Acts 23:9
And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
Acts 23:9 in other translations
| BSB | A great clamor arose, and some scribes from the party of the Pharisees got up and contended sharply, “We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” |
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| WEB | A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!” |
| ASV | And there arose a great clamor: and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: and what if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? |
| YLT | And there came a great cry, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part having arisen, were striving, saying, ‘No evil do we find in this man; and if a spirit spake to him, or a messenger, we may not fight against God;' |
| DARBY | And there was a great clamour, and the scribes of the Pharisees' part rising up contended, saying, We find nothing evil in this man; and if a spirit has spoken to him, or an angel... |
| BBE | And there was a great outcry: and some of the scribes on the side of the Pharisees got up and took part in the discussion, saying, We see no evil in this man: what if he has had a revelation from an angel or a spirit? |
| Webster | And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and contended, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God. |
What does Acts 23:9 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 23:6-9
6-9. when Paul perceived--from the discussion which plainly had by this time arisen between the parties. that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out--raising his voice above both parties. I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee--The true reading seems to be, "the son of Pharisees," that is, belonging to a family who from father to son had long been such. of the hope and resurrection of the…
Barnes' Notes
The scribes. The learned men. They would naturally be the chief speakers.
Of the Pharisees' part. Who were Pharisees; or who belonged to that party. The scribes were not a distinct sect, but might be either Pharisees or Sadducees.
We find no evil in this man. No opinion which is contrary to the law of Moses; and no conduct in spreading the doctrine of the resurrection which we do not approve. The importance of this doctrine, in their view, was so great as to throw into the back ground all the other doctrines that Paul might hold; and provided this were propagated, they were willing, to vindicate and sustain him. A similar testimony was offered to the innocence of the Saviour by Pilate, Jn 19:6.
But if a spirit or an angel, etc. They here referred, doubtless, to what Paul had said in Acts 22:17,18. He had declared that he had gone among the Gentiles in obedience to a command which he received in a vision in the temple. As the Pharisees held to the belief of spirits and angels, and to the doctrine that the will of God was often delivered to men by their agency, they were ready now to admit that he had received such a communication, and that he had gone among the Gentiles in obedience to it, to defend their great doctrine of the resurrection of the dead. We are not to suppose that the Pharisees had become the friends of Paul, or of Christianity. The true solution of their conduct doubtless is, that they were so inflamed with hatred against the Sadducees, that they were willing to make use of any argument against their doctrine. As the testimony of Paul might be turned to their account, they were willing to vindicate him. It is remarkable, too, that they perverted the statement of Paul in order to oppose the Sadducees. Paul had stated distinctly, Acts 22:17,18,) that he had been commanded to go by the Lord, meaning the Lord Jesus. He had said nothing of "a spirit, or an angel." Yet they would unite with the Sadducees so far as to maintain that he had received no such command from the Lord Jesus. But they might easily vary his statements, and suppose that an "angel or a spirit" had spoken to him, and thus made use of his conduct as an argument against the Sadducees. Men are not always very careful about the exact correctness of their statements, when they wish to humble a rival.
Let us not fight against God. Acts 5:39. These words are wanting in many MSS. and in some of the ancient versions. The Syriac reads it, "If a spirit or an angel have spoken to him, what is there in this?" i.e., what is there unusual or wrong.
(a) "no evil" Acts 25:25, 26:31 (b) "spirit" Acts 22:17,18 (c) "not fight" Acts 5:39
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 23:6-11
The Pharisees were correct in the faith of the Jewish church. The Sadducees were no friends to the Scripture or Divine revelation; they denied a future state; they had neither hope of eternal happiness, nor dread of eternal misery. When called in question for his being a Christian, Paul might truly say he was called in question for the hope of the resurrection of the dead. It was justifiable in him, by this…
Acts 23:9 in the original Greek
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Cross references for Acts 23:9
- Acts 22:7
And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
- Acts 22:17-18
And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me.
- John 12:29
The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him.
- Acts 25:25
But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him.
- Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
- Mark 2:16
And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?
- Acts 26:31
And when they were gone aside, they talked between themselves, saying, This man doeth nothing worthy of death or of bonds.
- Acts 23:29
Whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.
- 1 Corinthians 10:22
Do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? are we stronger than he?
- Luke 5:30
But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
- Acts 26:14-19
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. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, …
- Luke 23:4
Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Context
- Acts 23:8
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
- Acts 23:9
And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees’ part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man: but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.
- Acts 23:10
And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.
Acts 23:9 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Y levantóse un gran clamor: y levantándose los escribas de la parte de los Fariseos, contendían diciendo: Ningún mal hallamos en este hombre; que si espíritu le ha hablado, ó ángel, no resistamos á Dios. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et il s’éleva une grande clameur; et quelques scribes du parti des pharisiens se levèrent et contestèrent, disant: Nous ne trouvons aucun mal en cet homme; mais si un esprit lui a parlé, ou un ange … |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Es entstand aber ein großes Geschrei, und die Schriftgelehrten von der Partei der Pharisäer standen auf und stritten und sagten: Wir finden an diesem Menschen nichts Böses; wenn aber ein Geist oder ein Engel zu ihm geredet hat |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Factus est autem clamor magnus. Et surgentes quidam pharisæorum, pugnabant, dicentes: Nihil mali invenimus in homine isto: quid si spiritus locutus est ei, aut angelus? |