Acts 28:4

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."

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
When the people living on the island saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said, "This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live."

Revised Standard Version
When the natives 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."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
When the men of the contre sawe the worme hange on his honde they sayde amonge the selves: this man must nedes be a mortherer. Whome (though he have escaped the see) yet vengeaunce suffreth not to lyve.

Hebrew Names Version
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."

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

New Century Version
The people living on the island saw the snake hanging from Paul's hand and said to each other, "This man must be a murderer! He did not die in the sea, but Justice does not want him to live."

Update Bible 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 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.

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."

World 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."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And when the barbarians saw the venomous animal hanging on his hand, they said one to another, Doubtless this man is a murderer, whom though he hath escaped the sea, vengeance hath not suffered to live.

Weymouth's 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."

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And whanne the hethene men of the ile siyen the beest hangynge in his hoond, thei seiden togidir, For this man is a manquellere; and whanne he scapide fro the see, Goddis veniaunce suffrith hym not to lyue in erthe.

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.

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."

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."

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.

Bible in Basic English
And when the people saw it hanging on his hand, they said to one another, Without doubt this man has put someone to death, and though he has got safely away from the sea, God will not let him go on living.

Complete Jewish Bible
The islanders saw the creature hanging from Sha'ul's hand and said to one another, "This man must be a murderer. Even though he escaped the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."

Darby Translation
And when the barbarians saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said to one another, This man is certainly a murderer, whom, [though] saved out of the sea, Nemesis has not allowed to live.

Etheridge Translation
And when the Barbaroyee saw it hang upon his hand, they said, Perhaps this man is a murderer, whom, though he is escaped from the sea, justice suffereth not to live.

Murdock Translation
when the barbarians saw it hanging on his hand, they said: Doubtless, this man is a murderer; whom, though delivered from the sea, justice will not suffer to live.

King James Version (1611)
And when the Barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they saide among themselues, No doubt this man is a murtherer, whom though hee hath escaped the Sea, yet Uengeance suffereth not to liue.

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."

New Life Bible
When the people of the island saw the snake holding to his hand, they said to each other, "This man is a killer. He was saved from the sea and yet it is not right for him to live."

New Revised Standard
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."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Nowe when ye Barbarians saw the worme hang on his hand, they said among themselues, This man surely is a murtherer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet Vengeance hath not suffered to liue.

George Lamsa Translation
And when the barbarians saw it hanging from his hand, they said, It may be that this man is a murderer, whom though he has been rescued from the sea, yet justice does not permit him to live.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when the natives saw the brute hanging out from his hand, they began to say, one to another - Doubtless, this man is, a murderer, whom, though brought safely through out of the sea, Justice, hath not suffered, to live.

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.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And when the straungers sawe the beast hang on his hande, they sayde among them selues, No doubt this man is a murtherer: Whom though he haue escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffreth not to lyue.

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."

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.”

King James Version
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.

Lexham English Bible
And when the local people saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, "Doubtless this man is a murderer whom, although he was rescued from the sea, Justice has not permitted to live!"

Literal Translation
And when the foreigners saw the beast hanging from his hand, they said to one another, By all means this man is a murderer, whom being saved out of the sea, Justice did not permit 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;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Whan the people sawe the beest hange on his hande, they sayde amonge them selues: This man must nedes be a murthurer, who vengeaunce suffreth not to lyue, though he haue escaped the see.

Mace New Testament (1729)
the barbarians seeing the venomous creature hang fast to his hand, said to one another, this man is a murderer, no doubt; for, escaped from the wreck, the divine justice still pursues him to death.

New English Translation
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 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."

Simplified Cowboy Version
The people from Malta saw what happened and some of them said, "He must be guilty. The sea didn't take him so the land will. Justice will be served."

New American Standard Bible (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."

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."

Contextual Overview

¹After we were safe [on land], we found out that the island was called Malta. ²And the natives showed us extraordinary kindness and hospitality; for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, since it had begun to rain and was cold. ³But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper crawled out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand. ⁴When 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."⁵Then Paul [simply] shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. ⁶But they stood watching and expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began saying that he was a god. ⁷In the vicinity of that place there were estates belonging to the leading man of the island, named Publius, who welcomed and entertained us hospitably for three days. ⁸And it happened that the father of Publius was sick [in bed] with recurring attacks of fever and dysentery; and Paul went to him, and after he had prayed, he laid his hands on him and healed him. ⁹After this occurred, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases were coming to him and being healed. ¹⁰They also gave us many honors [gifts and courtesies expressing respect]; and when we were setting sail, they supplied us with all the things we needed.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

barbarians: Acts 28:2

beast: Acts 28:5, Genesis 3:1, Isaiah 13:21, Isaiah 13:22, Isaiah 43:20, Zephaniah 2:15

No doubt: Luke 13:2, Luke 13:4, John 7:24, John 9:1, John 9:2

a murderer: Genesis 4:8-11, Genesis 9:5, Genesis 9:6, Genesis 42:21, Genesis 42:22, Numbers 35:31-34, Proverbs 28:17, Isaiah 26:21, Matthew 23:35, Matthew 27:25, Revelation 21:8

Reciprocal: Genesis 27:45 - why Genesis 31:55 - returned Exodus 20:13 - General Deuteronomy 21:1 - General Judges 9:56 - God rendered 1 Samuel 17:35 - smote him 2 Samuel 3:29 - rest 2 Samuel 3:30 - slew Abner 2 Samuel 16:8 - returned 1 Kings 2:31 - that thou Job 1:19 - it fell Job 4:7 - who ever Proverbs 13:21 - pursueth Jeremiah 41:15 - escaped Amos 5:19 - As if Jonah 1:14 - let John 9:3 - Neither Acts 28:3 - fastened Romans 1:14 - Greeks 1 Corinthians 14:11 - I shall 2 Corinthians 6:8 - honour Colossians 3:11 - Barbarian

Cross-References

Genesis 12:7
Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your descendants." So Abram built an altar there to [honor] the LORD who had appeared to him.

Genesis 28:1
So Isaac called Jacob and blessed him and charged him, and said to him, "You shall not marry one of the women of Canaan.

Genesis 28:3
"May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, so that you may become a [great] company of peoples.

Genesis 28:5
Then Isaac sent Jacob away, and he went to Paddan-aram, to Laban, son of Bethuel the Aramean, the brother of Rebekah, the mother of Jacob and Esau.

Genesis 28:6
Now Esau noticed that Isaac had blessed Jacob and sent him to Paddan-aram to take a wife for himself from there, and that as he blessed him he gave him a prohibition, saying, "You shall not take a wife from the daughters of Canaan,"

Genesis 28:7
and that Jacob obeyed his father and his mother and had gone to Paddan-aram.

Genesis 28:8
So Esau realized that [his two wives] the daughters of Canaan displeased Isaac his father;

Genesis 28:9
and [to appease his parents] Esau went to [the family of] Ishmael and took as his wife, in addition to the wives he [already] had, Mahalath the daughter of Ishmael, Abraham's son, the sister of Nebaioth [Ishmael's firstborn son].

Genesis 28:12
He dreamed that there was a ladder (stairway) placed on the earth, and the top of it reached [out of sight] toward heaven; and [he saw] the angels of God ascending and descending on it [going to and from heaven].

Genesis 28:13
And behold, the LORD stood above and around him and said, "I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your [father's] father and the God of Isaac; I will give to you and to your descendants the land [of promise] on which you are lying.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast,.... The viper is called "Therion", a beast, it being of the viviparous kind; and hence comes "Theriaca", or "Venice treacle", the foundation of which composition is vipers' flesh; and it is called venomous, because it is of all serpents the most venomous: this when the country people saw

hang on his hand, having wrapped itself about it,

they said among themselves, no doubt this man is a murderer: they might see he was a prisoner by his chain, or might learn it from some of the company, and therefore took it for granted he had been guilty of some crime; and by the viper's fastening on him, they concluded it was murder he was guilty of; for the same notion might obtain among them, as among the Jews, that a murderer that could not be legally convicted, was sometimes punished this way.

"Says R. Simeon ben Shetach l, may I never see the consolation, if I did not see one run after his friend into a desert place; and I ran after him, and I saw the sword in his hand, and the blood dropping, and he that was slain panting; and I said to him, O wicked man, who has slain this? either I or thou; but what shall I do? for thy blood is not delivered into my hand; "for the law says, by the mouth of two or three witnesses he shall surely die" (#De 17:6): may he that knows the thoughts take vengeance on that man that slew his friend; they say, they did not remove from thence, עד שבא נחש, "till a serpent came", and bit him, and he died.''

So the Jews observe, that when the execution of capital punishments was taken away from them, yet such who deserved them were punished by God in a way equivalent to them: so for instance, if a man committed a crime, for which he deserved to be burnt, either he fell into the fire, or נחש נושכו, "a serpent bit him" m; or if he deserved to be strangled, either he was drowned in a river, or died of a quinsy. There is a kind of an asp which the Egyptians call "Thermuthis", which they reckon sacred, and worship: this they say will not hurt good men, but destroys the wicked; and if so, says the historian, then δικη, "vengeance", or justice has honoured this creature, to be so sharp sighted as to discern the good from the bad; and they say, Isis sends it to the most wicked n. Agreeably to which these men reason,

whom though he hath escaped the sea: has not been drowned there, when shipwrecked,

yet vengeance suffereth not to live. The Greek word "Dice" rendered "vengeance", is the name of a goddess among the Heathens, said to be the daughter of Jupiter and Themis o. She is represented as sitting by her father Jupiter; and when anyone does injury to another, informs him of it p. She is painted sorrowful, and with a contracted forehead, a grave countenance, and a rough aspect, to strike terror in unrighteous persons, and give confidence to righteous ones q, agreeably to her name, which signifies "justice". This deity the barbarians supposed pursued Paul; and though she let him escape the sea, she will not suffer him to live any longer; for they looked upon the viper's fastening on him, as to be sent by her, so to be immediate death to him.

l T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 37. 2. & Shebuot, fol. 34. 1. m Bemidbar Rabba, fol. 214. 2. & T. Bab. Sanhedrin, ib. & Sota, fol. 8. 2. n Aelian de Animal l. 10. c. 31. o Apollodarus de Deorurn Origon. l. 1. p. 6. Phurnutus de Natura Deorum, p. 80. p Hesiod Opera, &c. v. 254, 255. q Chrysippus apud Geilium, l. 14. c. 4.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The venomous beast - The English word “beast” we usually apply to an animal of larger size than a viper. But the original θηρίον thērion is applicable to animals of any kind, and was especially applied by Greek writers to serpents. See Schleusner.

No doubt - The fact that the viper had fastened on him; and that, as they supposed, he must now certainly die, was the proof from which they inferred his guilt.

Is a murderer - Why they thought he was a murderer rather than guilty of some other crime is not known. It might have been:

(1) Because they inferred that he must have been guilty of some very atrocious crime, and as murder was the highest crime that man could commit, they inferred that he had been guilty of this. Or,

(2) More probably, they had an opinion that when divine vengeance overtook a man, he would be punished in a manner similar to the offence; and as murder is committed usually with the hand, and as the viper had fastened on the hand of Paul, they inferred that he had been guilty of taking life. It was supposed among the ancients that persons were often punished by divine vengeance in that part of the body which had been the instrument of the sin.

Whom, though he hath escaped the sea - They supposed that vengeance and justice would still follow the guilty; that, though he might escape one form of punishment, yet he would be exposed to another. And this, to a certain extent, is true. These barbarians reasoned from great original principles, written on the hearts of all people by nature, that there is a God of justice, and that the guilty will be punished. They reasoned incorrectly, as many do, only because that they supposed that every calamity is a judgment for some particular sin. People often draw this conclusion, and suppose that suffering is to be traced to some particular crime, and to be regarded as a direct judgment from heaven. See the notes on John 9:1-3. The general proposition that all sin will be punished at some time is true, but we are not qualified to affirm of particular calamities always that they are direct judgments for sin. In some cases we may. In the case of the drunkard, the gambler, and the profligate, we cannot doubt that the loss of property, health, and reputation is the direct result of specific crime. In the ordinary calamities of life, however, it requires a more profound acquaintance with the principles of divine government than we possess to affirm of each instance of suffering that it is a particular judgment for some crime.

Yet vengeance - ἡ δίκη hē dikē. “Justice” was represented by the pagan as a goddess, the daughter of Jupiter, whose office it was to take vengeance, or to inflict punishment for crimes.

Suffereth not to live - They regarded him as already a dead man. They supposed the effect of the bite of the viper would be so certainly fatal that they might speak of him as already, in effect, dead (Beza).

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Acts 28:4. The venomous beast — το θηριον, The venomous animal; for θηρια is a general name among the Greek writers for serpents, vipers, scorpions, wasps, and such like creatures. Though the viper fastened on Paul's hand, it does not appear that it really bit him; but the Maltese supposed that it had, because they saw it fasten on his hand.

Vengeance suffereth not to live. — These heathens had a general knowledge of retributive justice; and they thought that the stinging of the serpent was a proof that Paul was a murderer. There is a passage in Bamidbar Rabba, fol. 239, that casts some light on this place. "Although the Sanhedrin is ceased, yet are not the four deaths ceased. For he that deserves stoning either falls from his house, or a wild beast tears and devours him. He that deserves burning either falls into the fire, or a serpent bites him. He that deserves cutting of with the sword is either betrayed into the power of a heathen kingdom, or the robbers break in upon him. He that deserves strangling is either suffocated in the water, or dies of a quinsy." See Lightfoot.

As these people were heathens, it is not likely that they had any correct notion of the justice of the true God; and therefore it is most probable that they used the word δικη, not to express the quality or attribute of any being, but the goddess Dikê, or vindictive Justice, herself, who is represented as punishing the iniquities of men.

Hesiod makes a goddess of what the Maltese called Δικη, or Justice:-

Η δε τε παρθενος εϚι ΔΙΚΗ, Διος εκγεγαυια,

Κυδνη τ' αιδοιη τε θεοις, οἱ Ολυμπον εχουσιν·

Και ρ' ὁποτ' αν τις μιν βλαπτῃ σκολιως ονοταζων.

Αυτικα παρ Διΐ πατρι καθεζομενη Κρονιωνι

Γηρυετ' ανθρωπων αδικον νοον·

Hesiod. Opera, ver. 254.

JUSTICE, unspotted maid, derived from Jove,

Renown'd and reverenced by the gods above:

When mortals violate her sacred laws,

When judges hear the bribe and not the cause,

Close by her parent god, behold her stand,

And urge the punishment their sins demand.

COKE.