Acts 21:40 And when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand to the people… Paul's object was to gain silence. The man who has to address a noisy crowd does not begin by howling out "Silence!" that would be an affront, but he lifts up his hand to its extreme height, and begins to beckon with it, i.e., to move it backward and forward; and then the people say to each other "Pasathe, pasathe (Be silent, be silent"). (J. Roberts.). Parallel Verses KJV: And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, saying, |
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