Acts 13:50
in Acts 13The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
But the Jews urged on the devout women of honorable estate, and the chief men of the city, and stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and cast them out of their borders.
KJV
But 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.
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This verse in Acts 13
Commentary
9 notes on this verseDevout and honorable women - It is likely that these were heathen matrons, who had become proselytes to the Jewish religion; and, as they were persons of affluence and respectability, they had considerable influence with the civil magistracy of the place, and probably their husbands were of this order; and it is likely that they used that influence, at the instigation of the Jews, to get the apostles expelled from the place.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
A commentator
Ammonius of AlexandriaCATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 13.50 · Written before 300.
proposed
"Honest rich women," the text says, "and pious," but not faithful. They certainly were Greek-Jewish women. In fact they, being most evil and imitators of the archevil demon and transgressor, endeavor through women to close to men the way of salvation, just as that one …
"But the Jews stirred up the devout and honorable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts." "The devout women," instead of the proselyte-women. They did not stop at "envy," but added deeds also. Do you see what they effected by their opposing the preaching? to what dishonor they brought these "honorable women"?
"But the Jews stirred up the devout women, and raised persecution" - observe even of what is done by the women, they are the authors - "and cast them," it says, "out of their coasts," not from the city merely.
The Medieval Church1 voice
The Jews were not limited to feelings of envy, but resorted to actions as well. By "devout women" he means not believing women, but Jewish or Greek ones, and by "honorable" he means wealthy. Do you see what a vile deed they persuaded the women …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), so that the design of this chapter is to show how cautiously, how gradually, and with what good reason the apostles carried the gospel into the Gentile world, and admitted the Gentiles into the church, which was so great an offence to the Jews, and which Paul is so industrious to justify in his epistles.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
the devout and honourable women--female proselytes of distinction, jaundiced against the new preachers by those Jewish ecclesiastics to whom they had learned to look up. The potent influence of the female character both for and against the truth is seen in every age of the Church's history. expelled them--an easier thing than to refute them.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
But the Jews stirred up - Excited opposition. Honourable women - See the notes on Mar 15:43. Women of influence, and connected with families of rank. Perhaps they were proselytes, and were connected with the magistrates of the city. And raised persecution - Probably on the ground that they produced disorder. The aid of “chief men” has often been called into oppose revivals of religion, and to put a period, if possible, to the spread of the gospel. Out of their coasts - Out of the regions of their country; out of their province.
The words behind it
29 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| οἱ | hoi | The | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| δὲ | de | but | G1161 → | 2765 times |
| Ἰουδαῖοι | ioudaioi | Jews | G2453 → | 192 times |
| παρώτρυναν | parotrunan | incited | G3951 → | |
| τὰς | tas | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| σεβομένας | sebomenas | worshipping | G4576 → | 10 times |
| γυναῖκας | gunaikas | women | G1135 → | 211 times |
| τὰς | tas | <the>[those] | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| εὐσχήμονας | euschemonas | prominent | G2158 → | |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τοὺς | tous | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πρώτους | protous | principals | G4413 → | 152 times |
| τῆς | tes | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| πόλεως | poleos | city | G4172 → | 163 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐπήγειραν | epegeiran | they stirred up | G1892 → | |
| διωγμὸν | diogmon | a persecution | G1375 → | |
| ἐπὶ | epi | against | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τὸν | ton | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Παῦλον | paulon | Paul | G3972 → | 158 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| Βαρναβᾶν | barnaban | Barnabas | G921 → | 28 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐξέβαλον | exebalon | expelled | G1544 → | 79 times |
| αὐτοὺς | autous | them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἀπὸ | apo | from | G575 → | 640 times |
| τῶν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὁρίων | horion | district | G3725 → | |
| αὐτῶν. | auton | of them. | G846 → | 5565 times |
οἱThe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
δὲbut
deG1161 →2765 times
ἸουδαῖοιJews
ioudaioiG2453 →192 times
παρώτρυνανincited
parotrunanG3951 →
τὰςthe
tasG3588 →19766 times
σεβομέναςworshipping
sebomenasG4576 →10 times
γυναῖκαςwomen
gunaikasG1135 →211 times
τὰς<the>[those]
tasG3588 →19766 times
εὐσχήμοναςprominent
euschemonasG2158 →
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τοὺςthe
tousG3588 →19766 times
πρώτουςprincipals
protousG4413 →152 times
τῆςof the
tesG3588 →19766 times
πόλεωςcity
poleosG4172 →163 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐπήγειρανthey stirred up
epegeiranG1892 →
διωγμὸνa persecution
diogmonG1375 →
ἐπὶagainst
epiG1909 →883 times
τὸν<the>
tonG3588 →19766 times
ΠαῦλονPaul
paulonG3972 →158 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ΒαρναβᾶνBarnabas
barnabanG921 →28 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐξέβαλονexpelled
exebalonG1544 →79 times
αὐτοὺςthem
autousG846 →5565 times
ἀπὸfrom
apoG575 →640 times
τῶνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
ὁρίωνdistrict
horionG3725 →
αὐτῶν.of them.
autonG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Acts 14:2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.
it leads to
- Acts 13:45
But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Acts 17:5
The Jews, however, became jealous. So they brought in some troublemakers from the marketplace, formed a mob, and sent the city into an uproar. They raided Jason’s house in search of Paul and Silas,…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Acts 14:19
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
- Acts 13:45
Through
Acts 14:19Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
it leads to
- 2 Timothy 3:11
my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
- 2 Corinthians 11:25
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.
- Acts 13:50–51
The Jews, however, incited the religious women of prominence and the leading men of the city. They stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas and drove them out of their district.
- 2 Timothy 3:11
Through
2 Timothy 3:11my persecutions, and the sufferings that came upon me in Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra. What persecutions I endured! Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.
it leads to
- Psalms 34:19
Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
- Psalms 34:19
Through
Acts 13:45But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.
it leads to
- Jude 1:10
These men, however, slander what they do not understand, and like irrational animals, they will be destroyed by the things they do instinctively.
- Jude 1:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies21
About Acts
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ammonius of Alexandria, CATENA ON THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 13.50; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 30; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Acts.