Skip to content
mannafest.faith
Read

Acts 6:12

in Acts 6

So they stirred up the people, elders, and scribes and confronted Stephen. They seized him and brought him before the Sanhedrin,

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and seized him, and brought him into the council,

KJV

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,

⋯

This verse in Acts 6

Commentary

11 notes on this verse

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

Stealthy attackers everywhere press on: seizing Christ through murderous men, bearing swords, and with the help of torches and the blaze of lamps of the night. They drag Peter and the remaining apostles from the temple, and now also Stephen to be judged, from the …

This site's exposition

they prompted some men

on Acts 6:11-12

They prompted men to accuse Stephen of blasphemy against Moses and God, the tactic of procured false witness used against Jesus. The move from argument to conspiracy shows the opposition had no answer left but force.

This site's exposition

they stirred up the people

Clarke describes a mob raised by the Synagogue of the Freedmen, with the elders and scribes lending it their countenance. Barnes notes that the people were stirred the same way before the death of Jesus (Matthew 27:20). Chrysostom asks how a blasphemer could have worked such miracles.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers3 voices

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

proposed

In another way: the Libertines and Cyrenians from beyond Alexandria, since they were thought to surpass the Jews in sophistry. Therefore various synagogues were stationed in Jerusalem according to nations. And they had places set apart for the reading of the laws of Moses. For …

A commentator

John Chrysostom

Homily on Acts 15 · Written before 407.

proposed

"And they stirred up the people." Fickleness of the multitude! And yet how could a man who was a blasphemer have so succeeded? How could a blasphemer work such miracles among the people? But the undisciplined multitude made them strong who had the worst of it in argument.

A commentator

Oecumenius

Commentary on Acts · Written before 550.

proposed

He says that their frenzy and momentum rose again and that they were not only roused against themselves but also would soon debate and sophisticate with another crowd, perhaps Libertines, and Alexandrians, and Cyrenaicans, and Cilicians, and Asians. And just as the discussion proceeds through …

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

And they stirred up the people,.... The common people, who were easily wrought upon, and soon incensed and provoked, when at any time it was suggested to them that the rituals and ceremonies of the law of Moses were treated with any neglect or contempt; see Act 21:

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Having caught him, they brought him triumphantly into the council, and, as it should seem, so hastily that he had none of his friends with him. They had found, when they brought many together, that they emboldened one another, and strengthened one another's hands; and therefore they will try how to deal with them singly.
3 more voices on this verse

The Nineteenth Century3 voices

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

And they - The Libertines, etc., mentioned before, stirred up the people - raised a mob against him, and, to assist and countenance the mob, got the elders and scribes to conduct it, who thus made themselves one with the basest of the people, whom they collected; and then, altogether, without law or form of justice, rushed on the good man, seized him, and brought him to a council who, though they sat in the seat of judgment, were ready for every evil work.

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

proposed

blasphemous words against Moses--doubtless referring to the impending disappearance of the whole Mosaic system. and against God--This must refer to the supreme dignity and authority which he claimed for Christ, as the head of that new economy which was so speedily to supersede the old (compare Ac 7:56, 59, 60).

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase

And they stirred up the people - They “excited” the people, or alarmed their fears, as had been done before when they sought to put the Lord Jesus to death, Mat 27:20. The elders - The members of the Sanhedrin, or Great Council. Scribes - See the notes on Mat 2:4. To the council - To the Sanhedrin, or the Great Council of the nation, which claimed jurisdiction in the matters of religion. See the notes on Mat 2:4.

The words behind it

19 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Proverbs 15:18A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.6 worksActs 4:1While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them,6 worksActs 14:2But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.5 worksMatthew 26:57Those who had arrested Jesus led Him away to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had gathered.3 worksActs 13:50The 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.3 worksActs 17:13But when the Jews from Thessalonica learned that Paul was also proclaiming the word of God in Berea, they went there themselves to incite and agitate the crowds.3 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Matthew 2:4And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.3 worksRuth 4:2Then Boaz took ten of the elders of the city and said, “Sit here,” and they did so.3 worksActs 5:27They brought them in and made them stand before the Sanhedrin, where the high priest interrogated them.2 worksActs 16:19–21When the girl’s owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them before the authorities in the marketplace.2 worksActs 21:27When the seven days were almost over, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul at the temple. They stirred up the whole crowd and seized him,2 worksActs 17:5–6The 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, hoping to bring them out to the people.2 worksMatthew 5:22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.2 worksActs 5:18and arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail.2 worksLuke 20:1One day as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple courts and proclaiming the gospel, the chief priests and scribes, together with the elders, came up to Him.2 worksActs 4:3They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in custody until the next day.2 works1 Kings 21:25(Surely there was never one like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel.2 worksActs 4:5The next day the rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem,2 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Proverbs 15:18

    A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger calms dispute.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 26:21

      Like charcoal for embers and wood for fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife.

    • Proverbs 15:1

      A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

    • Proverbs 29:22

      An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.

    • Matthew 5:9

      Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

    • Proverbs 14:29

      A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man promotes folly.

  • Through

    Acts 14:2

    But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers.

    it leads to

    • Acts 13:50

      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.

    • 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

      But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

Where this verse is studied

About Acts

The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
The Pentecost, El Greco, about 1600, Museo del Prado. Public domain.
Acts: the study guide →Read Acts 6 →

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Calvin, Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles; John Chrysostom, Homily on Acts 15; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Oecumenius, Commentary on Acts.

Read on in Acts 6 →