Acts 28:3
New International Version
Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.

New Living Translation
As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand.

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

Berean Standard Bible
Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand.

Berean Literal Bible
Now of Paul having gathered a quantity of sticks and having laid them on the fire, a viper, having come out from the heat, fastened on his hand.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

New American Standard Bible
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

NASB 1995
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

NASB 1977
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Legacy Standard Bible
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

Amplified Bible
But 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.

Christian Standard Bible
As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
As Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself to his hand.

American Standard Version
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out by reason of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Paulus took a bunch of sticks and set them on the fire and a viper came out of them from the heat of the fire, and it bit his hand.

Contemporary English Version
After Paul had gathered some wood and had put it on the fire, the heat caused a snake to crawl out, and it bit him on the hand.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And when Paul had gathered together a bundle of sticks, and had laid them on the fire, a viper coming out of the heat, fastened on his hand.

English Revised Version
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, a viper came out by reason of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Paul gathered a bundle of brushwood and put it on the fire. The heat forced a poisonous snake out of the brushwood. The snake bit Paul's hand and wouldn't let go.

Good News Translation
Paul gathered up a bundle of sticks and was putting them on the fire when a snake came out on account of the heat and fastened itself to his hand.

International Standard Version
Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put it on the fire. A poisonous snake was forced out by the heat and attached itself to Paul's hand.

Literal Standard Version
but Paul having gathered together a quantity of sticks, and having laid [them] on the fire, a viper—having come out of the heat—fastened on his hand.

Majority Standard Bible
Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand.

New American Bible
Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire when a viper, escaping from the heat, fastened on his hand.

NET Bible
When Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.

New Revised Standard Version
Paul had gathered a bundle of brushwood and was putting it on the fire, when a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.

New Heart English Bible
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and placed them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat, and fastened on his hand.

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

Weymouth New Testament
Now, when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and had thrown them on the fire, a viper, driven by the heat, came out and fastened itself on his hand.

World English Bible
But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.

Young's Literal Translation
but Paul having gathered together a quantity of sticks, and having laid them upon the fire, a viper -- out of the heat having come -- did fasten on his hand.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Ashore on Malta
2The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold. 3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks, and as he laid them on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself to his hand. 4When 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.”…

Cross References
Mark 16:18
they will pick up snakes with their hands, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will be made well."

Acts 28:2
The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold.

Acts 28:4
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."


Treasury of Scripture

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.

came.

Job 20:16
He shall suck the poison of asps: the viper's tongue shall slay him.

Isaiah 30:6
The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.

Isaiah 41:24
Behold, ye are of nothing, and your work of nought: an abomination is he that chooseth you.

fastened.

Acts 28:4
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.

Amos 5:19
As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him.

2 Corinthians 6:9
As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;

Jump to Previous
Bite Brushwood Bundle Driven Fasten Fastened Fire Gathered Hand Heat Itself Laid Paul Pile Quantity Reason Seized Snake Sticks Thrown Together Viper
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Bite Brushwood Bundle Driven Fasten Fastened Fire Gathered Hand Heat Itself Laid Paul Pile Quantity Reason Seized Snake Sticks Thrown Together Viper
Acts 28
1. Paul, after his shipwreck, is kindly entertained on Malta.
5. The snake on his hand hurts him not.
8. He heals many diseases in the island.
11. They depart toward Rome.
17. He declares to the Jews the cause of his coming.
24. After his preaching some were persuaded, and some believed not.
30. Yet he preaches there two years.














(3) And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks . . .--The act was characteristic of the cheerful energy which had been shown throughout the previous night. The fact thus mentioned has been dwelt on as militating against the identity of Melita and Malta, no wood being now found in the island except at one spot (Bosquetta), not near St. Paul's Bay. The Greek word, however, is applied to the dry stalks of herbaceous plants rather than to the branches of trees, and, as such, exactly describes the stout, thorny heather that still grows near the bay. It is clear, however, apart from this, that the people of Malta did not live without fire, and, not having coal, must therefore have had wood of some kind as fuel.

There came a viper out of the heat.--There are said to be no venomous serpents now in Malta, and this again has been pressed into the question of the identity of the island. Mr. Lewin, however (St. Paul, ii. 208), states that he saw a serpent, near St. Paul's Bay, that looked very like a viper; and even if he were mistaken in this, it would be natural enough that venomous snakes should disappear under the influence of culture, as they have done elsewhere, in the course of 1800 years.

Verse 3. - But for and, A.V.; a viper came for there came a viper, A.V.; by reason of for out of, A.V. Had gathered; συστρέψαντος, only here and in the LXX. of Judges 11:3 and Judges 12:4, for "to collect," "gather together." But συστροφή (Acts 19:40; Acts 23:12) means "a concourse," "a conspiracy." In classical Greek συστρέφειν is "to twist up together," to "form into a compact body," and the like. A bundle of sticks; φρυγάνων πλῆθος. The word only occurs in the New Testament here; it means "dry sticks," "kindlers," any combustible material. In the LXX. it is used as the equi- valent of קַשׁ, straw or stubble (Isaiah 40:24; Isaiah 41:2, etc.), and for "nettles" (Job 30:7). Theophrastus seems to use it for plants smaller than a shrub ('Hist.,' Plant., 1:3, 1, quoted by Hobart). Lewin (vol. it. p. 208) writes as follows: - "When in Malta in 1853, I went to St. Paul's Bay at the same season of the year as when the wreck occurred .... We noticed eight or nine stacks of small faggots, they consisted of a kind of thorny heather, and had evidently been cut for firewood." This is a conclusive answer, if any were needed, to the objection to Melita being Malta, drawn from the absence of wood in the island. But besides this, it is not a fact that even now there is no wood at all (see Lewin). A viper came out. It is objected that there are no vipers in Malta. But it is obvious that the condition of Malta now, a very thickly inhabited island (one thousand two hundred people to the square mile, Lewin, p. 208), is very different from what it was with a sparse population in the days of St. Paul. Vipers may well have been destroyed during one thousand eight hundred and sixty years. Lewin mentions that his traveling companions in 1853 started what they thought was a viper, which escaped into one of the bundles of heather. Came out. Διεξελθοῦσα is the reading of Tischendorf, Alford, Meyer, eta., "came out through the sticks." It is a frequent medical term. The heat; τῆς θέρμης. This form of the word is only used here in the New Testament, instead of the more common θερμότης. It occurs, however, repeatedly in the LXX. (Job 6:17; Psalm 19:7; Ecclus. 38:34, etc.), and was the usual medical word for feverish heat. Fastened; κάθηψε, here only in the Bible; but not uncommon in classical Greek, and of general use among medical writers.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Paul
Παύλου (Paulou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3972: Paul, Paulus. Of Latin origin; Paulus, the name of a Roman and of an apostle.

gathered
Συστρέψαντος (Systrepsantos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 4962: To roll or gather together. From sun and strepho; to twist together, i.e. Collect.

a
τι (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5100: Any one, some one, a certain one or thing. An enclitic indefinite pronoun; some or any person or object.

bundle
πλῆθος (plēthos)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4128: A multitude, crowd, great number, assemblage. From pletho; a fulness, i.e. A large number, throng, populace.

of sticks,
φρυγάνων (phryganōn)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Plural
Strong's 5434: A dry stick for burning. Neuter of a presumed derivative of phrugo; something desiccated, i.e. A dry twig.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

as he laid [them]
ἐπιθέντος (epithentos)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2007: To put, place upon, lay on; I add, give in addition. From epi and tithemi; to impose.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fire,
πυράν (pyran)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4443: A fire, pile of burning fuel. From pur; a fire.

a viper,
ἔχιδνα (echidna)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2191: A serpent, snake, viper. Of uncertain origin; an adder or other poisonous snake.

driven
ἐξελθοῦσα (exelthousa)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1831: To go out, come out. From ek and erchomai; to issue.

out
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

by the
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

heat,
θέρμης (thermēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2329: Heat. From the base of theros; warmth.

fastened [itself]
καθῆψεν (kathēpsen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2510: To lay hold of, fasten on to, seize, attack. From kata and haptomai; to seize upon.

to
τῆς (tēs)
Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

hand.
χειρὸς (cheiros)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5495: A hand.


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NT Apostles: Acts 28:3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle (Acts of the Apostles Ac)
Acts 28:2
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