Acts 21 · Verse 40

Acts 21:40

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,
Acts 21:40, King James Version

Acts 21:40 in other translations

BSBHaving received permission, Paul stood on the steps and motioned to the crowd. A great hush came over the crowd, and he addressed them in Hebrew:
WEBWhen he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people. When there was a great silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,
ASVAnd when he had given him leave, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with the hand unto the people; and when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, saying,
YLTAnd he having given him leave, Paul having stood upon the stairs, did beckon with the hand to the people, and there having been a great silence, he spake unto them in the Hebrew dialect, saying:
DARBYAnd when he had allowed him, Paul, standing on the stairs, beckoned with his hand to the people; and a great silence having been made, he addressed them in the Hebrew tongue, saying,
BBEAnd when he let him do so, Paul, from the steps, made a sign with his hand to the people, and when they were all quiet, he said to them in the Hebrew language,
WebsterAnd when he had given him license, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand to the people. And when there was made entire silence, he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, saying,

What does Acts 21:40 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 21:37-40

37-40. Art not thou that Egyptian, &c.--The form of the question implies that the answer is to be in the negative, and is matter of some surprise: "Thou art not then?" &c.

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Barnes' Notes
Verse 40. License. Liberty; permission.

On the stairs. Acts 21:35.

Beckoned with the hand. Waving the hand as a sign that he was about to address them, and to produce silence and attention. See Acts 12:17.

In the Hebrew tongue. The language which was spoken by the Jews, which was then a mixture of the Chaldee and Syriac, called Syro-Chaldaic. This language he doubtless used on this occasion in preference to the Greek, because it was understood better by the multitude, and would tend to conciliate them if they heard him address them in their own language. The following chapter should have been connected with this. The division here is unnatural.

(*) "license" "permission" (a) "beckoned" Acts 12:17

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 40 Paul stood on the stairs - Where he was out of the reach of the mob, and was surrounded by the Roman soldiers. Beckoned with the hand - Waving the hand, which was the sign that he was about to address the people. So Virgil says of Turnus, when he wished, by single combat between himself and Aeneas, to put an end to the war: - Significatque manu, et magno simul incipit ore: Parcite jam, Rutuli; et vos tela inhibete, Latini. He beckoned with his hand, and cried out with a loud voice, Desist, ye Rutulians; and, ye Latins, cease from throwing your javelins. He spake unto them in the Hebrew tongue - What was called then the Hebrew, viz. the Chaldaeo-Syriac; very well expressed by the Codex Bezae, τῃ ιδιᾳ διαλεκτῳ, in their own dialect. Never was there a more unnatural division than that in this chapter: it ends with a single comma! The best division would have been at the end of the 25th verse. Paul's embarkation at Tyre is very remarkable. The simple manner in which he was escorted to the ship by the disciples of Tyre, men, women, and children, and their affectionate and pious parting, kneeling down on the shore and commending each other to God, are both impressive and edifying. Nothing but Christianity could have produced such a spirit in persons who now, perhaps for the first time, saw each other in the flesh. Every true Christian is a child of God; and, consequently, all children of God have a spiritual affinity. They are all partakers of the same Spirit, are united to the same Head, are actuated with the same hope, and are going to the same heaven. These love one another with pure hearts fervently; and these alone are capable of disinterested and lasting friendship. Though this kind of friendship cannot fail, yet it may err; and with officious affection endeavor to prevent us from bearing a necessary and most honorable cross. See Act 21:12, Act 21:13. It should, therefore, be kept within Scriptural bounds.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 21:27-40

In the temple, where Paul should have been protected as in a place of safety, he was violently set upon. They falsely charged him with ill doctrine and ill practice against the Mosaic ceremonies. It is no new thing for those who mean honestly and act regularly, to have things laid to their charge which they know not and never thought of. It is common for the wise and good to have that charged against them by…

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Acts 21:40 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἐπιτρέψαντοςepitrepsantosWhen was permittingG2010
δὲdethenG1161
αὐτοῦautouheG846
ὁho<the>G3588
ΠαῦλοςPaulosPaulG3972
ἑστὼςhestōshaving stoodG2476
ἐπὶepionG1909
τῶνtōntheG3588
ἀναβαθμῶνanabathmōnstairsG304
κατέσεισενkateseisenmade a signG2678
τῇtēawith theG3588
χειρὶcheirihandG5495
τῷtōto theG3588
λαῷ,laōpeople,G2992
πολλῆςpollēsgreatG4183
δὲdethenG1161
σιγῆςsigēssilenceG4602
γενομένηςgenomenēshaving taken placeG1096
προσεφώνησενprosephōnēsenhe addressed [them]G4377
τῇtēain theG3588
ἙβραΐδιHebraidiHebrewG1446
διαλέκτῳdialektōlanguageG1258
λέγων·¶legōnsaying:G3004

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 21:40

  • Acts 12:17

    But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

  • Acts 26:14

    And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

  • John 5:2

    Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches.

  • Acts 22:2

    (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,)

  • Acts 21:35

    And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

  • Acts 19:33

    And they drew Alexander out of the multitude, the Jews putting him forward. And Alexander beckoned with the hand, and would have made his defence unto the people.

  • John 19:17

    And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

  • John 19:13

    When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.

  • Acts 13:16

    Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.

  • Luke 23:38

    And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

  • Revelation 9:11

    And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.

  • John 19:20

    This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
on.
35; 2Ki 9:13
and beckoned.
12:17; 13:16; 19:33
a great.
22:2
Hebrew.
6:1; 26:14; Lu 23:38; Joh 5:2; 19:13,17,20; Re 9:11; 16:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 21:39

    But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

  • Acts 21:40

    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,

Read all of Acts 21

Acts 21:40 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y como él se lo permitió, Pablo, estando en pie en las gradas, hizo señal con la mano al pueblo. Y hecho grande silencio, habló en lengua hebrea, diciendo:
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et quand il le lui eut permis, Paul, se tenant sur les degrés, fit signe de la main au peuple, et un grand silence s’étant fait, il leur parla en langue hébraïque, disant:
German
Elberfelder 1871		Als er es aber erlaubt hatte, winkte Paulus, auf den Stufen stehend, dem Volke mit der Hand; nachdem aber eine große Stille eingetreten war, redete er sie in hebräischer Mundart an und sprach:
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et cum ille permisisset, Paulus stans in gradibus annuit manu ad plebem, et magno silentio facto, allocutus est lingua hebræa, dicens: