
Their escape allowed them to continue their work. By fleeing Iconium, they preserved their lives and enabled them to preach in other cities like Lystra and Derbe. The goal was to spread the message as widely as possible, and sometimes that meant prudently avoiding a confrontation that would prematurely end their effectiveness or their lives.
Divine Protection vs. Prudent Action
While God's power was evident in the miracles they performed, He didn't promise to shield them from all physical harm or danger. Their ability to work miracles didn't negate the need for human wisdom and obedience to Jesus' commands about self-preservation when facing deadly threats.
Understand the original words
hybrisai · Greek Verb
To inflict physical harm, abuse, or violence upon someone, often due to religious or ideological opposition.
lithobolēsai · Greek Verb
A form of capital punishment involving throwing stones at the condemned until death; a method of execution historically associated with religious offenses under Mosaic Law.
euangelion · Greek Noun
The good news concerning the person, work, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, intended to bring salvation and reconciliation with God to all who believe.
The tension between Jewish and Gentile hostility, even uniting against the apostles, highlights the challenging socio-religious landscape the early church navigated, where fear of disruption and adherence to tradition fueled violent opposition.
c. AD 47-48
First Missionary Journey Begins
Paul and Barnabas set out from Antioch, traveling through Cyprus and then across Asia Minor, establishing churches in cities like Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe.
c. AD 48— this verse
Uprising in Iconium
In Iconium, Paul and Barnabas preached and performed signs, but faced growing opposition from both Gentiles and Jews who, along with their rulers, planned to attack and stone them.
c. AD 48
Flight from Iconium
Aware of the plot to harm them, Paul and Barnabas fled Iconium, seeking refuge in the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe.
c. AD 48
Healing and Worship in Lystra
In Lystra, Paul healed a man lame from birth. The astonished crowd, mistaking Paul and Barnabas for gods, attempted to offer sacrifices to them.
c. AD 48
Riot and Stoning in Lystra
Following the attempted worship, dissenting Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium, incited the crowd, and stoned Paul, dragging him out of the city and leaving him for dead.
c. AD 48
Return to Antioch
After ministering in Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retraced their steps, strengthening the disciples in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, before returning to Antioch to report on their journey.
This passage directly recounts Paul's own experience of being stoned, confirming the violent opposition described in Acts 14:5 and showing it was a recurring danger in his ministry.
Matthew 10:23Jesus warned his disciples that they would face persecution and instructed them to flee from one city to another when threatened, which directly parallels Paul and Barnabas' response to the danger in Acts 14:5.
Acts 13:50This verse immediately precedes the account of the assault, showing how the Jewish leaders stirred up the Gentiles against Paul and Barnabas, highlighting the source of the opposition mentioned in Acts 14:5.
Acts 14:19This verse describes the actual stoning of Paul in Lystra, fulfilling the threat mentioned in Acts 14:5 and illustrating the severe danger the apostles faced.
John 16:2Jesus foretold that his followers would be expelled from synagogues and even killed, reflecting the hostility and violent intentions of both Jews and Gentiles towards the apostles described in Acts 14:5.
ellicottActs 14:5: "And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,"
(5) To use them despitefully. —The verb expresses wanton insult and outrage. St. Paul uses the noun derived from it to express the character of his own conduct as a persecutor ( 1Timothy 1:13 ), and must have felt, as afterwards in the actual stoning of Acts 14:19 , that he was receiving the just reward of his own deeds.
bensonActs 14:5: "And when there was an assault made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully, and to stone them,"
Acts 14:5-7 . And when there was an assault made — Or was about to be made; both of the Gentiles, and the Jews — Who, though generally at enmity with one another, yet were united against the Christians, as Herod and Pontius Pilate, the Pharisees and Sadducees, against Christ. If the churches enemies can unite for its destruction, shall not it…
The verse highlights a striking unity: Gentiles and Jews, often divided, united in their opposition to Paul and Barnabas. This shared animosity, driven by their rulers, reveals how easily people can band together against those who challenge their established ways, even across significant cultural divides.
In the city of Iconium, Paul and Barnabas had been preaching the gospel with success, leading many Jews and Gentiles to believe. This growing following stirred up opposition from unbelieving Jews who, along with their Gentile neighbors and local rulers, plotted to violently attack and stone the apostles. Forewarned of this dangerous plot, Paul and Barnabas wisely fled the city to escape the imminent persecution.
In the city of Iconium, Paul and Barnabas had been preaching the gospel with success, leading many Jews and Gentiles to believe. This growing following stirred up opposition from unbelieving Jews who, along with their Gentile neighbors and local rulers, plotted to violently attack and stone the apostles. Forewarned of this dangerous plot, Paul and Barnabas wisely fled the city to escape the imminent persecution.
"When an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, they learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country, and there they continued to pre…" — The verse highlights a striking unity: Gentiles and Jews, often divided, united in their opposition to Paul and Barnabas. This shared animosity, driven by their rulers, reveals how easily people can…
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Last reviewed October 2026
