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Monday, July 21st, 2025
the Week of Proper 11 / Ordinary 16
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Read the Bible

THE MESSAGE

Acts 23:4

The aides were scandalized: "How dare you talk to God's Chief Priest like that!"

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Ananias;   Court;   Defense;   Paul;   Priest;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - High Priest, the;   Reviling and Reproaching;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Paul;   Sanhedrin;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Priest, Priesthood;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Ordination;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Thorn in the Flesh;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Malchus;   Sanhedrin;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Caesarea;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Priest;   Sanhedrin (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Sanhedrin or Sanhedrim;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Ananias;   Claudius;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Anani'as;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ananias;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Priest, High;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Those standing nearby said, “Do you dare revile God’s high priest?”
King James Version (1611)
And they that stood by, said, Reuilest thou Gods high Priest?
King James Version
And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
English Standard Version
Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?"
New American Standard Bible
But those present said, "Are you insulting God's high priest?"
New Century Version
The men standing near Paul said to him, "You cannot insult God's high priest like that!"
Amplified Bible
But those who stood near Paul said, "Are you insulting the high priest of God?"
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But the bystanders said, "Do you revile God's high priest?"
Legacy Standard Bible
But those standing nearby said, "Do you revile the high priest of God?"
Berean Standard Bible
But those standing nearby said, "How dare you insult the high priest of God!"
Contemporary English Version
The men standing beside Paul asked, "Don't you know you are insulting God's high priest?"
Complete Jewish Bible
The men nearby said, "This is the cohen hagadol of God that you're insulting!"
Darby Translation
And those that stood by said, Dost thou rail against the high priest of God?
Easy-to-Read Version
The men standing near Paul said to him, "Are you sure you want to insult God's high priest like that?"
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they that stood by, sayd, Reuilest thou Gods hie Priest?
George Lamsa Translation
And those who stood by said to him, Do you even revile the high priest of God?
Good News Translation
The men close to Paul said to him, "You are insulting God's High Priest!"
Lexham English Bible
And those who stood nearby said, "Are you reviling the high priest of God?"
Literal Translation
And those standing by said, Do you revile the high priest of God?
American Standard Version
And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
Bible in Basic English
And those who were near said, Do you say such words against God's high priest?
Hebrew Names Version
Those who stood by said, "Do you malign God's Kohen Gadol?"
International Standard Version
The men standing near him asked, "Do you mean to insult God's high priest?"
Etheridge Translation
And they who stood there said to him, The priest of Aloha revilest thou?
Murdock Translation
And those standing by, said to him: Dost thou reproach the priest of God !
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they that stoode by, sayde: Reuilest thou Gods hye priest?
English Revised Version
And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
World English Bible
Those who stood by said, "Do you malign God's high priest?"
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
Weymouth's New Testament
"Do you rail at God's High Priest?" cried the men who stood by him.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei that stoden niy, seiden, Cursist thou the hiyest prest of God?
Update Bible Version
And those that stood by said, Do you revile God's high priest?
Webster's Bible Translation
And they that stood by, said, Revilest thou God's high priest?
New English Translation
Those standing near him said, "Do you dare insult God's high priest?"
New King James Version
And those who stood by said, "Do you revile God's high priest?"
New Living Translation
Those standing near Paul said to him, "Do you dare to insult God's high priest?"
New Life Bible
Those standing near said, "Do you talk like that to God's head religious leader?"
New Revised Standard
Those standing nearby said, "Do you dare to insult God's high priest?"
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, they who stood by, said - The High-priest of God, dost thou revile?
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they that stood by said: Dost thou revile the high priest of God?
Revised Standard Version
Those who stood by said, "Would you revile God's high priest?"
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they that stode by sayde: revylest thou Goddes hye preste?
Young's Literal Translation
And those who stood by said, `The chief priest of God dost thou revile?'
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they that stode aboute hi, sayde: Reuylest thou Gods hye prest?
Mace New Testament (1729)
what, said the standers-by, do you revile the high priest of God?
Simplified Cowboy Version
Some people standing near gasped, "How dare you speak to the high priest like that?!"

Contextual Overview

1Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: "Friends, I've lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment." That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, "God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!" 4 The aides were scandalized: "How dare you talk to God's Chief Priest like that!" 5 Paul acted surprised. "How was I to know he was Chief Priest? He doesn't act like a Chief Priest. You're right, the Scripture does say, ‘Don't speak abusively to a ruler of the people.' Sorry."

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: John 18:22 - Answerest

Cross-References

Genesis 23:12
Abraham bowed respectfully before the assembled council and answered Ephron: "Please allow me—I want to pay the price of the land; take my money so that I can go ahead and bury my wife."
Genesis 23:16
Abraham accepted Ephron's offer and paid out the sum that Ephron had named before the town council of Hittites—four hundred silver shekels at the current exchange rate.
Genesis 47:9
Jacob answered Pharaoh, "The years of my sojourning are 130—a short and hard life and not nearly as long as my ancestors were given." Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and left.
Leviticus 25:23
"The land cannot be sold permanently because the land is mine and you are foreigners—you're my tenants. You must provide for the right of redemption for any of the land that you own.
Psalms 39:12
"Ah, God , listen to my prayer, my cry—open your ears. Don't be callous; just look at these tears of mine. I'm a stranger here. I don't know my way— a migrant like my whole family. Give me a break, cut me some slack before it's too late and I'm out of here."
Ecclesiastes 6:3
Say a couple have scores of children and live a long, long life but never enjoy themselves—even though they end up with a big funeral! I'd say that a stillborn baby gets the better deal. It gets its start in a mist and ends up in the dark—unnamed. It sees nothing and knows nothing, but is better off by far than anyone living.
1 Peter 2:11
Friends, this world is not your home, so don't make yourselves cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they'll be won over to God's side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they that stood by,.... The members of the sanhedrim that were next to the apostle; or the servants of the high priest, since they are said to stand, whereas those of that court sat: said,

revilest thou God's high priest? which seems to confirm that the apostle's words were not a bare prediction, but an imprecation, since they are charged with reproaching, reviling, and speaking evil of him; and the aggravation of which was not only that the person reviled was a priest, an high priest, but an high priest of God; though this could not have been proved, for there was now no high priest of God but Jesus Christ; the priesthood was changed and abrogated, and there were no more high priests among men of God's appointing and approving.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Revilest thou ... - Dost thou reproach or abuse the high priest of God? is remarkable that they, who knew that he was not the high priest, should have offered this language. He was, however, in the place of the high priest, and they might have pretended that respect was due to the office.


 
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