Acts / Chapter 28

Acts 28

31 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Acts 28 is the final chapter of Luke's two-volume work, bringing Paul's journey to its destination: Rome. After the shipwreck, the survivors discover they have landed on Malta. Paul is bitten by a viper but suffers no harm, astonishing the locals. He heals the father of the island's chief official Publius and many other islanders. After three months, the company sails to Syracuse, Rhegium, and Puteoli, then travels overland to Rome, where Christians come out to meet Paul along the Appian Way. In Rome, Paul lives under house arrest for two years, freely receiving visitors and proclaiming the kingdom of God. His final recorded act is a meeting with Jewish leaders in which he quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 — the prophecy of hearing without understanding — and declares that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles. The book ends with Paul preaching 'without hindrance.'

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

The viper episode (vv. 3-6) inverts the expected pattern: the Maltese first think Paul is a murderer receiving divine justice, then decide he is a god — both assessments are wrong, but Luke lets the scene speak for itself. The final scene in Rome (vv. 17-31) is the theological conclusion not just of Acts but of Luke's entire project. Paul's quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10 — the same passage Jesus quoted in Luke 8:10 and the same one used in all four Gospels — serves as the prophetic explanation for Israel's partial rejection of the gospel. The final word of Acts, akolutos ('without hindrance'), is programmatic: despite chains, trials, storms, and snakebite, nothing ultimately hinders the proclamation of the gospel.

Translation Friction

The ending of Acts has puzzled readers for centuries. Luke does not narrate the outcome of Paul's trial, his possible release, further travels, or death. Whether this indicates Luke wrote before the trial's conclusion, chose to end on a theological note rather than a biographical one, or had other reasons remains debated. We render the text as given without speculating about what follows. The Isaiah quotation (vv. 26-27) raises the perennial question of whether Israel's unbelief is divinely caused or divinely permitted — Paul's use of the passage emphasizes the prophetic pattern rather than resolving the theological tension.

Connections

The Malta events connect to Jesus' promise in Mark 16:18 (handling serpents and healing the sick). Paul's arrival in Rome fulfills the divine dei of 19:21, 23:11, and 27:24. The Isaiah 6 quotation creates an inclusio with Jesus' use of the same passage in Luke 8:10. The phrase 'the kingdom of God' in the final verse connects to the opening question of Acts 1:3, 6 — the book begins and ends with the kingdom. The declaration that salvation goes 'to the Gentiles' (v. 28) echoes the programmatic statement of 13:46-47 and fulfills the Isaianic servant's mission to be 'a light for the nations' (Isaiah 49:6, quoted in Acts 13:47).

Acts 28:1

Καὶ διασωθέντες τότε ἐπέγνωμεν ὅτι Μελίτη ἡ νῆσος καλεῖται.

After we were brought safely through, we then learned that the island was called Malta.

KJV And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island was called Melita.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'we' narration confirms the author's continued presence. The word diasothentes ('brought safely through') echoes 27:44, maintaining the salvation vocabulary. Malta (Melite) was a significant island with a Phoenician heritage and Roman administration. The identification with modern Malta (rather than the Adriatic island Mljet) is supported by the nautical details of chapter 27.
Acts 28:2

οἵ τε βάρβαροι παρεῖχον οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν φιλανθρωπίαν ἡμῖν, ἅψαντες γὰρ πυρὰν προσελάβοντο πάντας ἡμᾶς διὰ τὸν ὑετὸν τὸν ἐφεστῶτα καὶ διὰ τὸ ψῦχος.

The native people showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and it was cold.

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word barbaroi ('barbarians, native people') does not imply savagery — it simply means non-Greek speakers. Malta's population spoke a Punic dialect. The litotes 'no ordinary kindness' (ou ten tuchousan philanthropian) means 'extraordinary, exceptional.' The practical hospitality — fire, shelter from rain and cold — for 276 strangers is remarkable.
Acts 28:3

συστρέψαντος δὲ τοῦ Παύλου φρυγάνων τι πλῆθος καὶ ἐπιθέντος ἐπὶ τὴν πυράν, ἔχιδνα ἀπὸ τῆς θέρμης ἐξελθοῦσα καθῆψε τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ.

When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

KJV And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul participates in the practical work alongside everyone else — gathering firewood is not beneath him. The echidna ('viper') emerged from the bundled sticks, driven out by the fire's heat. The verb kathepse ('fastened on, seized') indicates the snake attached itself to his hand, whether by biting or coiling. No venomous vipers are found on Malta today, but this may reflect habitat changes over two millennia.
Acts 28:4

ὡς δὲ εἶδον οἱ βάρβαροι κρεμάμενον τὸ θηρίον ἐκ τῆς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἔλεγον· Πάντως φονεύς ἐστιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὗτος, ὃν διασωθέντα ἐκ τῆς θαλάσσης ἡ δίκη ζῆν οὐκ εἴασεν.

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 was saved from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live."

KJV 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.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

δίκη dike
"Justice" — justice, punishment, penalty, divine retribution; personified: the goddess Justice

Dike was a goddess of moral order and retribution in Greek religion. The Maltese, though Punic-speaking, would have known the Greek concept. Luke capitalizes on the irony: the man they think is being punished is innocent.

Translator Notes

  1. The Maltese interpret the snakebite through the lens of divine retribution: a man who survived the sea must be a murderer whom Dike (the Greek goddess of Justice) is pursuing. This folk theology — that misfortune indicates guilt — is the same logic Job's friends used and that Jesus challenged in Luke 13:1-5 and John 9:2-3.
Acts 28:5

ὁ μὲν οὖν ἀποτινάξας τὸ θηρίον εἰς τὸ πῦρ ἔπαθεν οὐδὲν κακόν·

He, however, shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm.

KJV And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's calm reaction — simply shaking the viper into the fire — contrasts with the bystanders' alarm. The statement 'suffered no harm' (epathen ouden kakon) is emphatic. This recalls Jesus' promise to his disciples about authority over serpents (Luke 10:19) and the longer ending of Mark (16:18).
Acts 28:6

οἱ δὲ προσεδόκων αὐτὸν μέλλειν πίμπρασθαι ἢ καταπίπτειν ἄφνω νεκρόν. ἐπὶ πολὺ δὲ αὐτῶν προσδοκώντων καὶ θεωρούντων μηδὲν ἄτοπον εἰς αὐτὸν γινόμενον, μεταβαλόμενοι ἔλεγον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεόν.

They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they waited a long time and saw nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.

KJV Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The crowd swings from one extreme ('murderer') to the other ('a god') — the same pattern seen at Lystra (14:11-18). Luke records both reactions without correction, letting the irony stand. The expected symptoms — swelling (pimprasthai) or sudden death — are medically accurate for a viper bite. Paul is neither a murderer nor a god, but the scene demonstrates divine protection.
Acts 28:7

Ἐν δὲ τοῖς περὶ τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον ὑπῆρχεν χωρία τῷ πρώτῳ τῆς νήσου ὀνόματι Ποπλίῳ, ὃς ἀναδεξάμενος ἡμᾶς τρεῖς ἡμέρας φιλοφρόνως ἐξένισεν.

Now in the vicinity of that place were lands belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius. He welcomed us and hosted us hospitably for three days.

KJV In the same quarters were possessions of the chief man of the island, whose name was Publius; who received us, and lodged us three days courteously.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The title 'leading man' (proto, literally 'first man') of the island has been confirmed by inscriptions from Malta using the Latin equivalent princeps. Publius is a Roman praenomen, suggesting Roman administration. His hospitality of 'three days' for a large group would have been a significant expense.
Acts 28:8

ἐγένετο δὲ τὸν πατέρα τοῦ Ποπλίου πυρετοῖς καὶ δυσεντερίῳ συνεχόμενον κατακεῖσθαι, πρὸς ὃν ὁ Παῦλος εἰσελθὼν καὶ προσευξάμενος, ἐπιθεὶς τὰς χεῖρας αὐτῷ, ἰάσατο αὐτόν.

It happened that the father of Publius was lying sick with fever and dysentery. Paul visited him, and after praying and laying his hands on him, he healed him.

KJV And it came to pass, that the father of Publius lay sick of a fever and of a bloody flux: and Paul went in to him, and prayed, and laid his hands on him, and healed him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The medical description — 'fever and dysentery' (pyretois kai dysenterio) — uses precise clinical terminology that reflects Luke's medical vocabulary (cf. Colossians 4:14). The plural 'fevers' (pyretois) may indicate recurrent bouts, consistent with brucellosis (Malta fever), which was endemic on the island. Paul heals through prayer and laying on of hands — the same method used by Jesus and the apostles.
Acts 28:9

τούτου δὲ γενομένου καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ νήσῳ ἔχοντες ἀσθενείας προσήρχοντο καὶ ἐθεραπεύοντο,

After this happened, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were healed.

KJV So when this was done, others also, which had diseases in the island, came, and were healed:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The healing ministry extends beyond Publius's father to the broader island population. Luke uses two different verbs: iasato ('healed,' v. 8, often used for miraculous healing) and etherapeuonto ('were treated/healed,' here, which could also encompass medical care). The imperfect tense suggests ongoing ministry during their three-month stay.
Acts 28:10

οἳ καὶ πολλαῖς τιμαῖς ἐτίμησαν ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀναγομένοις ἐπέθεντο τὰ πρὸς τὰς χρείας.

They also honored us with many gifts, and when we were ready to sail, they supplied us with everything we needed.

KJV Who also honoured us with many honours; and when we departed, they laded us with such things as were necessary.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Maltese respond with gratitude — 'many honors' (pollais timais) likely included both monetary gifts and provisions. The phrase 'everything we needed' (ta pros tas chreias) covers supplies for the remaining voyage to Italy. The shipwrecked travelers, who arrived with nothing, leave fully provisioned.
Acts 28:11

Μετὰ δὲ τρεῖς μῆνας ἀνήχθημεν ἐν πλοίῳ παρακεχειμακότι ἐν τῇ νήσῳ, Ἀλεξανδρίνῳ, παρασήμῳ Διοσκούροις.

After three months we set sail in a ship of Alexandria that had wintered at the island, with the Twin Brothers as its figurehead.

KJV And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The three months spent on Malta covered the winter sailing closure (roughly November to February). The new ship is another Alexandrian grain vessel, identified by its figurehead: the Dioskouroi (Castor and Pollux), the twin sons of Zeus who were patron gods of sailors. The detail about the figurehead is a characteristically precise eyewitness observation.
Acts 28:12

καὶ καταχθέντες εἰς Συρακούσας ἐπεμείναμεν ἡμέρας τρεῖς,

Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.

KJV And landing at Syracuse, we tarried there three days.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Syracuse was the chief city of Sicily and a major port on the route from the eastern Mediterranean to Italy. The three-day stop likely awaited favorable winds for the crossing of the Strait of Messina.
Acts 28:13

ὅθεν περιελόντες κατηντήσαμεν εἰς Ῥήγιον, καὶ μετὰ μίαν ἡμέραν ἐπιγενομένου νότου δευτεραῖοι ἤλθομεν εἰς Ποτιόλους,

From there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhegium. After one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to Puteoli.

KJV And from thence we fetched a compass, and came to Rhegium: and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb perielontes ('making a circuit, tacking') suggests they had to sail indirectly due to wind conditions. Rhegium (modern Reggio di Calabria) is at the toe of Italy. The south wind carried them swiftly up the coast to Puteoli (modern Pozzuoli), near Naples — the main port for the Alexandrian grain fleet and the gateway to Rome.
Acts 28:14

οὗ εὑρόντες ἀδελφοὺς παρεκλήθημεν παρ' αὐτοῖς ἐπιμεῖναι ἡμέρας ἑπτά· καὶ οὕτως εἰς τὴν Ῥώμην ἤλθαμεν.

There we found brothers and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so we came to Rome.

KJV Where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days: and so we went toward Rome.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The existence of a Christian community at Puteoli — one of Italy's most important ports — confirms the early spread of Christianity through trade routes. The centurion's willingness to allow a seven-day stay (another indication of Paul's privileged treatment) suggests Julius was in no hurry. The sentence 'And so we came to Rome' (kai houtos eis ten Rhomen elthamen) is quietly monumental — the journey promised in 19:21 and guaranteed in 23:11 is now accomplished.
Acts 28:15

κἀκεῖθεν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἀκούσαντες τὰ περὶ ἡμῶν ἦλθαν εἰς ἀπάντησιν ἡμῖν ἄχρι Ἀππίου Φόρου καὶ Τριῶν Ταβερνῶν, οὓς ἰδὼν ὁ Παῦλος εὐχαριστήσας τῷ θεῷ ἔλαβε θάρσος.

The brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.

KJV And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii forum, and The three taverns: whom when Paul saw, he thanked God, and took courage.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Two groups of Roman Christians come out to meet Paul at different points along the Via Appia (Appian Way): the Forum of Appius (about 43 miles from Rome) and Three Taverns (about 33 miles from Rome). This reception — going out to meet an arriving dignitary — was a formal act of honor called an apantesis. Paul's response — thanksgiving and courage (tharsos, the same word the Lord used in 23:11) — shows his emotional state after years of imprisonment and a harrowing voyage.
Acts 28:16

Ὅτε δὲ εἰσήλθομεν εἰς Ῥώμην, ἐπετράπη τῷ Παύλῳ μένειν καθ' ἑαυτὸν σὺν τῷ φυλάσσοντι αὐτὸν στρατιώτῃ.

When we came into Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself, with the soldier who was guarding him.

KJV And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's arrangement — private quarters with a single guard (custodia militaris) — was the lightest form of Roman custody. The SBLGNT omits the reference to the centurion delivering prisoners to the captain of the guard (found in the Textus Receptus). Paul's ability to receive visitors (vv. 17, 23, 30) confirms this was house arrest, not imprisonment.
Acts 28:17

Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ ἡμέρας τρεῖς συγκαλέσασθαι αὐτὸν τοὺς ὄντας τῶν Ἰουδαίων πρώτους· συνελθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν ἔλεγεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐγώ, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί, οὐδὲν ἐναντίον ποιήσας τῷ λαῷ ἢ τοῖς ἔθεσι τοῖς πατρῴοις, δέσμιος ἐξ Ἱεροσολύμων παρεδόθην εἰς τὰς χεῖρας τῶν Ῥωμαίων,

After three days he called together the local leaders of the Jews. When they had gathered, he said to them, "Brothers, though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our fathers, I was delivered as a prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

KJV And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul follows his consistent pattern: he approaches the Jewish community first (cf. 13:5, 14, 17:1-2, 18:4). The three-day interval allowed him to settle in. His address to the Roman Jewish leaders summarizes his case, maintaining that he committed no offense against the Jewish people or ancestral customs — the same defense given throughout Acts 22-26.
Acts 28:18

οἵτινες ἀνακρίναντές με ἐβούλοντο ἀπολῦσαι διὰ τὸ μηδεμίαν αἰτίαν θανάτου ὑπάρχειν ἐν ἐμοί.

When they had examined me, they wanted to release me because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.

KJV Who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul summarizes the Roman officials' repeated verdict of innocence (cf. 23:29, 25:25, 26:31-32). The phrase 'no reason for the death penalty' (medemian aitian thanatou) is the consistent Roman finding throughout Paul's trials.
Acts 28:19

ἀντιλεγόντων δὲ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἠναγκάσθην ἐπικαλέσασθαι Καίσαρα, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ ἔθνους μου ἔχων τι κατηγορεῖν.

But since the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar — not that I had any charge to bring against my nation.

KJV But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul emphasizes that his appeal to Caesar was defensive, not offensive — he is not counter-suing the Jewish community. The phrase 'not that I had any charge against my nation' (ouch hos tou ethnous mou echon ti kategorein) is a diplomatic gesture toward the Roman Jewish community.
Acts 28:20

διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν παρεκάλεσα ὑμᾶς ἰδεῖν καὶ προσλαλῆσαι· ἕνεκεν γὰρ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν ἅλυσιν ταύτην περίκειμαι.

For this reason, then, I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of the hope of Israel that I am wearing this chain."

KJV For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ἡ ἐλπὶς τοῦ Ἰσραήλ he elpis tou Israel
"the hope of Israel" — the hope of Israel, the messianic expectation, the resurrection hope

This phrase encapsulates the argument Paul has made throughout his trials: the Christian gospel is the fulfillment, not the contradiction, of Israel's ancient hope.

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's climactic statement identifies his imprisonment with 'the hope of Israel' (tes elpidos tou Israel) — the same phrase used in 26:6-7. The singular 'chain' (halysin) refers to the chain binding him to his guard. Paul's point is theological: he is in chains not despite being a faithful Jew but because of Israel's own hope — the resurrection of the dead and the coming of the Messiah.
Acts 28:21

οἱ δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἶπαν· Ἡμεῖς οὔτε γράμματα περὶ σοῦ ἐδεξάμεθα ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, οὔτε παραγενόμενός τις τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀπήγγειλεν ἢ ἐλάλησέν τι περὶ σοῦ πονηρόν.

They said to him, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brothers coming here has reported or spoken anything bad about you.

KJV And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Roman Jewish leaders claim ignorance of Paul's case — no letters from Jerusalem, no visiting Jews with negative reports. Whether this is entirely accurate or diplomatically cautious is unclear. The winter sailing closure during which Paul traveled may have prevented advance communication.
Acts 28:22

ἀξιοῦμεν δὲ παρὰ σοῦ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ φρονεῖς· περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης γνωστὸν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται.

But we would like to hear from you what your views are, for regarding this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

KJV But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The Jewish leaders' response is notable: they want to hear Paul's views directly. Their characterization of Christianity as a 'sect' (haireseos) that is 'everywhere spoken against' (pantachou antilegetai) reflects the mixed reception the early church received. The language is neutral to skeptical — they are open to hearing but aware of the controversy.
Acts 28:23

Ταξάμενοι δὲ αὐτῷ ἡμέραν ἦλθον πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν ξενίαν πλείονες, οἷς ἐξετίθετο διαμαρτυρόμενος τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ πείθων τε αὐτοὺς περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀπό τε τοῦ νόμου Μωϋσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν, ἀπὸ πρωῒ ἕως ἑσπέρας.

When they had set a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in greater numbers. From morning until evening he explained to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to persuade them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the Prophets.

KJV And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This extended session — 'from morning until evening' (apo proi heos hesperas) — demonstrates the depth and seriousness of the engagement. Paul's method is scriptural persuasion: he argues from the Law and the Prophets that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel's hope. The combination of 'the kingdom of God' and 'Jesus' summarizes the content of all apostolic preaching in Acts.
Acts 28:24

καὶ οἱ μὲν ἐπείθοντο τοῖς λεγομένοις, οἱ δὲ ἠπίστουν·

Some were convinced by what he said, but others refused to believe.

KJV And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The response is divided — exactly the pattern that has characterized Jewish responses to the gospel throughout Acts. Some are 'convinced' (epeithonto); others 'refused to believe' (epistoun). This divided response triggers Paul's final prophetic declaration.
Acts 28:25

ἀσύμφωνοι δὲ ὄντες πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπελύοντο, εἰπόντος τοῦ Παύλου ῥῆμα ἓν ὅτι Καλῶς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐλάλησεν διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν

Disagreeing among themselves, they began to leave. Paul made one final statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

KJV And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The word asymphonoi ('disagreeing, not in harmony') describes the divided state in which the group departs. Paul's 'one word' (hrema hen) is actually an extended quotation of Isaiah 6:9-10 — the prophetic passage most frequently cited in the New Testament to explain Israel's unbelief (cf. Matthew 13:14-15, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, John 12:40, Romans 11:8).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
Acts 28:26

λέγων· Πορεύθητι πρὸς τὸν λαὸν τοῦτον καὶ εἰπόν· Ἀκοῇ ἀκούσετε καὶ οὐ μὴ συνῆτε, καὶ βλέποντες βλέψετε καὶ οὐ μὴ ἴδητε·

'Go to this people and say: You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive.

KJV Saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Paul quotes Isaiah 6:9-10 from the Septuagint. The passage is from Isaiah's commissioning — God tells the prophet that his message will not be received. The Hebrew intensifying construction ('hearing you will hear') emphasizes the completeness of the failure to comprehend. Luke places this quotation at the very end of his two-volume work, giving it climactic theological significance.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 6:9-10. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Acts 28:27

ἐπαχύνθη γὰρ ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν· μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν, καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς.

For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.'

KJV For the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The threefold diagnosis — dull heart, heavy ears, closed eyes — describes a progressive hardening against God's message. The sequence reverses in the potential cure: seeing, hearing, understanding, turning. The verb iasomi ('I would heal') holds out the possibility of restoration — the door is not absolutely shut. In Isaiah's original context, this was a temporary condition, not a permanent sentence.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 6:9-10. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Acts 28:28

γνωστὸν οὖν ἔστω ὑμῖν ὅτι τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἀπεστάλη τοῦτο τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ· αὐτοὶ καὶ ἀκούσονται.

Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen."

KJV Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ to soterion tou theou
"this salvation of God" — salvation, deliverance, saving act of God

The neuter adjective used substantively — 'the saving thing of God.' This phrase echoes Simeon's words in Luke 2:30 and Isaiah 40:5 (LXX), creating a massive inclusio across Luke's two volumes.

Translator Notes

  1. Paul's declaration — 'this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles' (tois ethnesin apestale touto to soterion tou theou) — echoes his earlier turning points at Antioch (13:46) and Corinth (18:6). The phrase 'they will listen' (autoi kai akousontai) is both a prediction and a contrast with Israel's failure to hear (v. 27). This is the theological climax of Acts: the gospel, offered first to Israel, now goes freely to the nations.
Acts 28:29

KJV And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse is not present in the SBLGNT critical text. It appears in the Textus Receptus and thus in the KJV, but the earliest and best manuscripts lack it. We follow the critical text and note the verse's absence.
Acts 28:30

Ἐνέμεινεν δὲ διετίαν ὅλην ἐν ἰδίῳ μισθώματι, καὶ ἀπεδέχετο πάντας τοὺς εἰσπορευομένους πρὸς αὐτόν,

He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him,

KJV And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'two whole years' (dietian holen) specifies Paul's house arrest. The phrase 'at his own expense' (en idio misthomati) indicates Paul rented his quarters — possibly funded by the churches or by his own work. The open-door policy — 'welcoming all who came' (apedecheto pantas) — shows unrestricted access despite his custody.
Acts 28:31

κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως.

Indeed, preaching God's reign, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

KJV Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ἀκωλύτως akolytos
"without hindrance" — unhindered, without obstruction, freely

The final word of Acts — and arguably the most important. Despite every obstacle narrated across 28 chapters, the gospel advances akolytos. Luke's history of the early church ends not with Paul's fate but with the unstoppable progress of the message.

Translator Notes

  1. The final verse of Acts is its theological summary. Paul's message has two components — 'the kingdom of God' and 'the Lord Jesus Christ' — encompassing the entire apostolic proclamation. The phrase 'with all boldness' (meta pases parresias) echoes the prayer of Acts 4:29. The final word, akolytos ('without hindrance, unhindered'), is the last word Luke writes. Despite imprisonment, opposition, storms, and snakebite, nothing stops the advance of the gospel. The word is adverbial, modifying everything — Paul preaches, teaches, and lives unhindered. It is a quietly triumphant ending: the prisoner is free, and the Word of God is unchained.
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