Acts 28:4
New International Version
When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”

New Living Translation
The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.”

English Standard Version
When the native people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Berean Standard Bible
When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Berean Literal Bible
And when the natives saw the beast hanging from his hand, they began to say to one another, "By all means this man is a murderer whom, having been saved from the sea, Justice has not permitted to live."

King James Bible
And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

New King James Version
So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.”

New American Standard Bible
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

NASB 1995
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

NASB 1977
And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Amplified Bible
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, “Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, Justice [the avenging goddess] has not permitted him to live.”

Christian Standard Bible
When the local people saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man, no doubt, is a murderer. Even though he has escaped the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man is probably a murderer, and though he has escaped the sea, Justice does not allow him to live!”

American Standard Version
And when the barbarians saw the venomous creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped from the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when the Barbarians saw it hanging on his hand, they were saying, “Perhaps this man is a murderer who, while he has escaped from the sea, justice would not let live.”

Contemporary English Version
When the local people saw the snake hanging from Paul's hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer! He didn't drown in the sea, but the goddess of justice will kill him anyway."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging on his hand, they said one to another: Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, who though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance doth not suffer him to live.

English Revised Version
And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said one to another, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped from the sea, yet Justice hath not suffered to live.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When the people who lived on the island saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, "This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but justice won't let him live."

Good News Translation
The natives saw the snake hanging on Paul's hand and said to one another, "This man must be a murderer, but Fate will not let him live, even though he escaped from the sea."

International Standard Version
When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, "This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice won't let him live."

Literal Standard Version
And when the foreigners saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Certainly this man is a murderer, whom, having been saved out of the sea, the justice did not permit to live”;

Majority Standard Bible
When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”

New American Bible
When the natives saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must certainly be a murderer; though he escaped the sea, Justice has not let him remain alive.”

NET Bible
When the local people saw the creature hanging from Paul's hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer! Although he has escaped from the sea, Justice herself has not allowed him to live!"

New Revised Standard Version
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “This man must be a murderer; though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.”

New Heart English Bible
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said one to another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live."

Webster's Bible Translation
And when the barbarians saw the animal hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.

Weymouth New Testament
When the natives saw the creature hanging to his hand, they said to one another, "Beyond doubt this man is a murderer, for, though saved from the sea, unerring Justice does not permit him to live."

World English Bible
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped from the sea, yet Justice has not allowed to live.”

Young's Literal Translation
And when the foreigners saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said unto one another, 'Certainly this man is a murderer, whom, having been saved out of the sea, the justice did not suffer to live;'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ashore on Malta
3Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, “Surely this man is a murderer. Although he was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5But Paul shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.…

Cross References
Luke 13:2
To this He replied, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered this fate?

Luke 13:4
Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam collapsed on them: Do you think that they were more sinful than all the others living in Jerusalem?

John 9:2
and His disciples asked Him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

Acts 28:2
The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

Acts 28:3
Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand.


Treasury of Scripture

And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he has escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffers not to live.

barbarians.

Acts 28:2
And the barbarous people shewed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold.

beast.

Acts 28:5
And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Isaiah 13:21,22
But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful creatures; and owls shall dwell there, and satyrs shall dance there…

No doubt.

Luke 13:2,4
And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? …

John 7:24
Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.

John 9:1,2
And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth…

a murderer.

Genesis 4:8-11
And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him…

Genesis 9:5,6
And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man…

Genesis 42:21,22
And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us…

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Allowed Barbarians Beast Creature Doubt Escaped Hand Hang Hanging Islanders Justice Live Murderer Natives Permit Saved Sea Snake Someone Suffereth Themselves Undoubtedly Vengeance Venomous
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Allowed Barbarians Beast Creature Doubt Escaped Hand Hang Hanging Islanders Justice Live Murderer Natives Permit Saved Sea Snake Someone Suffereth Themselves Undoubtedly Vengeance Venomous
Acts 28
1. Paul, after his shipwreck, is kindly entertained on Malta.
5. The snake on his hand hurts him not.
8. He heals many diseases in the island.
11. They depart toward Rome.
17. He declares to the Jews the cause of his coming.
24. After his preaching some were persuaded, and some believed not.
30. Yet he preaches there two years.














(4) The venomous beast.--The adjective, as the italics show, is not in the Greek, and can scarcely be said to be necessary.

No doubt this man is a murderer.--They knew, we may believe, that St. Paul was a prisoner. It is hardly conceivable, indeed, that he could have come on shore bound by two chains, or even one, to his keeper, but, looking to the jealous care which the soldiers had shown in the custody of the prisoners (Acts 27:42), it would be natural that they should resume their vigilance over him as soon as they were all safe on shore. And so the natives of Melita, seeing what they did, and ignorant of the prisoner's crime, and with their rough notions of the divine government of the world, rushed to the conclusion that they were looking on an example of God's vengeance against murder. It was in vain that such a criminal had escaped the waves; a more terrible death was waiting for him.

Verse 4. - Beast for venomous beast, A.V.; hanging from for hang on, A.V.; one to another for among themselves, A.V.; escaped from for escaped, A.V.; justice for vengeance, A.V.; hath not suffered for suffereth not, A.V. The beast (τὸ θηρίον). It is peculiar to medical writers to use θηρίον ασ synonymous with ἔχιδνα, a viper. So also θηριόδηκτος, bit by a viper, θηριακή, an antidote to the bite of a viper (Dioscorides, Galen, etc.). Justice (ἥ Δίκη). In Greek mythology Dice (Justitia) was the daughter and assessor of Zeus, and the avenger of crime. In her train was Poena, of whom Horace says," Rare antecedeutem scelcstum Deseruit pede Poena claude" ('Od.,' 3:2, 32). "The idea of Dice as justice personified is most perfectly developed in the dramas of Sophocles and Euripides" (article "Dice," in 'Dict. of Greek and Roman Biog. and Mythol.'). It does not appear whether the islanders had learned the name and office of Dice from the Greeks in Sicily, or whether they had any native divinity whose name St. Luke translates into that of Dice. The gods whose names are found in ancient Maltese inscriptions are Melkarth, another name of Hercules, the tutelar god of Tyre; Osiris, and Baal. Other Phoenician divinities are named in the Carthaginian inscriptions (see Gesenius, 'Monument. Phoenic.'). Had not suffered. They assume that death will certainly follow from the bite.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
When
ὡς (hōs)
Adverb
Strong's 5613: Probably adverb of comparative from hos; which how, i.e. In that manner.

the
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

islanders
βάρβαροι (barbaroi)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 915: A foreigner, one who speaks neither Greek nor Latin; as adj: foreign. Of uncertain derivation; a foreigner.

saw
εἶδον (eidon)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

the
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

creature
θηρίον (thērion)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2342: Properly: a wild beast, hence: any animal; met: a brute. Diminutive from the same as thera; a dangerous animal.

hanging
κρεμάμενον (kremamenon)
Verb - Present Participle Middle - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2910: To hang, hang up, suspend; mid: To be hanging, hang. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to hang.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

hand,
χειρὸς (cheiros)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5495: A hand.

they said
ἔλεγον (elegon)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

to
πρὸς (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

one another,
ἀλλήλους (allēlous)
Personal / Reciprocal Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 240: One another, each other. Genitive plural from allos reduplicated; one another.

“Surely
Πάντως (Pantōs)
Adverb
Strong's 3843: Wholly, entirely, in every way, by all means, certainly. Adverb from pas; entirely; specially, at all events, in no event.

this
οὗτος (houtos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

man
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

a murderer.
φονεύς (phoneus)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5406: A murderer.

[Although he]
ὃν (hon)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

was saved
διασωθέντα (diasōthenta)
Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1295: From dia and sozo; to save thoroughly, i.e. to cure, preserve, rescue, etc.

from
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

sea,
θαλάσσης (thalassēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2281: Probably prolonged from hals; the sea.

Justice
Δίκη (Dikē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1349: Probably from deiknuo; right, i.e. Justice.

{has} not
οὐκ (ouk)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

allowed [him]
εἴασεν (eiasen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1439: To allow, permit, let alone, leave. Of uncertain affinity; to let be, i.e. Permit or leave alone.

to live.�
ζῆν (zēn)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 2198: To live, be alive. A primary verb; to live.


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NT Apostles: Acts 28:4 When the natives saw the creature hanging (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 28:3
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